Control Strategy Concept Overviews & 2024-2025 Strategy Consideration Process
The RAQC explores potential new air pollution control strategies in coordination with stakeholders. The RAQC has developed control strategy concept overviews as brief documents designed to provide clear, high-level information about control concepts currently under exploration for a variety of audiences. The RAQC is also presenting information on these strategies at Control Strategy Committee and Board meetings in the first half of 2025, as described on the timeline and list of recent and planned presentations below. These control concepts can be categorized under three stages of development, described below. The RAQC will continue to update these overviews for strategies in the earlier stages as work on them progresses. If endorsed/adopted, these strategies will be part of the weight of evidence considerations for the Attainment Plan under development in 2025.
| Control Strategy Concept Overview Documents | Recent and Upcoming Presentations and Discussions |
| Pneumatic Controllers |
For more information on the current status of this strategy, please see the press release on the Air Quality Control Commission’s February 2025 rulemaking. Please see relevant materials from 2023-2024 meetings of the Oil & Gas work group for information on strategy development. |
| Blowdowns |
January 2025 RAQC Board Meeting Presentation Please see relevant materials from 2023-2024 meetings of the Oil & Gas work group for information on strategy development. |
| Landscape Maintenance Equipment | |
| Consumer Products | |
| Zero-Emissions Forklifts | For discussion at the March 19, 2025 CSC meeting and the April 4 Board Meeting |
| Mobile Source Emissions Targets | For discussion at the March 19, 2025 CSC meeting and the April 4 Board Meeting |
| Indirect Sources |
For discussion at the April 16, 2025 CSC meeting and the May 2 Board Meeting Please also see materials from recent IS Work Group meetings |
| Concept Stage | Description | Implementation Timeframe |
| Exploratory | Under initial consideration, which may include research, analysis, outreach, engagement, and further development. Not yet a specific regulatory or programmatic proposal. | Medium to longer- term (2026 or beyond) |
| Intermediate (draft) | Some research, analysis, outreach, and engagement conducted. A specific regulatory or programmatic proposal: may exist elsewhere that the RAQC could consider adapting; could use an existing Colorado approach that could be updated; and/or for which language is in development. |
Medium term (as early as 2026, but may be beyond)
|
| Decisionmaker-ready | Ready to submit to the endorsement and approval processes of the RAQC Board and AQCC for consideration. Research, analysis, and stakeholder engagement process concluded. Any proposed regulatory language finalized. | Short-term (emission reductions beginning before the 2026 summer ozone season) |
Why is the RAQC evaluating additional control strategies?
As the lead air quality planning agency for the Denver Metro/North Front Range region that continues to be in nonattainment, we need to consider all feasible strategies that may contribute to reaching NAAQS attainment in accordance with Clean Air Act (CAA) timelines. Emission reductions from implementation of these additional strategies also provide immediate public health benefits. While not all strategies under consideration may ultimately be included in the upcoming 2025 Serious Ozone Attainment Plan, it is important to evaluate what will be helpful in the near-term, i.e., to be effective by 2026, as well as the longer-term as we work on the plan.
What will the control strategy evaluation process look like? How can stakeholders get involved?
The following timeline shows how the RAQC is engaging stakeholders and Board members in the control strategy consideration process through regular meetings. All are welcome to engage in any of these meetings and provide feedback. RAQC staff will report out at Control Strategy Committee and Board meetings on progress on developing a slate of control strategies. The Board will need to endorse the slate in June in order for it to move forward to the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC). For more information on what the slate of strategies might look like, please see slides 20-22 of this March Board meeting presentation.
Following Board endorsement, the Board-endorsed slate of control strategies will be submitted as part of the Air Quality Control Commission rulemaking request for the Ozone Attainment Plan, with a request for hearing in July 2025 and a November 2025 rulemaking hearing.
How are strategies evaluated?
The following are evaluation criteria that will be utilized to evaluate potential control strategies. Evaluation requires making reasonable assumptions based on existing information. RAQC staff will continue to refine these criteria and how we are evaluating for potential outcomes.
* Based on Chp. 7, Severe SIP in terms of how potential control measures were evaluated based on EPA’s SIP Requirements Rule
** Where known. Requires input and collaboration from the Air Pollution Control Division as the implementing agency