New Colorado laws aimed at improving air quality along that urban corridor east of the Rocky Mountains aren’t expected to do much to directly reduce ozone, according to experts charged with bringin…
But other health experts say neither the federal nor state actions will be enough to truly safeguard public health.
Ozone is created when chemicals emitted into the atmosphere via vehicle exhaust, oil and gas development, and wildfires are baked by the sun. Ozone pollution that exceeds federal limits is a stubborn problem in Mountain West valleys, especially in Phoenix; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Salt Lake City; and Denver.. Last year, health officials in the counties east of the Rocky Mountains issued “ozone action day alerts” on 65 days from May 31 to Aug. 31, peak season for ozone.
Crooks said that 70 ppb is a difficult goal to achieve and that it isn’t low enough to protect public health. Indeed, no level of ozone is safe, he said. “We might be able to muddle through and get to 75,” said Crooks. “But 70 is going to be really hard to do without decarbonization,” which means replacing gas and diesel vehicles with electric vehicles.
Complicating the matter is that one-half to two-thirds of the ozone that plagues the Front Range comes from outside the state, some from as far away as Asia. The background levels of ozone — naturally or human-created ozone that originates from outside the region — can be as high as 60 ppb.
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