Regional air quality leaders say such a dramatic move would be one way to get real ozone cuts by 2026, when EPA demands kick in
Regional Air Quality Council
Posted inEnvironment
Air emissions, water demands skyrocket as 72% of Colorado’s new oil and gas activity centers on the Front Range
Annual state report shows regulators approved 838 new wells in 2022, with a sharp increase on the Front Range
Posted inEnvironment
Colorado is falling behind on its mandate to cut greenhouse gases
New state assessment shows big gaps in goals for transportation emissions and lag in finalizing closures of fossil fuel power plants
Posted inEnvironment
Charts that explain why it’s so hard to cut Colorado ozone
Ozone is the toxic air pollutant that has a lot of smart people on the Front Range really befuddled right now. Colorado is making big cuts to greenhouse gases, mainly by closing coal-fired power plants even faster than expected. New laws, and old cars switched out for new ones, have made steep cuts to the […]
Posted inClimate, Energy, News
Regional board to approve ozone action plan, but a Colorado coalition wants much more done
The northern Front Range’s newest plan to meet federal ozone-reduction mandates comes with a rare upfront admission that it won’t work. The Regional Air Quality Council, a nonprofit board of experts and local officials charged with writing the state’s ozone compliance plan, will decide Friday on the latest proposals for trimming the hazardous ground-level gas. […]
Posted inBusiness, Climate, Energy, Environment, Equity, Health, News
Colorado’s legislative efforts are not enough to solve its Front Range ozone problem
By Jim Robbins, KHN A year after health officials issued a record number of alerts for high ozone levels on Colorado’s Front Range, federal and state officials are trying to rein in the gas that can make outdoor activities a health risk. But new Colorado laws aimed at improving air quality along that urban corridor east […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, Health, News
Colorado groups threaten to sue EPA for delaying penalties on Front Range ozone pollution failures
Colorado environmental groups are warning the EPA they will sue the federal agency for missing a deadline to place northern Front Range counties in the “severe” category for ozone pollution. Under Clean Air Act laws, the EPA should have placed nine Front Range counties in a more restrictive category requiring more pollution cuts by Jan. […]
Posted inClimate, Energy, Environment, News
Ozone plagues Colorado’s Front Range, state report says, but bids to change it are elusive
The worst ozone year in recent history on the Northern Front Range boosted pollutant violations in a rolling three-year average closely watched by the EPA, state officials said Thursday, though they did not offer bold new programs to combat the hazardous substance. Twelve monitoring sites on the Front Range now have a three-year average over […]
Posted inEnvironment, Health, News, Transportation
WHO says air pollution caps should be much tougher in Colorado, U.S.
The World Health Organization says areas like Colorado’s Front Range counties need stringent new air pollution limits, firing a daunting challenge at Colorado leaders already scrambling to catch up to less-onerous restrictions imposed by the EPA. The new WHO guidelines released Wednesday, developed by hundreds of scientists around the world, including Colorado State University environmental […]
Posted inClimate, Environment, Health, News
Some of the worst ozone pollution in the U.S. settles along the Front Range. New rules to fix it are ahead.
When it comes to oxygen, the Front Range sometimes has too much of a good thing. On many sunny, summer days the region has not only O2 in the air but also O3 – oxygen with an extra atom that transforms it into a corrosive gas — ozone. “The extra atom of oxygen turns it […]