Federal environmental officials have given preliminary approval to Colorado’s plan to reduce air pollution.
Gov. John Hickenlooper on Friday announced the Environmental Protection Agency posture toward the state’s proposed combination of measures designed to cut overall air emissions that harm public health and the environment. A final decision is to be made by Sept. 10, after a period of public comment.
Hickenlooper hailed the EPA’s “ringing endorsement of a comprehensive and collaborative effort to address this issue.”
State officials say the , would reduce emissions by 70,000 tons of pollution a year — including 35,000 tons of the nitrogen oxides that play a role in ground-level formation of ozone. It involves 16 facilities around the state including coal-fired power plants and cement kilns.
A key part of the plan is the 2010 Clean Air-Clean Jobs law passed by the state legislature to impose emission controls, close down inefficient coal-fired power plants, and convert some plants from use of coal to cleaner-burning natural gas.
The plan could lead to less haze and clearer skis in scenic areas including Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde, Maroon Bells and the Great Sand Dunes, according to Chris Urbina, director and chief medical officers of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
“Colorado has long recognized the importance of protecting air quality in national parks and wilderness areas, and has taken a leadership role in developing a plan that reduces emissions of pollutants that adversely impact visibility,” Urbina said in a prepared statement.
“The tremendous pollution reductions will also have significant public health benefits.”
