The Pollution Control Agency announced the availability of the draft 2024 Impaired Waters List, 2024 Assessment Manual, and 2024 Revisions to Appendix A of the statewide mercury TMDL. The updates involve new impairments, delistings, changes, and corrections to the impaired waters list; a focus on refining the guidance manual for beneficial use designations of waters used in wild rice production; and revisions to the statewide mercury TMDL in Appendix A. Regional and state meetings will be held throughout December 2023. Comments are due January 12, 2024.

The Department of Health adopted amendments to rules governing health risk limits for groundwater standards. The amendments add or replace health risk limit (HRL) values developed by the Department between 2018 and early 2022, introduce health-based guidance values for 17 new chemicals, and repeal and replace outdated HRL values for 19 chemicals, with one value for n-hexane being repealed without replacement.

The Department of Environmental Protection adopted amendments to regulations governing the Natural Resource Protection Act (NRPA). The amendments remove the exemption for minor expansions in coastal sand dunes and replace it with a provision allowing such expansions through an NRPA permit-by-rule process. See https://www.maine.gov/sos/cec/rules/notices/2023/111523.html.

The Department of Environmental Protection proposed to adopt a new rule on cooling water intake structures.

The Department of Public Health and Environment adopted amendments to regulations governing water quality civil penalty inflation adjustments. The amendments adjust the maximum civil penalty amount applied to violations of the Colorado Water Quality Control Act from $56,759 to $61,427 to account for yearly inflation. See https://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/Upload/AGORequest/AdoptedRules02023-00228.docx.

The Department of Public Health and Environment proposed amendments to regulations governing water and wastewater facility operator certification requirements. The amendments would, among other things, increase the administered operator examination fee from $100 to $104, raise late fees for renewal applications submitted after the expiration date of the certificate being renewed, and shorten the eligibility period for retaking exams to 100 days. A hearing will be held December 12, 2023. Comments are due November 28, 2023.

The Department of Public Health and Environment proposed amendments to regulations governing stationary source permitting and air pollutant emission notice requirements. The amendments would establish greenhouse gas emission fees. Hearings will be held February 15-16, 2023. Comments are due February 14, 2023. See https://www.sos.state.co.us/CCR/Upload/NoticeOfRulemaking/AddInfoAttach2023-00710.doc.

The Oil and Gas Conservation Commission adopted several high priority habitat maps. The maps detail habitats and protected areas for the Columbian sharp-tailed grouse, bald eagle, peregrine falcon, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife-owned state wildlife areas and state parks.

The Department of Toxic Substances Control proposed amendments to its safer consumer products regulations. The amendments would add laundry detergents containing nonylphenol ethoxylates as a priority product to the Priority Products List. Comments are due December 31, 2023. See https://oal.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/166/2023/11/2023-Notice-Register-Number-45-Z-November-10-2023.pdf (pp. 1461-67).