Regional Air Quality Council

10/13/2026

This summer and fall, the RAQC has been developing the Control Strategy Blueprint as a road map to advance potential emission reduction concepts through 2030 and beyond. The Blueprint is slated for final consideration and approval by the RAQC Board this November.

The RAQC published the first draft of the 2026 Control Strategy Blueprint in early September and posted an updated second draft at the end of month. Updated briefing papers on each control strategy concept are now available on the RAQC website. Public comment has now reopened with a deadline of Oct. 16.

https://raqc.org/raqc-control-strategy-blueprint/

The RAQC’s Blueprint for clean air landing page now has a Q&A that addresses frequent questions about the Blueprint. This page will continue to be updated throughout the fall with draft documents, meeting materials, and information about the process to submit comments on draft materials.

https://raqc.org/raqc-control-strategy-blueprint/

Learn more about our air quality planning work.

https://raqc.org/aq-planning/

10/09/2026

Part of improving summer air quality in the Front Range includes reducing emissions from vehicles. Drive Clean Colorado, a nonprofit coalition, delivers equitable clean transportation choices with the goal of reducing greenhouse gases for cleaner, healthier air for Colorado.

Do you work in vehicle electrification or are you passionate about accelerating the adoption of clean transportation in Colorado?

If so, be sure to check out the Drive Clean Colorado Summit + Expo on October 22nd at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver — we'll be there! This one-day event brings together fleets, municipalities, businesses, utilities, and clean transportation advocates to connect leaders and drive clean solutions.

More information and registration is available at:

The Drive Clean Summit + Expo hosted annually by Drive Clean Colorado is a one-day, high-energy event that brings Together fleets, municipalities, businesses, utilities, and clean transportation advocates to connect leaders and drive clean solutions. Register now! (Next price increase: Oct. 16) Why....

10/07/2026

Every October, Way to Go challenges companies — and commuters — to join the Go-Tober challenge to improve air quality, encouraging commuters to skip their solo drives and choose sustainable transportation like transit, biking, walking and carpooling.

The RAQC has twice previously won the "Extra Small" organization category, due it its hybrid work schedule, providing ECO passes for employees, and its support of carpooling and biking to work!

Learn more: https://www.drcog.org/way-to-go/go-tober-challenge

Miss the October 1st deadline? Learn more about how Way to Go helps employers — at no cost — find the right commute options for their employees, improving morale while reducing traffic congestion and air pollution: https://www.drcog.org/way-to-go

This week, October 1-8, 2026, is also "Week Without Driving" — for more information: https://weekwithoutdriving.org/

And, Celebrate National Walk and Roll to School Day is today, October 7th!
https://www.drcog.org/news/celebrate-national-walk-and-roll-school-day-october-7

This Go-Tober, everybody wins!Every October, Way to Go challenges companies - and commuters - to join the Go-Tober challenge to improve air quality, encouraging commuters to skip their solo drives and choose sustainable transportation like transit, biking, walking and carpooling. During the 2025 Go-...

10/05/2026

Our monthly newsletter went out last week to email inboxes, and October is a busy one!

This month we're participating in Denver Regional Council of Governments Go-Tober commuter competition, the Drive Clean Colorado Summit + Expo, and American Lung Association Colorado's Run The Rocks 5K. And at the end of the month, several RAQC staff will be presenting at the Intermountain West Ozone Exchange, hosted by the North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization (NFRMPO) and the Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments.

In addition, we took a look back at our 2026 summer season. Front Range residents experienced 66 days this summer with concentrations of ground-level ozone that exceeded the federal standard, according to analysis from the RAQC.

We also recognized our 2026 Clean Air Champions on Sept. 15, to celebrate the exceptional efforts of individuals and organizations working toward for healthy air for everyone in our Front Range communities.

Also in our September edition:
📘 The latest on the Blueprint for clean air
⛅ Why background ozone is so hard to measure
🍂 How to get 30% off cleaner, quieter, electric leaf blowers this season!

If you missed it, check out our recent news here: https://conta.cc/4xQbvgc

And if you're not signed up yet, get your email on our list here! https://raqc.org/email-signup/

By submitting this form, you are granting: Regional Air Quality Council, 1445 Market Street, Ste. 260, Denver, Colorado, 80202, United States,

09/18/2026

Want to help the Colorado Front Range and your family breathe easier this fall? One of the best steps you can take at home is to ditch your old high-emitting gas-powered leaf blower for a quieter, cleaner electric version!

