Colorado State Archives

Executive Orders from the Administration of Governor Bill Owens 1999-2005

DENVER – Declaring that "Colorado must continue to enhance its air quality to protect the health and well-being of its citizens as well as its economic prosperity," Governor Bill Owens today announced his appointments to the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC) and the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC).

The AQCC deals with air quality issues affecting the entire state including haze and visibility in our cities and national parks, rules regulating odor from hog farms as required by the 1998 voter approved Amendment 14, reduction of sulfur dioxide, and prescribed burning and wildfires on public lands.

"Colorado faces many statewide air quality challenges and I believe these appointees bring wide ranging scientific, technical, industrial and environmental backgrounds to the Air Quality Control Commission," Owens said.

Owens appointed the following individuals to the AQCC:

Stephanie A. Foote (R) of Denver, chief of staff to Mayor Wellington Webb;

Doug Lawson (R) of Littleton, a scientist with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory;

Doug Blewitt (U) of Englewood, an air pollution meteorologist with Amoco;

Robert E. Brady (R) of Lakewood, an environmental scientist with Coors Brewing;

David Jensen (R) of Littleton, an executive with Liberty Media Corporation;

Robert Lowdermilk (R) of Denver, president of Tectronic Construction Company

Cynthia Peterson (D) of Littleton, manager of the Colorado Water Project.

These six AQCC appointments made by Owens will join two holdover members, Michael Mueller (D) of Littleton and Vanessa Cameron (D) of Denver.

Owens made nine appointments to the Regional Air Quality Commission after issuing an executive order streamlining the commission from 37 members to 9. He noted that during the past two years, only 2 out of 16 RAQC board meetings had a majority of members attending. The RACQ is the lead agency for air quality in the Denver metropolitan area under the federal Clean Air Act.

"This new configuration will increase the accountability of board members to the citizens of the metropolitan Denver area while maintaining strong ties to local government," Owens said. "A new plan for maintaining compliance with federal carbon monoxide standards will shortly be due and the region must work to ensure it continues to meet ozone and fine particulate matter standards."

Owens appointed the following individuals to the RAQC:

Dennis Arfmann, partner at Holme, Roberts and Owens;

Theresa Donahue, director of the Department of Environmental Health, City and County of Denver;

Jane Norton, director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment;

Tom Norton, director of the Colorado Department of Transportation;

Don Parsons, mayor of Northglenn and member of the board, Denver Regional Council of Governments;

Jim Scherer, president of Scherer Environmental Management Consulting and former Region VIII director for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency;

Shirleen Tucker, former Jefferson County member of the Colorado legislature;

Sharon Votruba, council member, Thornton;

Melanie Worley, commissioner, Douglas County.

Tucker will chair the RAQC.

"It is important to remember that the RACQ is working for clean air not just to meet federal regulations but most importantly for the health of the people who live in the metro area," Tucker said. "I am excited about this new, streamlined board and we will work with local government officials and other policymakers to implement a forward looking clean air policy for the region."

"The RAQC has been a successful architect of the metro area’s compliance with federal carbon monoxide standards," Scherer said. "I am pleased to have the opportunity to help design an efficient way to continue this progress and other priority areas."

"Over the years the RAQC has been successful in achieving our policy goals and the new structure will continue this effort with more focused attention to the remaining challenges," said Ken Lloyd, executive director of the RACQ since 1990.

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