Colorado: An Air Quality History WESTAR SPRING BUSINESS MEETING MAR CH 29 – 30, 2010

Colorado by the NumbersColorado by the Numbers  5.17 million residents statewide (est.)  4.24 million residents in Front Range (est.)  54 “14ers”  29 Ski Areas  GDP by Major Industry Sector (2007):  Services – $65.7 Billion  Finance, Insurance and Real Estate – $44.1  Government - $28.0  Information – $21.4  Manufacturing - $15.2  Retail Trade - $14.3  Wholesale Trade - $13.2  Construction - $12.4  Mining - $10.9

1970 Clean Air Act1970 Clean Air Act  Most Sweeping Environmental Legislation in United States History  Set National Health-Based Air Quality Standards  Carbon Monoxide  Lead  Nitrogen Oxide  Ozone  Total Suspended Particulates  Sulfur Dioxide  Required States to Establish and Maintain Clean Air  Required Each State to Adopt a State Implementation Plan and Establish Permitting and Enforcement Systems

NONATTAINMENT  Denver-Metropolitan Area  4 of 6 Original Criteria Pollutant Standards (Carbon Monoxide, Lead, Nitrogen Oxide, Ozone)  Also Nonattainment for PM10 Standard that replaced the TSP Standard in 1987  More Than a Dozen CO/PM10 Nonattainment Areas Throughout the State

Proactive Colorado (Firsts and Near-Firsts)Proactive Colorado (Firsts and Near-Firsts)  1977: Colorado Car (High Altitude Emissions Standards)  1981: Automobile Inspection and Maintenance Programs  1985: Emissions Standards for New Woodburning Stoves  1987: Mandatory Testing for Individual Diesel Vehicles and Fleets  1988: Oxygenated Fuels Program along Colorado’s Front Range  1990: Urban Visibility Standard  1990: Banned Sale of Non EPA-Certified Stoves  1993: Banned Installation of Woodburning Fireplaces in New Construction  1995: Enhanced Automobile Inspection and Maintenance

Colorado Air Quality TodayColorado Air Quality Today  All Areas of Colorado Attaining Original National Ambient Air Quality Standards  Working Effectively Toward Attainment of Newer, More Stringent Ozone Standard  Expanding Air Quality Monitoring Network  Expanding Air Quality Forecasting Statewide

Changing DemographicsChanging Demographics  State Population Estimates  1970: 2,209,596*  1980: 2,889,733*  1990: 3,294,394*  2000: 4.33 million (2000 census)  2010: 5.17 million*  2020: 6.19 million*  2030: 7.23 million*  Front Range Population Estimates * Colorado State Demography Office  2000: 3.54 (2000 census)  2010: 4.24 million*  2020: 5.01 million*  2030: 6.15 million*

Colorado Air Quality ChallengesColorado Air Quality Challenges  More Stringent Standards  Ozone  1997 Standard:.08 ppm  2008 Standard:.075 ppm  2010 (Proposed): ppm  Nitrogen Dioxide  1971 Standard:.053 ppm annual average  2010 Standard: 100 ppb (1-hour daily max)  PM 2.5  1997 Standards: 65 μg/m 3 (24-hour avg.) and 15 μg/m 3 (annual)  2006 Standards: 35 μg/m 3 (24-hour avg.) and 15 μg/m 3 (annual)

Colorado Air Quality ChallengesColorado Air Quality Challenges  Regional Haze  Requires visibility improvements  National Parks and Wilderness Areas  Submitted BART for 12 Facilities in 2007 and 2008, plus other chapters  Working on Reasonable Progress and BART Review with U.S. EPA (Region 8) in 2010  Mercury  Over 18 Hg Fish Consumption Advisories in Colorado water bodies  Statewide Regulations to Reduce EGU Mercury Emissions (2012, 2014, 2018)

Colorado Air Quality InitiativesColorado Air Quality Initiatives  Proposed Clean Air/Clean Jobs Act  Sharply reduce air pollutants by retiring, retrofitting or repowering Northern Front Range coal ‑ fired power plants by or before the end of 2017 (or sooner)  Will help Colorado meet Regional Haze SIP Requirements  Will help Colorado meet Ozone and NO2 requirements  House Bill  Requires 30 percent of electricity be generated by renewable sources by 2020  Requires 3 percent be met by solar power  100,000 solar rooftops  Consumer and Rate-payer protections