Industry Opposed to Smog Reductions in Denver

The Colorado Oil and Gas Association and its member companies Kerr-McGee and Noble Energy are opposing smog reductions in the Denver metro area. In a rebuttal statement filed with the Air Quality Control Commission, Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action fired back that industry's opposition jeopardizes clean air and the health of children and communities in the Denver metro area by promoting more ozone pollution.

The industry parties are asking the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission to adopt an alternative rule that maintains the status quo. Their rule calls for the retention of the current system-wide approach to reducing smog forming compound emissions from condensate tanks north of Denver and calls for less frequent monitoring and recordkeeping than is currently required.

The sytem-wide approach to reducing smog forming pollution works like this: a company may have 100 condensate tanks and from those tanks, that company would be required to reduce overall emissions by a certain percentage. In practice, pollution is controlled at some tanks, while at others, no pollution is controlled. This approach allows what industry calls "flexibility," but what it really allows is no accountability.

Ken Wonstolen with the Colorado Oil and Gas Association, seen here voicing opposition to a bill that would protect landowners from oil and gas development in Colorado, opposes state efforts to hold the oil and gas industry accountalbe to clean air in Denver (picture Durango Herald).

That's because its virtually impossible for citizens, the state, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to monitor compliance. We never know which tanks are supposed to have pollution controls, where these tanks are located, and whether or not the required emission reductions are even being achieved. It's nothing more than a guessing game. In the end, we don't really know whether pollution reductions have been met until the end of summer. By then, it's really too late to do anything about excessive smog.

Reducing smog in Denver shouldn't be left to a guessing game. We need certainty. We need to know which tanks are supposed to be controlled, where they are located, and whether or not industry is meeting smog reductions.

The state's proposed rule would add much-needed certainty to reducing smog forming compound pollution in Denver. Rather than a system-wide approach, the state is proposing to simply require all condensate tanks that emit 11 tons/year or more to reduce emissions by 95%.

Industry is pushing to keep the system-wide approach to reducing air pollution to avoid accountability. With Denver on the verge of violating federal health standards for smog, we need accountability, we need certainty, and we need clean air. The Air Quality Control Commission is slated to adopt smog reduction rules this Friday, hopefully they'll reject industry's opposition to clean air in Denver.