Rocky Mountain News - Denver and Colorado's reliable source for breaking news, sports and entertainment: Local:
A state air quality panel wary of lingering pollution along the Front Range approved new emission controls on the flourishing oil and gas industry Sunday, setting tighter rules than even those proposed by regulators.
In votes on two measures, the nine-member Air Quality Control Commission ratcheted up existing requirements for the industry operating in the Wattenberg field northeast of Denver and crafted brand- new emission rules for oil and gas operations statewide.
The tough regulations, backed by environmentalists and, in part, by industry, come as the Denver region tiptoes on the border of unhealthy levels of ground-level ozone. The pollutant, a key component of smog, can make life difficult even for otherwise healthy people but particularly for those suffering a variety of breathing disorders, from asthma to emphysema.
Comments