By: Shaina Oliver, Colorado Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force
Date: October 16, 2023
About: Greenhouse Gas Intensity Verification Protocol
To: Colorado Air Pollution Control Division (APCD)
Thank you for taking public comment on this important issue. I would like to remind everyone that we are on the stolen lands of the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, Ute, including 45 Tribal nations that have ancestral ties to Colorado.
My name is Shaina Oliver. I am a community member of Northeast Denver, an Indigenous peoples’ rights advocate, and a field organizer for EcoMadres/Moms Clean Air Force Colorado, a national organization of moms, dads, and caregivers united in fighting for all children’s right to a safe environment. Over 42,000 Moms members in Colorado are looking for your leadership in addressing cumulative impacts, ensuring environmental justice, and reaching Colorado’s climate targets as defined by climate legislation.
Most importantly, I am an Indigenous mother of four and wife. We are the descendants of the genocide known as the “Indian Removal Act,” known to the Dineh as “The Long Walk of the Navajo.”
Colorado’s disproportionately impacted communities have seen an increase in ground-level ozone pollution. In fact, Colorado is the sixth worst state to breathe in according to the American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report. This rise in air pollution makes it hard for community members to simply be outside, including myself and my 11-year-old son, who also has asthma.
Oil and gas operations are Colorado's leading source of methane pollution—a powerful driver of climate change responsible for about a quarter of the global warming we’re experiencing today. Oil and gas operations are also responsible for 30–40% of ozone-forming volatile organic compounds produced on the Front Range.
Moms are counting on this agency to ensure accurate direct measurements are provided through robust scientific methods. Providing accurate data reports helps communities to make sound decisions and will ensure that Colorado’s climate targets are met. APCD also needs to ensure there is protocol for accountability and enforcement on climate target delays due to exceedances and there are remedies for cumulative impacts for disproportionately impacted communities.
Our communities are counting on you to provide accurate data and protocols to ensure our families are protected. Thank you.