Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action Moves to Support Denver Smog Reductions

Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action yesterday filed its prehearing statement in support of the state's proposal to ratchet down on emissions of smog forming compounds from oil and gas developments north of Denver. The statement sets forth the reasons why smog must be reduced in Denver and why the oil and gas industry should be responsible for these reductions. Here's just a few of those reasons:

• There were 66 exceedances of the federal health standard for smog just this last summer.

• In Weld County alone, oil and gas developments annually contribute 95% of smog forming compound emissions released by stationary sources, which amounts to over 50,000 tons year.

• The amount of smog forming compounds released by oil and gas developments in Weld County amounts to nearly 73% of all smog forming compounds released by oil and gas developments in the entire state of Colorado, and over 50% of all smog forming compounds released from all stationary sources in the entire state.

• The amount of smog forming compounds released annually by oil and gas developments just in Weld County is equivalent to the amount released by 1,315,967 cars each driven 12,500 miles a year. This would be as if each person in Weld County, including all children, owned six cars apiece and drove them each from San Francisco to New York four times

• Emissions of smog forming compounds from oil and gas developments in Weld County have increased 6.8% just since 2002.

• Under the current regulations, controlled emissions of smog forming compounds were projected to be 91.3 tons per day in 2007. Yet according to recent data, as of 2004, controlled emissions had already reached 150 tons per day—almost 65% more than projected.

• The state's proposal calls for a 95% reduction in smog forming compounds from condensate tanks that release 11 tons or more of smog forming compounds. This would reduce emissions of smog forming compounds by over 50%, and would only affect 5.5% of all condensate tanks.

Condensate tanks, like the one below, spew smog forming compounds. The below image was taken with an infrared camera and shows smog forming compounds as a grey cloud.