Commissioner Ackerman used the commissioners’ comments portion of the Nov. 19 meeting to announce a new Biological Resources Working Group (working group 2) charged with advancing protections for invertebrates and rare plants. The group will include subject‑matter experts from ECMC, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Denver Botanic Gardens, the Xerces Society, the Butterfly Pavilion, Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Western Resource Advocates, local governments and industry.

Ackerman said the working group follows legislative direction in SB 19‑181, ECMC’s cumulative‑impacts rulemaking and a prior working group that produced recommendations including definitions and regulatory approaches. The new panel will meet over the next 12 months, develop data resources and provide recommendations to the commission. A webpage listing members and materials will be posted to the ECMC site shortly, Ackerman said.

What’s next: The commission will expect periodic updates as the working group convenes, develops materials and ultimately delivers recommendations that could inform future ECMC rulemaking.

(Reporting note: summary is based on Commissioner Ackerman’s Nov. 19 statement to ECMC.)