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By Clair McFarland, Cowboy State Daily
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes that Wyoming’s emission standards be replaced by its own more stringent rules due to Wyoming’s contribution towards Denver pollution.
In a April 6 report, the EPA stated that Wyoming contributes as much as 0.8 parts per million to the Denver-Chatfield area smog. This is more than 1%.
The agency is now pursuing its Good Neighbor mandates, which would allow it to impose tougher greenhouse gas restrictions on Wyoming as well as other states that contribute more than 1% to ozone polluting downwind states.
The EPA deemed Denver-Chatfield a serious violator of federal ozone standards, or smog. This was a significant downgrade from its previous status of serious violation.
Ground ozone, a three-oxygen bonding, is a pollutant that can harm people and the environment.
Wyoming was impacted by some of Colorado’s heavy smog, as the EPA declared.
Good Neighbor Mandates
The poor grade in Denver-Chatfield came just weeks after EPA announced that it would be reintroducing strict air quality limits starting in 2015.
The Good Neighbor mandates were also reinstated. This mandates the EPA to place stricter greenhouse-gas restrictions on Wyoming, and other states.
Wyoming may be required, subject to a comment period ending June 6, to reduce emissions from its power plants as well as industrial manufacturing sites.
Gov. identified three types of coal-fired power plants: trona operations, natural gas pipelines, and coal-fired power plant. Mark Gordon was identified as a target in the EPA policy.
California Sends More Smog
According to 2020 data from an EPA monitoring system located in the Denver–Chatfield area Wyoming’s wind contribution is projected to be about 0.81 parts for every billion next year, just above the Good Neighbor threshold at 0.7 ppb.
The other two Colorado receptors measured 0.4 parts per million, or 0.6% of the total smog made in Wyoming.
Wyoming’s projected contributions to other states Texas (Wisconsin, Illinois, Pennsylvania), Utah, and Connecticut were negligible compared to its influence in Colorado.
California, which contributes about 3 parts per Billion to Colorado, was projected to nearly double Wyomings chemical contribution to Colorado’s smog.
California is also expected to export approximately 40 times Wyoming’s ozone chemical output, with 34 ppb total export.
According to predictions for 2023, Colorado will make most of its own ozone pollutions and only 7% from upwind sources.
Federal, Not State Implementation
Gov. Mark Gordon, March statement. The Good Neighbor mandate was called by Mark Gordon. It is an attack on state-led approaches that move more authority away from the people and to Washington, DC.
Gordon also stated that the plan targets Wyoming and other Western states producing energy, and seeks penalties for their energy industries.
Gordon stated that the proposal will be detrimental to states like Wyoming, which meet ozone standards. However, it will benefit more populous states who use our energy but not their own standards. The proposal by the EPA is not in line with science and the law, and will unfairly discriminate against Wyoming’s industries.
Gordon stated that he would fight the plan aggressively.
The EPA announced the mandate claiming that restrictions on both problem states as well as their upwind neighbors could prevent approximately 1,000 premature deaths, avoid more than 2,000 emergency room visits, 1.3 Million cases of asthma symptoms, 470,000 school absence days, and prevent around 1,000 premature deaths.
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