HomeMy WebLinkAbout20151927.tiff RESOLUTION
RE: OPPOSITION TO LOWERING THE CURRENT U.S. EPA OZONE STANDARDS
WHEREAS, the Board of County Commissioners of Weld County, Colorado, pursuant to
Colorado statute and the Weld County Home Rule Charter, is vested with the authority of
administering the affairs of Weld County, Colorado, and
WHEREAS, the U.S. EPA will make a decision relating to new standards for National
Ambient Air Quality Standards (also known as ozone standards) in the next few weeks, and
WHEREAS, the EPA's science advisors have recommended that ozone standards be
lowered as low as 60 parts per billion, and
WHEREAS, any more stringent standard than the current 75 parts per billion standard will
result in Weld County being placed into a non-attainment category, and
WHEREAS, at a new 65 parts per billion standard, the cost of compliance in Colorado
could cost over 10,525 jobs or job equivalents per year (NERA Economic Consulting study
commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers), and
WHEREAS, the total cost of compliance for Colorado will be $16 billion (NERA Economic
Consulting study commissioned by the National Association of Manufacturers), and
WHEREAS, small businesses such as gas stations, bakeries, printing operations, dry
cleaners, auto body shops, and small manufacturers will be directly affected, and
WHEREAS, any lowering of the ozone standard will critically impact Weld County oil and
gas operations and any plans for expansion and will negatively impact building and construction
projects in the county, and
WHEREAS, economic growth will be halted until existing businesses close or reduce
operations to offset new growth, and
WHEREAS, the economic hardship resultant from the EPA's proposal to the Weld County
worker is real and immediate, and the benefits are unverified and uncertain, and
WHEREAS, the current ozone standard of 75 parts per billion has been demonstrated to
adequately protect the health and welfare of Weld County residents.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that for reasons stated above, the Weld County Board
of Commissioners is opposed to any reduction in the current ozone standard of 75 parts per
billion.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Weld County Board of Commissioners call upon
Governor Hickenlooper and Congressional representatives to intervene with EPA Administrator
Gina McCarthy to outline the potential damage to Weld County's economy and jobs and to
support the current ozone standard.
C : CC 7/7
2015-1927
BC0048
OPPOSITION TO LOWERING THE CURRENT U.S. EPA OZONE STANDARDS
PAGE 2
The above and foregoing Resolution was, on motion duly made and seconded, adopted
by the following vote on the 1st day of July, A.D., 2015.
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
WELD COUNTY, QOLORADO
d,,,th,t) Cam( �,�,/ � i jATTEST: vent; c � ��c.�Cc_ L,
I'Barbara Kirkmey e , Chair
Weld County Clerk to the Board
e Freeman, Pro-Tem
BY:
D • y Clerk to the Boa i ,� 1 'sl� �
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7VSTFORM \(S \P1/ 2 /u7ie Cozad 0-4el
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Steve Moreno
2015-1927
BC0048
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1What C
New Ozone
i . , , uk Regulations Cost
$16 Billion Gross State Product Loss from 2017 to 2040
10,525 Lost Jobs or Job Equivalents ' per Year
$815 Million in Total Compliance Costs
$390 Drop in Average Household p
Consumption er Year
' Total job equivalents equal total labor income change divided by the
average annual income per job.
r -. -
Figure 1 : Projected Nonattainment with a
Expensive65 Parts Per Billion ( ppb) Ozone Standard New
Ozone Regulation
■ Areas with
monitors
Put the Squeeze on
Unmonitored
but likely to
Coioradc, exceed 65 ppb
The Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) new
ozone regulation could be the most expensive
ever issued on the American public , costing 4:.
the nation $ 140 billion annually,2 according to H
a new analysis by NERA Economic Consulting . :
This regulation will make it harder to get the
::
necessary permits to manufacture goods and
build critical infrastructure like roads and highways
in Colorado , while increasing the cost of energy Projected Nonattainment in Colorado (65 ppb)
for every business and household in the state. The
picture gets even worse for the counties in the red `
and orange in the maps in figure 1 . In these areas, , i °• T 'Y _
- ---
i i
manufacturers won 't be able to expand without a "'
reduction of emissions or shutdown of operations p .
from other plants in the area. Plans for new plantsapf • 1 ' A -. a
19
and expansion at existing plants will be shelved . '"'
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Federal highway funds could freeze and economic , _ a, s „ 1 r /AT /
) =�
growth could grind to a halt. ; Y .. % „ � % ��� �
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' This estimate only accounts for the costs and related economic impacts _ "e�� • - kw
of bringing the country into attainment with a 65 pbb ozone standard. It 4%,_.
does not account for any additional costs incurred by businesses complying 't
with "maintenance" requirements for attainment areas. This estimate also
does not account for any potential curtailment of energy production in Projected Nonattainment in th
nonattainment areas. In NERA's July 2014 report measuring a 60 ppb ozone
standard . they found that a significant curtailment of natural gas production 2015- 1927
in nonattainment areas could further reduce GDP by $90 billion per year and
cost an additional 1 .4 million lob-equivalents per year.
,, . ,,,, • . N Manufacturers
Ozone Levels :
Counties in Colorado
County Ozone Levels (ppb) Table Key :
Adams County 83 Highlighted Counties = Nonattainment at 65ppb
Arapahoe County 83 * = Based on Interpolation
Broomfield Count 83
Source: URS; July 3. 2014. Based on 3 year period , 2011 _
Clear Creek Coun y 83
Denver County 83
Douglas County 83
Elbert County 83
Gilpin County 83
Jefferson County 83
Park County 83
Larimer County 80
Summit County* 79
Grand County* 78
Boulder County 77
Kit Carson County* 77
Rio Blanco County 77
Jackson County* 76
Washington County* 76
Weld County 76
Yuma County* 76
Logan County* 75
Morgan County* 75
Phillips County* 75
Sedgwick County* 75
Baca County* 74
Bent County* 74
Cheyenne County* 74
Crowley County* 74
El Paso County 74
Huerfano County* 74
Kiowa County* 74
NVanufacturers
Ozone Levels :
Counties in Colorado
County Ozone Levels (ppb) Table Key:
Las Animas County* 74 Highlighted Counties = Nonattainment at 65ppb
Lincoln County* 74 * = Based on Interpolation
Otero County* 74
Provers County* 74 Source: URS, July 3. 2014. Based on 3-year period. 2011 -2013
Pueblo County* 74
Teller County 74
Custer County* 73
Fremont County* 73
La Plata County 72
Archuleta County* 71
Conejos County* 71
San Juan County* 71
Costilla County* 69
Montezuma County 69
Dolores County* 68
Mineral County * 68
San Miguel County* 68
Hinsdale County* 67
Mesa County 67
Alamosa County* 66
Delta County* 66
Gunnison County 66
Montrose County* 66
Rio Grande County* 66
Routt County* 66
Chaffee County* 65
Garfield County 65
Lake County* 65
Ouray County* 65
Pitkin County 65
Saguache County* 65
NManufacturers
Ozone Levels :
Counties in Colorado
County Ozone Levels (ppb) Table Key:
Eagle County* 64 Highlighted Counties = Nonattainment at 65ppb
Moffat County 63 * = Based on Interpolation
Source: URS , July 3. 2014. Based on 3-year period . 2011 -2013
j , N Manufacturers
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