Public Health in the Rockies 2026

Background:

Colorado EnviroScreen, an interactive environmental justice mapping tool provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), was launched in 2022, and saw its first revision (version 2.0) in 2024. Colorado EnviroScreen brings together data about the environment, health, and socioeconomic factors to understand the cumulative impacts of environmental injustice and to identify cumulatively burdened communities as defined in Colorado’s Environmental Justice Act.

Methods and Results:

CDPHE is preparing to release Colorado Enviroscreen 3.0 in June 2027, following a process of consultation with subject matter experts and public feedback. Tool developers from the CDPHE Office of Environmental Justice will provide background on the tool, an overview of proposed tool updates (including changes to indicators, methods, and the platform), as well as major conclusions from public engagement sessions held May 4 - July 6, 2026.

Implications:

Colorado EnviroScreen allows Colorado state agencies, communities, academics, regulated industries, and other stakeholders to identify communities that experience cumulative impacts. Historically, environmental law and policy have focused only on one pollutant or one environmental medium (air, water, soil) at a time. Sometimes, that means missing the bigger picture of communities that are exposed to cumulative impacts from multiple sources and types of pollution. Colorado EnviroScreen is a foundational tool to advance environmental justice initiatives throughout CDPHE as well as for Local Public Health Authorities, community-based organizations, individual residents, and beyond.