Background Ozone Levels Could Make Standards Unattainable, Western States Say

Background ozone levels in some mountainous Western states would make it impossible for them to meet a more stringent air quality standard for the pollutant, witnesses told a House subcommittee June 12.

“Surprisingly high ozone values have been measured at rural monitors in Utah and even within national parks,” Amanda Smith, executive director of the Utah Department of Environmental Quality, told the House Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Environment. “Similar high values have been seen throughout the Intermountain West.”

For example, ozone monitors in the sparsely populated San Juan County in Utah have regularly recorded ozone concentrations as high ...