“Environmental groups want Gov. Jared Polis to remove Garry Kaufman, Colorado’s top air pollution regulator, after whistleblowers alleged the long-time bureaucrat ordered modelers not to analyze potential pollution violations and created a culture of approving permits “at all costs.”
Kevin Bell, an attorney with Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and lead counsel on the complaint, said the incident showed the state’s top regulators had become impatient with air modelers, who he said have a legal obligation to assess the potential risk of new pollution sources. Faced with evidence of potential violations, Bell said the team felt like they were being told to, “sit down, shut up and stop issuing these reports.””
