OIL, GAS MEMBERS WILL REDUCE WORK ON BAD-AIR DAYS

Members of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association have volunteered to take steps to reduce their ozone emissions on poor air-quality days this summer, the association said Monday.

The actions are designed to help prevent the northern Front Range area, including metro Denver, now considered a “moderate” ozone nonattainment area, from slipping into the “serious” category.

“A serious designation would be bad for business in Colorado and interrupt the progress the state is already making toward cleaner air, so while we can’t do it alone, we want to do our part,” COGA president and CEO Dan Haley said.

A serious nonattainment status under the Clean Air Act would curtail the federal transportation dollars that the region receives, trigger limits on development, and bring heavier supervision from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ozone forms when volatile organic compounds combine with nitrogen oxides in the presence of sunlight and heat. High levels can aggravate lung conditions and cause shortness of breath and other heath complications.

Among the steps companies will take on high pollution days are changing the times for vehicle fueling, reducing the number of vehicles on the road, managing drilling and completion schedules, delaying the unloading of tanks and operational activities, and adding aerial surveys to detect and fix leaks.

Ozone levels run higher in the summer, and the voluntary measures will stretch from June 1 to Sept. 30.