Colorado must move more quickly to reduce ozone - air pollutants that hurt children, the elderly and those with chronic lung diseases - to ensure next summer's air is healthier than it has been this year.

Last month, metro Denver officially flunked the compliance test. That prompted a call by Gov. Bill Ritter and environmental activists to tighten rules governing power-plant smokestacks and emissions from oil and gas wells and cars.

Efforts to bring metro Denver back within the boundaries of the air-quality rules will likely require $300,000 to $400,000 in new studies - and that tab could rise quickly, officials say.

"We have our work cut out for us," said Ken Lloyd, director of the Regional Air Quality Council, the agency responsible for monitoring air quality for the metro area.

"Unfortunately, once you get into this non-attainment area, you're going to be here for a really long time," he said.

Lloyd's comments came Thursday afternoon at a meeting of the council.

Next month, the group will begin reviewing possible voluntary measures to keep ozone in check, such as urging people to drive less.

The pollutant has been tough to combat because it doesn't come from a single source, but is created when several compounds from such things as cars and oil refineries combine in the air on hot summer days.

Metro Denver has had more success eliminating particles that darken the air, not the transparent gases that constitute ozone.

Council members said they would attempt to move quickly to meet the governor's mandate, something environmental groups are also pushing for.

"We're going to urge them to get it done by the end of the year," said Jeremy Nichols, director of Rocky Mountain Clean Air Action.

"There are very effective technologies out there now," Nichols said. "Why not just go ahead and do them?"

But oil and gas producers, and power companies such as Xcel Energy, which have already invested millions of dollars to clean up coal plants, are wary of additional efforts to make expensive changes to the rules.

And what, if anything, could be done quickly to significantly improve air quality by next summer isn't clear.

Tom Henley, an Xcel spokesman, said the utility's long-term plans to further reduce emissions are the best way to proceed.

Even as Denver ponders how to comply with the existing ozone rule, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is moving forward with plans to toughen its regulation, lowering the acceptable amounts of ozone from 84 parts per billion to as low as 70 parts per billion.

In July, monitors in metro Denver hit 98 parts per billion, some of the highest levels seen since 2003.

On Thursday, the federal agency issued a cost-benefit analysis on the proposed new rule, slated to be finalized next spring.

EPA eyeing tougher ozone standard Last month, metro Denver officially failed the federal ozone test. This summer, area monitors showed readings as high as 98 parts per billion.

84 parts per billion: the current standard

70-75 parts per billion: the proposed standard

Source: Epa

smithj@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5474 Staff writer Todd Hartman contributed to this report.

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