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Colorado Ozone Action Plan |
Air Pollution Control DivisionOzone Reduction Efforts
Colorado is in the midst of an effort to reduce ozone air pollution. High levels of ozone present health concerns both for healthy adults and for sensitive people, particularly the elderly, young children and those with asthma or other respiratory ailments. Symptoms include stinging eyes and throats, chest pains, coughing and breathing difficulty. 2011 Activities:The U.S. EPA is reconsidering the 2008 ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standard and will likely strengthen the standard to be more protective of public health and the environment. EPA has delayed the issuance of the new standard from late 2010 to mid-2011 to further review and analyze data. The EPA is expected to tighten the standard from its current 75 parts per billion to between 60 and 70 parts per billion, averaged over an 8-hour period. Colorado adopted a Regional Haze Plan in 2010 and 2011 that includes new controls for oxides of nitrogen (NOx) at power and cement plants. These NOx controls will also benefit ozone reduction efforts. 2010 Activities:The motor vehicle inspection and maintenance program expanded from the Denver metro area into parts of Larimer and Weld Counties to include Fort Collins, Greely and nearby areas. The expansion was implemented in November 2010, and was required by the 2008 Ozone Action Plan to control ozone levels to meet the 2008 federal ozone standard. 2009 Activities: The 2008 Ozone StandardColorado evaluated the impact of a new, more stringent ozone standard that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued in March 2008 that replaced a standard from 1997. The new standard was tightened from 80 parts per billion to 75 parts per billion averaged over an 8-hour period. The state determined that no areas outside the Denver northern Front Range will violate the standard. The state is working on a plan, due to EPA in 2013, to bring the northern Front Range into compliance with the 2008 standard. The plan will show what additional ozone control measures are needed to meet the standard.
2008 Activities: Ozone Action PlanThe Denver-metropolitan and North Front Range areas became "nonattainment" areas for the federal ozone standard on November 20, 2007, when a deferral by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency expired. The nonattainment designation is a result of a violation of the federal 8-hour ozone standard. The standard is based on a three-year average of monitoring data. Air quality monitoring data for the 2005-2007 averaging period confirms a violation of the eight-hour health-based standard. A detailed plan to reduce ozone was developed by the Colorado Air Pollution Control Division, along with the Regional Air Quality Council and the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization. The resulting attainment plan was approved by the Air Quality Control Commission in December 2008, and submitted by the governor to the EPA on June 18, 2009. The plan requires greater reductions in ozone levels than in the 2004 Ozone Early Action Compact. The Ozone Early Action Compact allowed EPA to defer classifying the Denver metropolitan area under the 8-hour ozone standard. That deferral expired on November 20, 2007. 2004-2007 Activities: Ozone Early Action CompactIn April 2004, EPA designated the Denver area (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson and parts of Larimer and Weld counties) as nonattainment for the 8-hour ozone standard, but deferred the effective date of the designation based on a commitment from the State of Colorado, the Regional Air Quality Council and others to implement ozone control measures sooner than required by the Clean Air Act. This commitment was contained in the Denver Early Action Compact. In return for this early action and for meeting certain milestones, EPA agreed to defer the effective date of the nonattainment designation under the 8-hour ozone standard. That deferral expired and the area forfeited its participation in the Early Action Compact program. A new 2008 Ozone Action Plan was then developed. Other Ozone Information
Air Pollution Control Division Suggestions and comments regarding the Air Quality Control Division can be forwarded to comments.apcd@state.co.us
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