(1) In administering the program, the division shall:
(a) Conduct or oversee program activities and scientific studies and determine an appropriate scope, sequence, and timetable for such studies and activities;
(b) Subject assertions by a federal land manager of air quality related value impairment in a class I federal area and studies concerning source attribution and source apportionment to peer review;
(c) Utilize the study design and data collection and analytical techniques set forth in section 25-7-211 that are relevant and appropriate to the activity or study;
(d) Assure that studies proceed as expeditiously as sound science will allow in order to minimize any delay in the process.
(2) As necessary or appropriate, the division may:
(a) Enter into memoranda of understanding for participation in the studies and activities required by this part 10;
(b) Create cooperative public-private partnerships with various entities; and
(c) Perform any other appropriate activity to carry out the intent of the program.
(3) The division shall not be required to pay the cost of any studies that are discretionary as set forth in this part 10 other than as set forth in this section. If the division determines that an air quality related value of a class I federal area has the potential to be significantly threatened by air pollution, or is being impacted by air pollution, then the division shall apply for grants or act as a catalyst to secure financial support from available funding sources in federal, state, or local governments and private entities, to identify the threat by funding the necessary air quality related value baseline data collection, or to assist in remedying the threat by funding necessary attribution or apportionment studies. The division is also authorized to act as a catalyst to secure financial support from other sources for such studies. The results of such studies and data collection shall be made available to the appropriate federal land manager and interested members of the public to assist in the management of these scenic resources and to cooperate in any needed air quality related values assessments.
Source: L. 96: Entire part added, p. 1445, � 1, effective June 1.
25-7-1005. Verification of federal land manager's assertion of air quality related value impairment. (1) The federal land manager of a class I federal area may initiate the procedures of this part 10 by submitting to the governor and division an assertion of significant impairment of an air quality related value, referred to in this part 10 as an assertion. To be adequate to support a verification of impairment, the assertion shall be supported by sufficient air quality related value baseline data and site-specific evidence of impairment. The assertion may be supported in part by information that concerns other areas with a similar environment to the class I federal area asserted to be impaired, provided such information is relevant to the class I federal area asserted to be impaired and significant site-specific data is also available.
(2) Upon receipt of an assertion, the division shall initiate the following actions concurrently:
(a) Inform the commission at its next regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the receipt of an assertion, at which time the commission shall schedule the matter for a formal report from the division at the regular commission meeting that is scheduled to occur six months subsequent. All such informational briefings and formal reports on the subject shall be noticed on the published agenda of the commission.
(b) Within sixty days of receipt of the assertion, the division shall convene a peer review panel to review the assertion, its supporting documentation, including the adequacy of the baseline data and the adequacy of the site-specific and other evidence of impairment, and any other relevant information submitted to the division by the public. The requirement for peer review as specified in this paragraph (b) is waived with respect to any peer reviewer who has not submitted peer review comments within sixty days of the date on which the division certifies that the assertion, documentation, and other information has been transmitted to the individual peer reviewers.
(c) Convene a consultation process that is open to the public in order to apprise the public and potentially affected sources and source categories of all stages of the program and to solicit the scientific, technical, economic, and managerial views and assistance of the public and the potentially affected sources and source categories; and
(d) Initiate a review by division staff of the assertion and the supporting documentation submitted by the federal land manager to assess whether the federal land manager has demonstrated a significant impairment of an air quality related value in a class I federal area within Colorado.
(3) At the commission meeting required by paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of this section, the division shall report to the commission. The division's report shall include, but is not limited to, the conclusions of the peer review panel concerning verification of the assertion and the division's determination of whether the federal land manager has demonstrated a significant impairment of an air quality related value in a class I area within Colorado. If the division determines that the assertion has not been verified, it shall so notify the commission and the federal land manager of its findings and the fact that the proceedings authorized under this part 10 have been completed. If the division determines that the assertion has been verified, it shall proceed in accordance with the provisions of section 25-7-1006.
Source: L. 96: Entire part added, p. 1445, � 1, effective June 1.