Current Activity
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Alleges Violations at CEMEX Cement Plant in Lyons
June 17, 2008 - DENVER - The Colorado Department
of Public Health and Environment has issued a notice of
violation to CEMEX, alleging various violations of state air
quality regulations and operating permit conditions at the
company’s Lyons cement plant northwest of Boulder.
Continued
Annual Wintertime High Pollution Advisory Program Debuts with New Web
Address; First Color-Coded Advisory to be Issued on Oct. 31
October 30, 2007—Denver—The Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment’s Air Pollution Control
Division is debuting a new address on the
Internet,
http://coloradoairquality.info, to coincide with
the start of
the annual High Pollution Advisory Program. Division
meteorologists will issue the first color-coded air
pollution advisory of the 2007-2008 season at 4 p.m. on
Wednesday, Oct. 31.
More.
Denver Region Violates Federal Ozone Standard
July 23, 2007—High concentrations of ground-level ozone on Friday, July 20, appear to have put the nine-county Denver region in violation of the federal health-based, eight-hour standard for the troublesome pollutant.
More.
Boulder
County Clean Air Challenge a Win for the Environment
October 3, 2006 — Once again, Boulder County residents met the
challenge! Contest participants reduced vehicle miles by
nearly 134,000 miles during the contest period. That’s
about a 40% reduction in average travel miles. Think what we
can accomplish if we keep this up all year!
More.
Board of Health Opposes Mercury Credit Proposal
August 14, 2006 — The Boulder County Board of Health
passed a resolution endorsing Boulder County Public Health’s
participation in a local government coalition opposing a state
proposal that would allow Colorado power plants to buy and
sell mercury air pollution “credits.” The Coalition instead
endorses an approach that would require all power plants to
control their emissions by a date certain.
More.
CEMEX Required to Revise Plan to Control Truck Dust
August 3 2006 - the Colorado Department of
Public Health and Environment requested that CEMEX come up
with a better way to control dust emissions from trucks
transporting cement and cement kiln dust out of the CEMEX
facility in Lyons, Colorado. The company has two weeks to
report back to the state with a revised plan for addressing
these emissions.
More. (PDF 35 KB)
CEMEX Data Made Available
August 2006 — BCPH provides CEMEX data in
support of Board of Health
resolution
(PDF 264 KB) encouraging greater
public disclosure. Graphs are available depicting the data
collected by BCPH staff from CEMEX for the first quarter of
this year. Second quarter data will be posted later this
month. View Data.
"Health Standard" Exceeded at Rocky Mountain National
Park
May 2006, Rocky Mountain National Park
— Recent peer-reviewed scientific research conducted by the
National Park Service has determined that the air pollution
levels in the park are more than 60% higher than the ecosystem
can sustain, resulting in causing direct injury to natural
resources and the ecosystem.
More.
EPA, CDPHE Asthma Program
Launch Air Quality Notification System for Denver. EPA’s EnviroFlash Provides Customized, Personal Air
Quality Alerts
May 17, 2006, Denver, CO — The Denver metropolitan area
is joining a growing list of communities across the nation participating
in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) EnviroFlash air
quality notification service.
More.
CEMEX Public Comment Period Extended
April 2006 — Due to citizen input and a request by Boulder
County Public Health at a public hearing held in Lyons, the Air
Quality Control Commission has extended the public comment period
on the CEMEX air permit for an additional 30 days. The
deadline for public comment is now May 19, 2006. The permit
and information on the permit renewal and public comment
process can be found on the Colorado Department of Public
Health and Environment's website.
More on Comments.
Public Health to Monitor Air Quality in
Boulder County
April 2006 - Boulder, CO — Boulder
County Public Health (BCPH), will begin monitoring forty air
toxics at five locations throughout the county beginning this
winter, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency. The last monitoring study in Boulder
County, conducted in 1996, provided monitoring of just three
air toxins at two Boulder County and one Denver location. This
study found that concentrations of the pollutants studied were
significantly higher in Boulder than in Denver.
More.
Public Health
Seeks Radon Mitigation Volunteers
February
2006, Boulder County - Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) has
received a grant from the Colorado Department of Public Health and
Environment (CDPHE) to research radon in Boulder County.
More.
Governor Proclaims January Radon Action Month
January, Denver, CO - On January 4,
2006, Colorado Governor Bill Owens issued a proclamation
declaring January Radon Action Month. Radon is a naturally
occurring, invisible, odorless gas that is harmlessly
dispersed in outdoor air, but when trapped in buildings, can
be harmful at elevated levels.
Unhealthy radon levels are present in about
43% of Colorado homes, compared with 6% of homes across
America. Boulder County Public Health urges Boulder County
residents to take action during this year’s Radon Action Month
by testing their homes for elevated levels of radon. It is a
serious public health hazard with a straightforward solution.
More.
