Five major U.S. metro areas, including Denver, could be required to develop plans for reducing air pollution after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency determined they have failed to meet air quality standards for ground-level ozone. The proposed EPA designations for metro Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New York City and Houston also could tighten permitting rules for certain projects in those areas as their air quality is reclassified from “serious” to “severe.”
Under the federal Clean Air Act, states need to implement measures to curtail smog and protect public health when EPA reclassifies areas. Moreover, federal dollars can be withheld for transportation projects until an area is able to sufficiently reduce ground-level ozone to within National Ambient Air Quality Standards limits. — By James Leggate and Pam McFarland