Climate & Environmental Justice

The Problem

Rocky Flats & Radioactive Contamination

The Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant operated 16 miles from downtown Denver from 1952-1992, producing plutonium triggers for nuclear warheads. Multiple fires, leaks, and intentional releases contaminated soil and groundwater with plutonium, americium, uranium, and other radioactive materials.

The “cleanup” was completed in 2005 and the site was converted to a wildlife refuge and opened to the public. Independent soil sampling - including samples from areas above Beaver Brook Reservoir and throughout the Front Range foothills - has found elevated levels of radioactive isotopes and heavy metals, including lead, above safety thresholds.

Denver’s water supply and the health of residents downwind and downstream of Rocky Flats remain at risk. The federal government has declared the cleanup “complete.” It is not.

Lead Contamination

Independent soil sampling in Denver neighborhoods and surrounding areas has found elevated lead levels - in residential yards, near waterways, and in watersheds feeding Denver’s water supply. Dam maintenance and construction projects upstream of Denver have been impacted by contamination concerns. This is a public health emergency that receives almost no attention.

Air Pollution & the Denver Ozone Crisis

Denver has a serious air quality problem that is getting worse, not better. The EPA has classified the Denver Metro/North Front Range area as a “severe” ozone non-attainment zone - meaning the region consistently fails to meet federal air quality standards. Denver recorded 18 “unhealthy” or worse ozone days in 2023 alone (Colorado DPHE Air Quality Control Commission), and the trend is worsening.

The problem is partly geographic. Denver sits in a basin between the Front Range mountains and the plains, creating a topographic bowl that traps pollutants - the infamous “Brown Cloud.” Temperature inversions, especially in winter, cap the bowl and concentrate emissions at ground level. This means Denver’s geography amplifies the impact of every ton of pollution emitted.

The sources are multiple and compounding:

• Vehicle emissions: Denver is a car-dependent city. The average Denver commuter drives alone, and the metro area’s sprawling development pattern generates massive vehicle miles traveled. Ground-level ozone forms when vehicle exhaust (nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds) reacts with sunlight - and Denver has over 300 days of sunshine per year
• Oil and gas operations: The northern Front Range is one of the most intensive oil and gas production zones in the country. Over 20,000 active wells in the DJ Basin emit methane, volatile organic compounds, and hazardous air pollutants that drift into the Denver metro area. Studies by NOAA and Colorado State University have documented significant Front Range methane and VOC emissions exceeding EPA estimates
• Wildfire smoke: Climate-driven wildfires across the western US increasingly blanket Denver with particulate matter. Smoke events are becoming longer, more frequent, and more intense. The 2020 and 2021 wildfire seasons pushed Denver’s AQI above 300 (“hazardous”) for multiple days
• Industrial sources: The Suncor refinery in Commerce City - located adjacent to the predominantly Latino neighborhoods of Globeville and Elyria-Swansea - has repeatedly violated air quality permits and emitted hydrogen cyanide and other toxins. Community advocacy has led to a commitment to close the refinery, but remediation and enforcement remain ongoing concerns

Health impacts are severe and inequitable. Colorado’s asthma hospitalization rates in the Denver metro area are higher than the state average. Children, elderly residents, outdoor workers, and people with respiratory conditions bear the worst consequences. Neighborhoods near highways, industrial facilities, and the Suncor refinery experience disproportionately poor air quality. Air pollution does not respect zip codes equally - it follows income and race.

Climate Change

Urban heat islands make low-income neighborhoods 10-15°F hotter than wealthy areas with tree cover (Trust for Public Land heat mapping, 2023). Water supply faces long-term threats from reduced snowpack (see: Water Security & Conservation for our comprehensive water policy).

What Denver Currently Does

Denver adopted the 80x50 Climate Action Plan in 2018, targeting 80% greenhouse gas reduction by 2050. The city passed a green building ordinance and has expanded some EV infrastructure. Denver has a Climate Protection Fund (funded by a 2020 ballot measure) providing ~$40M/year. Xcel Energy, Denver’s electricity provider, has committed to 80% carbon reduction by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.

However: Denver’s climate action has focused heavily on building efficiency and less on environmental justice, contamination remediation, and frontline community investment. The 80x50 plan does not address Rocky Flats or lead contamination. Tree canopy coverage remains at approximately 19.7% (Denver Parks & Recreation, 2023), well below the 30% target, with the lowest coverage in the neighborhoods that need it most.

