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Thomas Young, Vice President of Marketing & Communications | 303.333.7846 | [email protected]

DENVER — Last night, the Colorado General Assembly passed HB24-1379 – a bill to protect wetlands and streams put at risk by the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in the Sackett v. EPA case. HB24-1379 will protect Coloradans’ access to clean drinking water, help preserve biodiversity and reduce the risk of flooding.

The Protect Colorado Waters Coalition today released the following statement:

“We could not be more proud of the fact that Colorado is the first in the nation to pass legislation that restores protections for our wetlands and streams from mining, construction and other development activities that were removed last year by the Supreme Court. The coalition and bill sponsors collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders to create the legislation awaiting Governor Polis’ signature, and it is a huge win for the environment.

As a coalition dedicated to protecting Colorado’s wetlands and waters, we extend our deepest gratitude to our legislative leaders for their unwavering commitment to safeguarding our state’s invaluable natural resources. Passing HB24-1379 marks a crucial step forward in our collective efforts to ensure that Colorado’s wetlands and waters are protected from harmful pollution, degradation and destruction.

Speaker Julie McCluskie, Senator Dylan Roberts, Representative Karen McCormick and Senator Barbara Kirkmeyer have demonstrated outstanding leadership by working collaboratively to develop a bill that provides regulatory certainty alongside responsible environmental protections. The sponsors worked tirelessly, advocating on behalf of Colorado’s communities, waterways and wildlife. Their collaboration and dedication has resulted in a bill with widespread support from farmers and ranchers, local governments, the business community and environmentalists.

We look forward to Governor Polis signing this bill into law and then the forthcoming rulemaking process at the Water Quality Control Commission. Our coalition represents more than 275,000 Coloradans, and on their behalf we remain committed to ensuring the rulemaking process reflects the legislative intent to provide protections for our remaining wetlands and other waters.

Together, we can uphold Colorado’s legacy as a leader in clean water protection and preserve the Colorado way of coming together to address our most pressing challenges.”