Once one of the worst-polluted cities in the U.S., Denver, Colo., is on the verge of becoming the first major city in the country to comply fully with the Clean Air Act. The U.S. EPA has approved the state’s request to redesignate Denver as a clean-air city for ozone for the first time since 1978. If the agency accepts the city’s plan to reduce particulate matter, as expected, Denver will become the first city to meet the feds’ standards for ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides, sulfur dioxide, lead, and particulate matter. Denver officials attribute the cleaner air to new state emission standards for vehicles, limits on wood-burning fireplaces, and an increase in carpool lanes.
