Colorado Democrats push tougher bill on ozone air pollution

A coalition of Democratic legislators, environmental groups and local officials say they will introduce new air pollution permit mandates Wednesday that go further than Gov. Jared Polis’ recent directives to regulators. The draft bill sets up new battles over how far state government should go to combat stubborn Front Range ozone. 

Polis recently directed his two primary air quality agencies, the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and the health department’s Air Pollution Control Division, to cut ozone-causing nitrogen oxide by 50% by 2030. The cuts would have to come primarily from oil and gas drilling and production activity. 

The activist coalition has praised Polis’ move, but also says it doesn’t go far enough to tackle other sources of ozone pollution, and…