House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Mitigate Environmental Damage from Landfills

DENVER, CO – The House today passed bipartisan legislation to help local communities mitigate environmental damages caused by landfills. HB23-1194, passed by a vote of 61 to 2 and would invest $15 million toward a statewide grant program to support communities to reduce environmental risks surrounding closed landfills. 

“Closed landfills can be dangerous to our health and contaminate our groundwater if they’re not properly maintained,” said Rep. Barbara McLachlan, D-Durango. “Our important bipartisan legislation helps local communities across our state, including southwestern Colorado, mitigate the environmental damage caused by closed landfills. This bill spearheads an important collaboration between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and counties to ensure our landfills are in compliance with federal law, so we can keep harmful contaminants out of our water supply, soil and delicate ecosystems.” 

HB23-1194 sponsored by Representatives Barbara McLachlan and Rose Pugliese, would help local governments by supporting their environmental remediation and management of closed landfills. Specifically, this bill allocates $15 million to create the Closed Landfill Remediation Grant Program Fund to help communities mitigate hazardous environments caused by older, unkempt landfills. This bipartisan legislation aims to keep Colorado communities safe and healthy by mitigating the harmful environmental effects of closed landfills. 

Some environmental risk factors that can be caused by closed landfills include groundwater, soil and farmland contamination, hazardous gas accumulation and exposure to dangerous chemicals.