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It took 50 years but Colorado finally met federal standards to lower carbon monoxide pollution

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It took 50 years but Colorado finally met federal standards to lower carbon monoxide pollution


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Five Colorado cities hit a benchmark for reducing carbon monoxide in the air and now Colorado will ask the Environmental Protection Agency to release it from federal oversight for monitoring those emissions.

It would be the first time in nearly 50 years that Colorado would not be under federal oversight for carbon monoxide emissions that largely were caused by heavy rush hour traffic and cars made without catalytic converters. On Thursday, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission voted to remove federal oversight and repeal monitoring requirements. The Environmental Protection Agency must approve the plan.

“Colorado experienced high levels of carbon monoxide pollution in the 1970s and 1980s, and this milestone shows how far we’ve come in protecting and improving air quality for all Coloradans,” commission chairman Patrick Cummins said.

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In the 1970s, Colorado Springs, Denver, Greeley, Longmont and Fort Collins were plagued by high carbon monoxide emissions, mostly from automobile exhaust. Throughout the decade, the region exceeded federal standards for carbon monoxide more than 100 times with most of those violations happening during daily rush hours.

Those cities were placed under Environmental Protection Agency oversight to reduce carbon monoxide, an odorless, tasteless gas that can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea and chest pain, and can exacerbate pre-existing conditions such as heart diseases.

Colorado was able to reduce carbon monoxide in the air as more automakers installed catalytic converters in cars and trucks and by using gasoline that burned cleaner. The state also started requiring auto emissions inspections.

In 1999, the state hit the federal standard for carbon monoxide emissions but it was required to stay in compliance for 20 years. It is now 80% lower than the federal standard and has stayed that way, allowing the federal oversight to be relaxed.

But that doesn’t mean the Denver Metro area and northern Front Range are in the clear. Nor will it stop finding ways to reduce carbon monoxide pollution, which also is created by oil and gas production.

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The region is still considered in severe violation of National Ambient Air Quality standards for ground-level ozone pollution and measures continue to be in place to reduce nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds—the two ingredients that form smog on hot summer days.

Still, commissioners found the success in reducing carbon monoxide encouraging.

“Hopefully, it will inspire us to tackle the outstanding challenges that we have,” Commissioner Elise Jones said. “We can see that it is possible to achieve them.”

2024 MediaNews Group, Inc. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

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Citation:
It took 50 years but Colorado finally met federal standards to lower carbon monoxide pollution (2024, August 19)
retrieved 19 August 2024
from https://phys.org/news/2024-08-years-colorado-met-federal-standards.html

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Colorado

Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer

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Colorado authorities shut down low-income housing developer


The Colorado Division of Securities is pursuing legal action against a man whom it claims deceived investors and used the ownership of federally supported low-income housing projects to line his own pockets. 

Securities Commissioner Tung Chan announced its civil court filings against Michael Dale Graham, 68, on Nov. 12. 

Chan’s office filed civil fraud charges against Graham, and also asked for a temporary restraining order and freezing of Graham’s assets and his companies’. A Denver district court judge immediately granted both. Since then, two court dates to review the those orders have canceled; a third is scheduled for mid-January.

Graham operates Sebastian Partners LLC, Sebastiane Partners LLC, and Gravitas Qualified Opportunity Zone Fund I LLC (“GQOZF”), all of which were controlled by Graham during his “elaborate real estate investment scheme,” as described by the securities office in a case document.

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The filing states Graham collected more than $1.1 million from eight investors to purchase three adjacent homes in Aurora. The Denver-based Gravitas fund and its investors purportedly qualified for the federal Qualified Opportunity Zone (QOZ) program with the homes. Qualified Opportunity Zones were created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress in 2017. The zones encouraged growth in low-income communities by offering tax benefits to investors, namely reductions in capital gains taxes on developed properties.

A file photo of a suburban housing development in the Denver metro area. 

Paul Souders/WorldFoto & Getty Images


Graham formed Gravitas in early 2019 and purchased the three homes located in the 21000 block of E. 60th Avenue two years later. He quickly sold one of them with notifying investors, according to the case document. While managing the other two, Graham and Gravitas transferred the fund’s assets and never operated within QOZ guidelines to the benefit of its investors or the community, according to the state. 

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Gravitas also transferred the titles for the two properties to Graham privately. As their owner, Graham obtained undocumented loans from friends totaling almost $600,000. The two loans used the two properties as security. 

Gravitas investors were never informed of the two loans, according to the case document. Also, Gravitas never sent its investors year-end tax reports, the securities office alleges. 

Graham used the proceeds of the loans for personal use. No specific details were provided about those uses.

“Effectively, Graham used Gravitas as his personal piggy bank,” as stated in the case document, “claiming both funds and properties as his own. Graham never told investors about the risks associated with transferring title to himself. On September 1, 2023, he sent a letter to investors, stating that the properties ‘we own’ are doing well and generating growth due to record-breaking home appreciation. But Gravitas no longer owned the properties.

“Gravitas no longer had assets at all.” 

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Furthermore, the securities office said Graham failed to notify investors of recent court orders against him in Colorado and California. In total, Graham was ordered to pay more than $1 million in damages related to previous real estate projects.

Graham’s most recent residence is in Reno, Nev., according to an online search of public records. He evidently has previously lived in Santa Monica, Calif., and Greenwood Village.

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Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday

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Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday


Colorado weather: Temperatures staying in the 60s Sunday – CBS Colorado

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Watch meteorologist Callie Zanandrie’s forecast.

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Colorado Springs police search for missing 20-year-old

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Colorado Springs police search for missing 20-year-old


COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – Police are searching for a missing at-risk adult.

They said 20-year-old Brandon Hugney was last seen Saturday night, around 7 p.m., at the Walmart on Platte avenue.

They shared a picture of Hugney, describing him as a 6′ man last seen wearing black-framed glasses with red trim, a grey fleece, blue pajama pants and black and white slippers.

Police said he likely isn’t properly dressed for the weather and was last seen heading west behind Walmart.

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If you know where he is or see him, call police at (719) 444-7000.



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