Devin Neeley

FARMINGTON — There are people in parts of New Mexico who are breathing air that doesn’t meet national standards. One region is working to change that.

In the American Lung Association’s 2016 State of the Air report, San Juan County received a failing grade for ozone. The level is under EPA standards, just barely, but there has been improvement.

“Ozone levels have decreased but there remain a number of air quality concerns for the public,” said Lisa Devore, air quality planner for the Colorado Department of Health and Environment.

The Four Corners Air Quality Group meets yearly to discuss the current state of the air. This year, generally, the group reports improvement. One major factor is the closure of portions of local power plants.

 “I believe with those closures and a number of federal regulations coming into play, we have new vehicle standards things like that,” Devore said. “We will continue to be below the federal health standards.”

The Four Corners Power Plant has closed more than half of the plant and San Juan Generating Station plans to close half in 2017, both contributing to air improvements. Environmentalists say there is more to be done.

“We didn’t address the elephant in the room as far as the methane hotspot,” said Pete Dronkers, southwest circuit rider for an environmental group, Earthworks.

“We should have really pristine air here and at some point, the vast amount of processing facilities we have here for oil and gas, need to come in line with a reality check on what oil and gas activity really means,” added Mike Eisenfeld of the San Juan Citizens Alliance.