The Environmental Protection Agency announced in September that it reclassified Denver and Colorado’s Northern Front Range as “severe” violators of air quality standards, meaning more stringent regulations are coming for businesses and consumers are likely to pay higher gas prices. Five areas failed to attain the 2008 ozone NAAQS by the attainment date. EPA is reclassifying these areas as severe nonattainment.
Coughing Man
Each area will have until July 20, 2027, to achieve the standards:
1. Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
2. Denver-Boulder-Greeley-Ft. Collins-Loveland, CO
3. Houston-Galveston-Brazoria, TX
4. Morongo Band of Mission Indians, CA
5. New York-N. New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-CT
The move would force refineries to produce a special blend of gasoline for drivers in the nine-county northern Front Range during the summer months, which may cause gasoline prices to increase by 20 cents to 30 cents per gallon next year.
The EPA announced in April that it planned to downgrade the region’s air quality after years of failures to reach National Ambient Air Quality Standards. The region’s previously had been listed as a “serious” violator of air quality standards, but it missed a July 2021 deadline to meet those standards, according to an EPA news release.
The new severe designation also will require motorists in nine counties along the Front Range to use reformulated gasoline, a special blend that reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Article courtesy of EPA.
Colorado state environmental officials, however, believe they can achieve better air quality without needing to switch to the reformulated blend of gasoline the EPA requires, said Colorado Air Pollution Control Division spokesperson Leah Schleifer in a news release. Colorado has asked the EPA to reassess that requirement and consider the state’s alternative plan.
Because of the downgrade, the Colorado General Assembly approved an additional $47 million to hire more people and improve its air quality monitoring technology.