U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions on the Rise Despite Increased
Signs of Global Climate Change
December, 2005 —
New reports show that while 2005 set records for high
temperatures, melting ice caps, and destructive storms – all
harbingers of global climate change – U.S. greenhouse gas
emissions are expected to skyrocket (by more than 37
percent) over the next 25 years. The United States
is responsible for approximately 25 percent of global
greenhouse gas emissions. At the international climate
change meeting that concluded last week in Montreal, U.S.
negotiators opposed discussion of new commitments. Many
local governments and individuals are taking action,
however, to reduce their own energy and transportation
emissions.
More.
Alleged Air Quality Violation Being Investigated: CEMEX,
Lyons, CO
October — Lyons, CO — Boulder County Public
Health (BCPH) is investigating alleged air quality
violations documented in a copy of a Notice of Violation
(NOV) sent to CEMEX by the Colorado Department of Public
Health and Environment (CDPHE).
More.
County Offers
Program on Radon and Real Estate
August 10, 2005 —
Boulder County Public Health will offer a free four-hour
program on radon concerns that often arise during real estate
transactions on August 29, 2005. This program is open to all
interested persons. More.
World Health Organization
(WHO) Launches International Radon Project
June 2005 — GENEVA — In an effort to reduce the rate of lung cancer
around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) is
launching the International Radon Project to help countries
reduce the health risks associated with radon gas. The Project
will identify effective strategies for reducing the health
impact of radon, promote sound policy options for countries
and increase public and political awareness about the
consequences of exposure to radon. More.
Walk and Bike Week: June 18th-24th
May 2005 — Walk and Bike Week is an annual event
presented each June by GO Boulder/city of Boulder. It was
first hosted by the city of Boulder in 1977 as “Bike to Work
Day.” As its popularity and sponsorship interest grew, so too
did the event. In 1982, it expanded to Walk and Bike Week.
More.
Radon Program Offers
Lower-Cost Alternatives to Address Radon Concerns
May 5, 2005 —
Boulder County Public Health (BCPH) is offering a free do-it-yourself
program for homeowners and others who are interested in learning how to
reduce radon levels in their homes. Many people are not aware of how
straightforward these repairs can be. In fact, the technology has advanced
to the point that many homeowners in Colorado and the Western United
States have undertaken these repairs themselves. More.
EPA’s New Mercury Rule Widely Criticized
On March 15, 2005 — EPA announced its final rule on mercury
emissions from power plants. The rule has been widely
criticized by state and local air officials, environmental groups, and
EPA’s own inspector general. While this regulation will reduce mercury
emissions from power plants 70 percent by 2026 (as predicted by EPA
modeling), another section of the Clean Air Act would have achieved a 90
percent reduction by 2009.
More.
Community-Wind
Venture Comes to Colorado
February 2005 —
Boulder County Clean Air Consortium* (BCCAC) members met at Boulder
Community Hospital on February 9th to hear about Quixote Wind, a new venture
helping Colorado businesses invest in wind power. Quixote Wind, Inc.,
headquartered in Boulder, will be seeking investments from Colorado-based
companies to build wind projects here in Colorado. “Colorado has the 11th
best wind resource in the country” said Mona Newton, Quixote Wind, Inc.,
Board President. More.
January is
National Radon Action Month
January 2005 —
January is National Radon Action Month. Radon is a
naturally occurring, invisible, odorless gas that is
harmlessly dispersed in outdoor air, but when trapped in
buildings, can be harmful at elevated levels. Unhealthy
radon levels are present in about 43% of Colorado homes,
compared with 6% of homes across all of America. Boulder
County Public Health urges Boulder County residents to take
action during this year’s National Radon Action Month by
testing their homes for elevated levels of radon. It is a
serious public health hazard with a straightforward
solution. More.
Voter–Approved
Referendums a WIN for Air Quality
In this election, voters gave us three wins for clean air
and healthy living: ensuring the use of clean, renewable
energy resources; providing alternative transportation in
metro Denver; and raising Colorado’s tobacco tax from the
lowest in the nation. More.
New Program Aims
to Improve Children's Health by Significantly Reducing School
Bus Emissions
In celebration of National Children's Health Month (October),
the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and 16 Front Range
school districts launched a new program to significantly
reduce harmful diesel emissions from school buses throughout
the region. Both Boulder Valley and St. Vrain Valley School
Districts are participating in the program, receiving more than
$319,000 in grant funds. More.
Clean Air
Contest: Big Results!
The Boulder County Clean Air Consortium wrapped up
the Summer Ozone Challenge, a contest encouraging Boulder
County residents to get out of their cars for cleaner air.
More than 60 people participated in the contest. Collectively,
they reduced emissions of ozone-forming chemicals by 30%. More.
CEMEX
Tire-Burning Proposal
Lyons, CO — A second health consultation has concluded that the concentrations of the chemicals detected
in the stack gases of the CEMEX cement plant when burning coal, or 19.2%
tires with coal, are unlikely to result in adverse public health effects
in the communities near the plant. More.
Health Consultations
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