Our Solution

1. Rocky Flats Independent Investigation

• City-funded independent environmental assessment of Rocky Flats contamination pathways - not relying on DOE’s self-assessment
• Comprehensive soil, water, and air sampling within Denver, with advocacy for corridor-wide assessment in partnership with neighboring jurisdictions
• Public health study of cancer rates in affected communities
• Legal action against the federal government if contamination exceeds safe levels
• Demand: No public access to Rocky Flats National Wildlife Refuge until independent assessment confirms safety
• Community health screenings for residents in affected areas

2. Denver Lead Remediation

• Comprehensive soil testing program - free testing for any Denver resident’s yard
• Remediation of contaminated public lands and waterways within Denver
• Childhood lead screening mandate for all Denver children
• Drinking water testing and lead pipe replacement (complete within 5 years)
• Contamination assessment of watersheds feeding Denver’s water supply, with public reporting

3. 100% Renewable City Operations by 2030

• All city buildings, vehicles, and operations powered by renewable energy
• City fleet fully electric by 2030
• Solar on every city-owned building
• City divests pension funds from fossil fuels
• Green building standards for all new construction (commercial and residential)

4. Environmental Justice Zones

• Designate frontline communities (Globeville, Elyria-Swansea, Montbello, Sun Valley) as Environmental Justice Zones
• No new polluting facilities within or adjacent to EJ Zones
• Accelerated cleanup of existing contamination
• Air quality monitoring network with public real-time data
• Health impact assessments required for any development in EJ Zones
• Green infrastructure investment: tree canopy, parks, urban farms

5. Denver Clean Air Action Plan

Denver’s ozone non-attainment is a public health emergency. A comprehensive strategy must address every major source:

Vehicle Emissions Reduction:

• Accelerate transit investment to reduce vehicle miles traveled (cross-reference: Transportation & Public Transit)
• Anti-idling ordinance: ban vehicle idling over 3 minutes citywide, with enforcement in school zones, transit corridors, and EJ Zones
• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure in every neighborhood, with priority installation in multi-family housing and low-income areas
• Congestion pricing for downtown Denver during peak ozone season, with revenue dedicated to transit expansion
• Electric school bus fleet conversion: all DPS school buses electric by 2032

Oil and Gas Accountability:

• Advocate at the state level for stricter Front Range oil and gas emission controls, including continuous methane monitoring and zero-venting requirements
• City-funded air quality monitoring along the northern corridor where DJ Basin emissions drift into the metro area
• Support CDPHE enforcement actions against violating operators and advocate for increased inspection frequency
• No new oil and gas permits within Denver city limits (Denver currently has no active drilling, but this formalizes the ban)

Industrial Emissions:

• Suncor refinery closure enforcement: ensure complete remediation of the Commerce City site, with community-directed cleanup priorities and independent environmental monitoring
• Strengthen city air quality permits for industrial and commercial operations in and adjacent to Denver
• Cumulative impact assessment: no new polluting facilities permitted where existing pollution already exceeds health-based standards

Indoor Air Quality for Renters:

• Require landlords to maintain functional ventilation and HVAC filtration in rental units
• Free indoor air quality testing for any Denver renter (mold, particulates, CO, radon)
• HEPA filter lending library: residents can borrow portable HEPA air purifiers during smoke and high-ozone events
• Radon testing mandate for all rental properties (Colorado has some of the highest radon levels in the country)

Monitoring and Transparency:

• Real-time, neighborhood-level air quality monitoring network with public dashboard - not just the handful of state monitoring stations that miss hyperlocal pollution
• Community air monitoring grants for neighborhood organizations to deploy low-cost sensors
• Ozone action day protocols: automatic restrictions on emissions-generating activities (e.g., lawn mowing, industrial operations) when AQI forecasts exceed moderate levels
• Annual “State of Denver’s Air” public report with neighborhood-level data, health impact analysis, and progress tracking

6. Urban Climate Resilience

• Urban tree canopy expansion: 30% coverage citywide (currently ~20%)
• Priority planting in heat island neighborhoods
• Green building requirements: cool roofs, water efficiency, solar-ready
• Wildfire smoke response plan: clean air shelters in every neighborhood (cross-reference: Emergency Preparedness & Climate Resilience)
• Water conservation and xeriscaping incentives (cross-reference: Water Security & Conservation)

International Evidence: Clean Energy and Environmental Justice

Country/City	Model	Result
Germany (Energiewende)	National energy transition: massive solar and wind investment. Feed-in tariffs guarantee prices for renewable producers. Community-owned energy cooperatives.	52% electricity from renewables (2023, crossing 50% for the first time). 1.7M energy jobs created. Citizen cooperatives own 40% of renewable capacity.
Denmark	80%+ electricity from renewables. Community ownership of wind farms.	On track for 100% renewable by 2030. Created an entire export industry (Vestas). Reduced emissions while growing the economy.
Costa Rica	98%+ electricity from renewables for 7+ consecutive years.	Proves 100% renewable is achievable today, not a future aspiration.
Burlington, VT	First US city to achieve 100% renewable electricity (2014). City-owned utility.	If Burlington can do it, Denver can do it.
Los Angeles, CA	Aggressive vehicle emission standards, port electrification, industrial controls, and transit investment over 30+ years. Once the smog capital of the US.	Reduced ozone exceedance days by over 75% since the 1970s despite tripling population. Proof that even geography-trapped cities can dramatically improve air quality with sustained policy commitment.
Beijing, China	”War on Pollution” (2013-present): coal plant closures, vehicle restrictions, industrial relocation, and monitoring network.	PM2.5 levels dropped 50%+ in a decade. Dramatic, rapid improvement once political will matched the scale of the problem.
Flint, Michigan (cautionary tale)	Government ignored lead contamination in water to save money.	Demonstrated what happens when governments prioritize cost-cutting over public health. Denver must not repeat this with Rocky Flats or Front Range lead.

