Although there are no oil and gas drilling activities inside Longmont city limits, drilling continues to occur in neighboring communities like Boulder County and Weld County which can lead to air pollution that drifts into Longmont. Staff are closely monitoring levels of methane and benzene, two important indicators of oil and gas emissions measured in the Longmont air quality study.  

During the first quarter of 2022, there was a considerable uptick in emissions likely due to oil and gas companies ramping up their activity. The City files formal complaints with the state’s public health department and the oil and gas commission whenever the levels of benzene and methane are measured above specific thresholds. Methane has no health effects, but is an important greenhouse gas. Benzene poses significant health risks and the state health department has identified health guidance values for residents.

A quarterly summary of complaints filed will be sent to Longmont City Council and those reports are posted on the City’s Oil and Gas Monitoring webpage. A quarterly notice will also be sent out as an eNotification.

As always, recent air quality data is posted in near-real time online at https://www.bouldair.com/longmont.htm and the full data set going back over 2 years can be seen at http://www.bouldairtools.com/interactive/.