air quality

A wildfire is burning in the northern end of the Wind River Range, a hiking destination for people worldwide. This has left hikers questioning their plans.

The wildfire started on Thursday afternoon and is now over 1,300 acres. Evacuations are in place for the surrounding area, including for anyone camping there.

Hot, dry weather and abundant fuels created the perfect storm for lightning-caused fires on the Western Slope and in southeastern Utah. Drought forecasters are predicting little relief later this summer.

The American Lung Association’s annual air quality report shows that some of the most polluted air is in the areas around Las Vegas, Phoenix, Denver, and Salt Lake City, but some of the cleanest is in the mountain areas in Wyoming, Colorado, St. George, Utah, and Prescott Valley, Ariz.

Most of the states in our region have at least one county that violates the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Ambient Air Quality Standard.

When talking about climate change, carbon dioxide often takes center stage. But methane is actually a bigger problem. A project in southwest Wyoming intends to address it with the help of new federal funds.

Wyoming is at the drawing board for how to reduce pollution from oil and gas production, per a federal mandate. Officials recently heard from Pinedale residents on how to localize the federal requirements. The meeting was part of a statewide information gathering tour hosted by the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

Wyoming has to reimagine how it regulates a pollutant from oil and gas operations, per new federal government rules. The state is holding a series of public meetings this month to hear suggestions.

Wyoming will be testing the air quality around Rock Springs for the next year, partly because of population growth in the area. The air quality monitor is one of three Department of Environmental Quality equipped trailers that’s moved around the state every year or so to collect data and monitor trends.

Air pollution can be two to five times worse indoors compared to outside, and it’s especially concerning for children, who tend to breathe in more air than adults in relation to their body weight.