Denver’s solar advantage: Denver gets 300+ days of sunshine per year. The economics of solar are overwhelmingly favorable. The barrier is political will, not technology or cost.

How We Pay For It

• Rocky Flats investigation: $5-10M (with goal of federal cost recovery through litigation)
• Lead remediation: Federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds + city bonds
• Renewable city operations: Saves money long-term through reduced energy costs; financed through green bonds
• Environmental Justice Zones: EPA Environmental Justice grants + city climate fund
• Clean Air Action Plan: $8-12M/year (monitoring network, indoor air programs, EV infrastructure, enforcement). Partially funded by congestion pricing revenue and Denver Climate Protection Fund
• Total city investment: $30-45M/year, with significant federal cost recovery potential and long-term healthcare cost avoidance

Frequently Asked Questions

“Isn’t Rocky Flats cleaned up?” The DOE declared it cleaned up. Independent scientists disagree. Plutonium has a half-life of 24,000 years. The cleanup addressed surface contamination but left subsurface contamination in place, covered with soil. Wind erosion, flooding, and wildfire can re-expose this material. Denver residents deserve an independent assessment, not the word of the agency that created the contamination.

“100% renewable by 2030 is too aggressive.” Burlington, VT achieved 100% renewable electricity in 2014. Other cities have followed. Denver has more solar potential than almost any major US city, with 5.5+ peak sun hours per day (NREL Solar Resource Data). The technology exists. What’s missing is political will.

“What about Xcel Energy’s monopoly?” Xcel provides Denver’s electricity under a franchise agreement. The city negotiates franchise terms and can impose requirements on renewable energy sourcing, grid access for distributed solar, and rate structures. The franchise renewal is the single biggest leverage point Denver has on energy policy. We must use it. For our full proposal on power reliability, municipal energy alternatives, and life-safety protections for medically vulnerable residents, see: Power Reliability & Municipal Energy.

“Can Denver actually fix its air quality given the geography?” Yes. Los Angeles has the same topographic problem - a basin that traps pollutants - and reduced ozone exceedance days by over 75% through decades of sustained emission reduction policy. Denver’s Brown Cloud is not destiny. It is the result of policy choices that can be changed: car-dependent development, lax industrial controls, and insufficient transit investment. Geography sets the difficulty level; policy determines the outcome.

“Isn’t ozone a state and federal issue?” Ozone formation is regional, but Denver controls many of the levers: vehicle trip reduction through transit and land use, idling restrictions, EV infrastructure, building codes, industrial permitting, and tree canopy. The city also has political influence over state policy - Denver’s delegation is the largest in the legislature. Using that leverage to strengthen Front Range oil and gas emission controls is part of the strategy.

“What about the economic impact on fossil fuel workers?” Colorado’s energy transition is already happening. The question is whether displaced workers get support or get abandoned. Our proposal includes green job training, priority hiring for clean energy projects, and partnerships with labor unions to ensure transition jobs are good jobs. Germany’s Energiewende included explicit provisions for coal region workers - Denver can do the same.

References

• Colorado DPHE Air Quality Control Commission. (2023). Annual ozone monitoring data. (18 unhealthy+ days.)
• Trust for Public Land. (2023). Urban heat island mapping, Denver metro area.
• Denver 80x50 Climate Action Plan. (2018). Office of Climate Action, Sustainability, and Resiliency.
• Denver Parks & Recreation. (2023). Urban tree canopy assessment. (~19.7% coverage.)
• NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory). Solar resource data for Denver, CO.
• Rocky Flats Downwinders. Community health data and independent sampling results.
• DOE Office of Legacy Management. Rocky Flats Site annual surveillance and maintenance reports.
• IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency). Renewable Energy and Jobs, Annual Review. (Germany 1.7M jobs.)
• EPA. Denver Metro/North Front Range ozone non-attainment area designation and classification.
• NOAA Earth System Research Laboratories. Front Range methane and VOC emission studies.
• Colorado State University. DJ Basin air quality research and monitoring data.
• South Coast Air Quality Management District (Los Angeles). Historical ozone trend data. (75%+ reduction over 30 years.)
• Suncor Energy. Commerce City refinery compliance history and community health impact data.