Gas-powered lawn and garden equipment is a surprisingly large source of both air and noise pollution, including the emissions that lead to the formation of ground-level ozone here in the Front Range each summer.

Thanks to a law that went into effect in 2024, that was extended through 2029 earlier this year, Coloradans can get a 30% point-of-sale discount on new electric lawn mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers, and even snow blowers at participating retailers statewide.

Unlike a rebate, this point-of-sale discount is one you can get immediately when you buy an electric leaf blower from a participating retailer — no need to get a coupon or apply for the discount!

Ready to go electric? Head to our recent Simple Steps blog to learn more, and share this seasonal strategy:

https://simplestepsbetterair.org/how-to-get-30-off-a-new-electric-leaf-blower-in-colorado-and-why-you-should/

09/16/2026

Thank you to all who joined us at our 2026 Clean Air Champions awards ceremony last night, and big congratulations to all our awardees!

Thank you also to our featured speaker Will Toor, who reviewed how Colorado has grown and led the way nationally in reducing emissions and going electric, during the past 8 years in his time leading the Colorado Energy Office.

In addition, we want to thank our event sponsor, ACE Hardware, for their support to make this annual event possible again!

And a thank you to one of our many media partners, Rocky Mountain PBS, for joining us and featuring Scout the pika in our evening's introduction and on site (in screenshot image below).

A full list of awardees and photos from the evening will be available in the next week on the RAQC website.

09/04/2026

We usually talk about the human health impacts of ground-level ozone. But did you know that ozone pollution has a negative effect on plants, too? Ozone can be damaging to plant cells, and make it more difficult for plants to make and store food.

RAQC air quality planning and policy manager Kyra Reumann-Moore joined other local experts on a panel about air quality and ozone last month at the National Ozone Garden Network conference at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder.

The National Ozone Garden Network is a collaborative citizen-science effort to monitor ground-level ozone and its effects in gardens around the country, and there are several in Colorado. Thanks to the network for inviting us to participate!

09/02/2026

Working towards better summer air quality in Colorado is an ongoing, collaborative group effort. So we'll be gathering again this fall to recognize and celebrate the people and organizations making our air cleaner for everyone at the 2026 Clean Air Champions Awards!

This in-person event in downtown Denver on Sept. 15 honors leaders in our region who are going the extra mile for healthy air, and will feature remarks from guest speaker Will Toor, current Executive Director of the Colorado Energy Office, and formerly on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission and board of DRCOG.

Register in advance (while tickets last) to join us for appetizers, drinks, and connection with fellow Front Range air quality professionals and advocates.

08/31/2026

Our monthly newsletter was sent out this morning, with the theme: Engines off for back to school!

Summer is nearly over, but we’re not done with ground-level ozone pollution just yet. Thanks to continued warm weather and sunny skies, we usually still have a few high ozone days in September.

In the meantime, school’s back, and with it, our annual reminder to turn your car’s engine off when you drop off and pick up kids at school! Vehicle exhaust in the line of cars at school (or anywhere) can have serious consequences on kids’ health. Children breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults, so they get a higher dose of pollutants from vehicle exhaust.

Also in our August edition:

📘 Latest on the Blueprint for clean air
🛻 Food truck electrification grants reopen
🫁 Why you can't sniff out ozone pollution

If you missed it, check out more here: https://conta.cc/4zQkEb9

And if you're not signed up yet, get your email on our list here: https://raqc.org/email-signup/

08/25/2026

Thank you to everyone who came out and grabbed lunch last week during Air Quality Day at Civic Center EATS! Hosted by Civic Center Conservancy, we were joined by Love My Air Denver (City and County of Denver Government), Trek Systems, Rocky Mountain Ace Hardware, and Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency.

There was great food, music, and conversation about our summer air quality issues here in the Front Range — and what we can do about it!

Including, grant funding available for the electrification of many systems, like RAQC's Engines Off for Mobile Businesses program, which has just re-opened: https://www.enginesoff.org/food-trucks

And, the state's 30% discount on electric lawn and garden equipment, available at participating retailers like ACE Hardware! Learn more: https://simplestepsbetterair.org/electrify-your-lawn-equipment/

Want to stay in the know about future events, grant opportunities, and what you can do about summer ozone pollution? Sign up for the RAQC newsletter at our website: https://raqc.org/email-signup/