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Study quantifies impact of oil and gas emissions on Denver’s ozone problem

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The first peer-reviewed study to directly quantify how emissions from oil and natural gas (O&NG) activities influence summertime tropospheric ozone (O 3 ) pollution in the Colorado Front Range confirms that chemical vapors from oil and gas activities are a significant contributor to the region’s chronic ozone problem.

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US EPA to Reconsider National Ozone Standards

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The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will reconsider the 2008 primary and secondary ozone standards. In 2008, EPA established a new primary 8-hour standard for ozone of 0.075 parts per million (ppm), and a new secondary standard set at a form and level identical to the new primary standard. ppm standard, due to rounding.

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UMD-led study finds China’s SO2 emissions down 75% since 2007, India’s up 50%; India may now be the top SO2 emitter

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Although China and India remain the world’s largest consumers of coal, a new University of Maryland-led study found that China’s sulfur dioxide emissions fell by 75% since 2007, while India’s emissions increased by 50%. Most of the two countries’ sulfur dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power plants and coal-burning factories.

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EPA says methane emissions from natural gas production have dropped 36% from 2007-2011

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In its recently released Inventory of US Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990 – 2011 ( earlier post ), the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported that methane (CH 4 ) emissions from the field production of natural gas have declined by 36% from 2007 to 2011 (from 83.1 Tg or million metric tons CO 2 equivalent.)

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Study finds power law scaling relationship between urban population and NO2 pollution

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The approximate linear relationship for each region is notable, suggesting that the dependence of urban NO 2 pollution upon population follows a power law scaling with population. log relationship between NO 2 mixing ratios and the total population of urban areas for the four regions. Credit: ACS, Lamsal et al. Click to enlarge.

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California 2017 GHG inventory shows 1.2% total drop from 2016; transportation sector emissions up 1%

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Emissions from transportation sources were relatively constant from 2002 through 2007, declined through 2013, then increased by 9.0 Electricity generated by California’s in-state wind power projects, large commercial-scale solar power projects, rooftop solar panels, and hydropower generation stations. Source: ARB.

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NASA satellite images highlight US air quality improvement with reduction of NO2

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After ten years in orbit, the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite has been in orbit sufficiently long to show that people in major US cities are breathing less nitrogen dioxide. The gas is produced primarily during the combustion of gasoline in vehicle engines and coal in power plants.

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