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Officials say EPA moved basin to moderate ozone status; county and state preparing legal response
Summary
Officials reported that the EPA declined to grant more time for the basin on ozone attainment, described data from the Bingham Research Center, and said the state and tribe are preparing legal options while industry groups have filed stays in federal court.
A county official described a recent EPA decision affecting regional ozone designation and said the state and the tribe are exploring legal options to challenge the decision.
The official said the EPA notified local authorities in mid-December that it would not grant more time and that, based on the EPA action, the basin would be reclassified into a “moderate” ozone category. The official said the Bingham Research Center in Bernal provided ozone research and data that have raised questions about the underlying cause-and-effect relationship between oil-and-gas development and recent ozone measurements.
The official said industry partners have implemented measures to reduce volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, including improved capture and forced-combustion systems, and argued that historical ozone patterns are not fully explained by increased oil production. The official said the state is pressing back against the EPA decision and that attorneys from the county and state have been engaged; the official said the tribe is also engaging on the issue.
The official referenced litigation activity: the Utah Petroleum Association had filed a stay with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, and the official said the state and tribe had until roughly Feb. 15 to decide whether to formally challenge the EPA action.
Council members discussed implications for public health and the local economy and asked about possible mitigation approaches. No formal action or vote was recorded; the discussion was presented as an update about pending litigation and agency coordination.
