In an effort to keep interested stakeholders informed of current happenings with RAQC programs, partners, and air quality news and events, the RAQC created The Air Monitor quarterly e-newsletter. You can read the most current issue here and see all past issues here. If you are interested in subscribing to the newsletter, sign up here or contact Sara Goodwin.
Please join us for an Ozone Modeling Forum on April 14th from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm to hear an update on our 2023 modeling efforts for future year planning. Agenda and additional materials will be made available on the RAQC’s Modeling Forum event page.
Yesterday, the Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) welcomed Colorado’s first electric school bus to its fleet! Funded by the RAQC’s ALT Fuels Colorado program, the Blue Bird Vision Electric replaces a 30-year old diesel bus that was scrapped last year at a Denver metal recycler. The RAQC’s Charge Ahead Colorado program has also funded electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the district and two of the three district plug-in passenger EVs that are used by staff to travel between schools. Read here for more information and see below for recent news stories about the electric bus.
The Regional Air Quality Council’s (RAQC) TV Meteorologist Advisory Group met virtually in late-February to discuss the region’s current air quality issues, simple steps we can each take to improve air quality, and the RAQC’s Simple Steps. Better Air.(SSBA) messaging and resources that are available to them as the summer ozone season approaches. The Advisory Group is comprised of meteorologists from all local television stations and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (CDPHE). Look for SSBA content and Ozone Action Alert Day notifications in future weather forecasts in your favorite local broadcast.
In an effort to keep interested stakeholders informed of current happenings with RAQC programs, partners, and air quality news and events, the RAQC created The Air Monitor quarterly e-newsletter. You can read the most current issue here. If you are interested in subscribing to the newsletter, sign up here or contact Sara Goodwin.
The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) has released a Request for Applications (RFA) to solicit proposals to develop and implement eBike deployment projects. As part of the State’s Can Do Colorado Community Challenge (CDCCC), this program seeks to increase access to eBikes for low-income essential workers while maximizing air quality benefits. Additional program objectives include piloting a variety of eBike distribution models including individual ownership and shared deployment, expanding eBike access in communities across the state, and laying a foundation for future scalability and replicability.
This project is being funded in partnership between CEO, City and County of Denver, and the RAQC for a total of approximately $560,000. For more information about the RFA, including documents and program updates, click here. General comments and inquiries may be sent to ebikes@state.co.us.
The RAQC is excited to announce that its session proposal, Thriving Communities Work Together to Improve Air Quality, has been selected as part of the program for the 2021 Colorado Municipal League (CML) Annual Conference. The objective of the RAQC’s session is to educate local governments and organizations about the grant funding and resources available to them from the RAQC and the importance of collaborative partnerships in creating thriving communities with improved air quality.
CML received a record number of submissions for conference sessions and the RAQC’s “…topic was one of the best we (CML) received.” The conference will take place June 22 – 25, 2021, in Snowmass, Colo.
The Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and Colorado Energy Office (CEO) have opened the Charge Ahead Colorado application for electric vehicle (EV) and charging station funding. At this time, the RAQC has funding for both charging stations and EVs for applicants within the Denver Metro Area. CEO has funding for charging stations for applicants outside the Denver Metro Area. All charging stations are required to be networked.
An application guide, informational webinar, application and other grant resources can be found on the Charge Ahead Colorado Homepage.
On December 17th and 18th the RAQC, in coordination with Air Pollution Control Division staff, proposed the Serious Area Ozone State Implementation Plan (SIP) for the Denver Metro/North Front Range, along with accompanying regulations, to the Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC). In a unanimous vote, the AQCC approved the proposed SIP which now goes before the Colorado State Legislature for review and will subsequently be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in Spring 2021.
The RAQC’s Simple Steps. Better Air. (SSBA) ozone outreach and education program released its 2020 year-end report. You can read the report here or by going to the SSBA program page.