Boulder Needs Meaningful Protection From Xcel’s Toxic Coal Ash

Xcel’s planned coal ash mitigation at the east edge of town must provide baseline and continuous public air quality monitoring that includes at least particulate matter (PM 2.5 and PM10), heavy metals (lead, mercury, arsenic, chromium, and selenium), and radioactive elements (radium-226).

The monitoring must be provided by a third party with expert qualifications, be supervised by a public agency, and produce real-time reporting easily available to the public. 

I brought this perspective forward in 2025 and Council has since incorporated it as a position in Boulder’s 2026 intergovernmental policy advocacy as well as a letter to Xcel commissioned by City Council.