Clean Air for the Economy

The Denver metro area all the way north to Greeley and Fort Collins is officially in violation of federal health standards for ozone and reality is starting to set in, at least in Greeley.

The City Council there voiced concern that being designated a "dirty air" area could hurt economic development.

The sad reality is that yes, it could. Polluting businesses that may want to locate in and around Greeley will now face two choices: either use the best pollution controls or go somewhere else.

But this is a classic example of reaping what you sow. Despite high ozone pollution in 2005, 2006, and 2007, the Greeley City Council has not once called for any pollution reductions in the region. In fact, Weld County, where Greeley is located, has actively opposed reducing ozone in the Denver metro area.

Fortunately, it's not too late for the City of Greeley to change its tune and support clean air for their economy. As we've noted, the benefits of reducing ozone pollution are huge. The EPA estimates that for every $1 spent on reducing ozone, we reap $8.50 back in health benefits.

Now that we've been designated a "dirty air" area, it's time to clean up and the City of Greeley has a chance to lead the charge for cleaner air and a more vibrant economy.

Xcel Power Plant to be Closed

Here's some recent good news for clean air and public health in the Denver metro area. Xcel officially announced it intends to close down the coal-fired Arapahoe power plant.

The Arapahoe power plant, located in south Denver, releases over 2,500 tons of nitrogen oxides annually, which react with sunlight to form ozone. That's over 10% of all the smog forming pollution released by coal burning power plants in Denver.

With the Denver metro area officially in violation of federal health standards for smog, the move is good news for efforts to keep people safe and healthy. It also promises a huge payback. The EPA has found that for every dollar spent on reducing ozone, we reap $8.50 back in reduced health care costs and increased productivity.

Spending money on closing the Arapahoe power plant is a major boost for the health of the Denver metro area.

Target Polluters

The Rocky Mountain News gave us some sage advice to reduce ozone yesterday: target polluters.

We couldn't agree more, we need to target polluters to reduce ozone. Polluters like coal burning power plants, oil and gas drilling, cement plants, and many more all need to do their part to cut ozone forming pollution here in the Denver metro area. Thankfully, the Rocky Mountain News seems to support these efforts.

And as far as cars and trucks go, let's get the cleaner cars on the road and let's also make sure we target the dirty cars and trucks. There's no reason to do one and not the other.

What about the cost? Well, the Rocky Mountain News claims that cleaner cars will "hurt" the average driver. What the Rocky doesn't say is that ozone pollution here in Denver will hurt us even more, driving health care costs higher and robbing children of a healthy future.

But from a cost standpoint, reducing ozone is easy. The EPA's own numbers show that for every $1 spent on reducing ozone, we reap $8.50 back in reduced health care costs and increased productivity. Nationwide, we stand to gain $33 billion from reducing ozone.

Reducing ozone is an investment with enormous paybacks. We hope the Rocky Mountain News continues to support targeting polluters to help clean air air and reap these paybacks.

Good News, Bad News Part II

UPDATE: Environmental, local government coalition presents call for short-term ozone reductions in Denver metro area.

We reported on the good news and bad news of Denver's ozone pollution last week. Sad to say, the bad news seems to be continuing.

Last Thursday, the Regional Air Quality Council was set to adopt recommendations for reducing harmful ozone pollution in the Denver metro area in time for the summer of 2008. It didn't happen. Instead, the Regional Air Quality Council decided to talk about it more, meaning recommendations for reducing ozone in the summer of 2008 won't be made until December, if at all.

More talk isn't necessarily a bad thing, but here's the timing we're up against: if any ozone reduction regulations are going to be adopted, they need to be approved by the Air Quality Control Commission and the law requires at least 60 days for the Commission to adopt new regulations. At best, we're looking at rules being adopted in February, perhaps even later.

Talk is good, but has it only delayed action to reduce ozone for 2008? Although Governor Ritter called on the Regional Air Quality Council to immediately craft an ozone reduction plan for the summer of 2008, the Council hasn't quite risen to the challenge yet. What's more, Governor Ritter made his charge last July, almost five months ago. We haven't exactly met the Governor's call to "immediately" develop a plan.

Will the Regional Air Quality Council drag its feet so much that it may lose any chance of reducing ozone for the summer of 2008? We hope not.

Winter Pollution Advisories Start

Winter air pollution advisories for the Denver metro area started November 1st. No sooner did the Department of Public Health and Environment make this announcement that a Red Pollution Advisory was called.

A Red Pollution Advisory means that either current air quality is poor or conditions are expected to worsen later in the day or the next day. Red advisories trigger mandatory residential burning restrictions and voluntary driving reductions in the Denver metro area.

This latest Red Pollution Advisory is a likely indication of what's to come this winter. The problem is fine particle pollution, also called "PM-2.5." PM-2.5 is particulate matter less than 2.5 microns in diameter, or 1/28th the size of a human hair. Unlike dust and dirt, these particles are the byproduct of fossil fuel combustion. These dangerous byproducts include soot and microscopic acidic droplets, and are extremely harmful.

PM-2.5 is also very visible. It's the main ingredient of Denver's long-infamous brown cloud.

Last fall, health standards for PM-2.5 were strengthened, meaning we've got a tougher bar to meet. Many days that were previously considered to be healthy are now going to be considered dangerous.

Despite growing health concerns, the state of Colorado has turned a blind eye to PM-2.5 pollution. The state has yet to adopt any safeguards that actually reduce PM-2.5. Despite Red Pollution Advisories, the state actually claims Denver's air quality is just fine.

We have stronger health standards in place, yet our state is turning its back on PM-2.5 pollution. It's a recipe for a lot more Red Pollution Advisories here in the Denver metro area.

In the meantime, today's air quality is relatively clear and clean. You can keep tabs on air quality conditions throughout Colorado online here >>