Calibrating the data logger…
Connects federal environmental oversight with community-level concerns about air quality, atmospheric deposition, and pollution impacts across North American landscapes.
Atmospheric pollution and deposition policy addresses how airborne contaminants — from microplastics and dust to nitrogen, ozone precursors, greenhouse gases, and radioactive particles — move through the atmosphere and settle onto land and water. In the Gunnison Basin and across western Colorado, this matters because high-elevation ecosystems are unusually sensitive receivers: thin air, cold temperatures, and slow detritus processing mean that pollutants deposited from regional storms or long-range transport can persist and accumulate in soils, snowpack, alpine lakes, and plankton communities. Ecological consequences range from altered nutrient cycling to contamination of headwaters that feed agriculture and drinking water downstream.
The key concepts in this policy area span the atmospheric, chemical, and regulatory worlds. Climate-related drivers include greenhouse gas emissions, biomass burning, moisture transport, surface inversion, and mixing height — physical processes that determine how pollutants travel and where they fall. Regulatory tools include Clean Air Act standards, Maximum Achievable Control Technology Standards, Prevention of Significant Deterioration rules, Superfund cleanup standards, and consultation processes used in environmental review. Methodological frameworks such as air quality monitoring, the National Atmospheric Deposition Program (NADP), background-level studies, and zoonotic disease surveillance allow scientists to detect contamination, while applied technologies — recycling, incineration, massburn technology, plasma technology, vitrification, activated carbon, Fischer-Tropsch synthesis, Water Gas Shift Reaction, Heat Recovery Boilers, microwave decomposition, ethanol fermentation, and biotransformation — reflect the pollution-control and waste-management approaches that shape what gets emitted in the first place. Concerns such as the brown cloud over the Front Range, plastic pollution, dioxin emissions, fly ash, char, fuel oxygenates, and disturbance-driven conversion of landscapes all surface in this policy space, alongside community-level tools like revolving loan funds, R2CROSS methodology for instream flows, Stipulation and Agreement processes, civil disobedience, due process, and visitor use facility planning.
Colorado's atmospheric policy framework emerged from a mix of federal Clean Air Act authority and state-level planning. Early advocacy is captured in the 1977 Testimony of the Environmental Defense Fund and the Colorado Open Space Council on Prevention of Significant Deterioration of Air Quality Testimony on PSD, which pressed for stronger air pollution control to protect public health and Class I airsheds in the Rockies. By the late 1980s, Colorado was integrating air quality into a broader environmental agenda through the Environmental Agenda — Colorado 1989 and the Colorado Environment 2000 process , which set goals for air quality, solid waste, and transportation planning under the Governor's Office, the Colorado Department of Health, and the Denver Regional Council of Governments. Colorado's Environmental Future extended this vision into long-range planning.
Management plan (1989). Covers Colorado, Gunnison, Denver. Topics: air quality, hazardous and radioactive materials, land management, minerals and ene...
Correspondence (1972-1974). Covers Arizona, Tucson, Florida. Topics: toxic waste disposal, ocean incineration, chemical waste burning, water resources...
Environmental assessment (1972). Covers Northwest Territories, Canada, Halifax. Topics: human environment, atmospheric monitoring, air pollution surve...
Technical report (1972-1980). Covers Philadelphia, Blacksburg, Virginia. Topics: water quality management, environmental management, toxicity testing,...
Technical report. Covers United States, U.S., Alabama. Topics: radon reduction, soil gas suction, subslab suction, drain tile suction. Agencies: U.S. ...
Technical report (1995-2011). Covers Boulder, Boulder County, Colorado. Topics: waste-to-energy, incineration, anaerobic digestion, conversion technol...
News article (1975-1976). Covers United States, Western Europe, Long Island. Topics: land use planning, coastal zone management, wetlands protection, ...
Parallel policy threads addressed specific deposition pathways. Toxic Waste correspondence from the early 1970s Toxic Waste and the John Cairns Toxic Waste Papers Cairns Toxic Waste Papers documented early debates over ocean incineration and multispecies toxicity testing. Canada and the Human Environment Canada and the Human Environment provided one of the earliest comprehensive frameworks linking atmospheric monitoring and air pollution surveillance to water quality. Radon Reduction Methods Radon Reduction Guide extended EPA's reach into indoor air. Compact Board hearings on low-level radioactive waste in Montrose Compact Board Hearing illustrate how western Colorado communities have repeatedly confronted deposition and disposal questions.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency anchors federal authority over air emissions, Superfund cleanup, and deposition monitoring, working with the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council on technical guidance. State implementation runs through the Colorado Department of Health and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources, while the Denver Regional Council of Governments coordinates regional transportation and air quality planning. The Bureau of Indian Affairs plays a role where tribal lands and airsheds intersect with federal action. Non-governmental groups such as the Environmental Defense Fund, the Colorado Open Space Council, the Natural Resources Defense Council Stopping Land Abuse, and Eco-Cycle Waste to Energy in Boulder have shaped policy through testimony, litigation, and public education.
Management approaches blend regulation, technology choice, and consensus processes. Technical assessments of waste-to-energy and gasification Commercial WTE Technologies Alternative Solid Waste Processing Anchorage WTE Project Distributed Power via Gasification compare emissions profiles of massburn, refuse-derived fuel, and plasma options that directly affect deposition. Hydropower and energy development add deposition-relevant air impacts through the FERC 3-Stage Consultation Process FERC Consultation and testimony on coalbed methane from the Department of Energy Hochheiser Statement. Public land air quality is also addressed through the Special Institute in Public Land Laws Public Land Laws Institute, and consensus-based decision making is documented in an Annotated Bibliography on Consensus Building Consensus Bibliography.
The most pressing emerging concern is the recognition that even the most remote protected areas in the West receive measurable atmospheric pollution. Brahney and colleagues showed that microplastics fell in 98 percent of wet and dry samples from U.S. protected areas, with more than 1,000 metric tons of plastic deposited annually across the western U.S. (Brahney et al., 2020). For the Gunnison Basin — ringed by wilderness and national forest — this means policy questions once framed around point-source emissions now extend to global transport of synthetic microfibers, dust-associated contaminants, and wildfire smoke from biomass burning. Surface inversions and mixing-height dynamics concentrate pollutants in mountain valleys during winter, while warming-driven changes in moisture transport alter where deposition lands.
Future directions emphasize integration: linking air, water, and waste policy through tools like revolving loan funds, recycling expansion, and lower-emission energy conversion technologies Articles in The Property Report, while strengthening monitoring networks and community consultation. Carbon-negative pathways, char and biochar applications, and improved Maximum Achievable Control Technology standards offer mitigation routes, but they require sustained investment and cross-jurisdictional coordination.
Scientific research at RMBL connects to this policy area through long-term monitoring of alpine lakes, snowpack chemistry, plant and pollinator communities, and stream ecology — all of which integrate atmospheric inputs. NADP-style deposition sampling, studies of nitrogen and dust on snow, and observations of plastic and contaminant accumulation in high-elevation systems link directly to the deposition findings of Brahney et al. (Brahney et al., 2020). RMBL's watershed and River Continuum Concept-informed studies provide the baseline data managers need to evaluate whether Clean Air Act standards and state plans are actually protecting Gunnison Basin ecosystems.
3-Stage FERC Consultation Process. →
A Comparative Assessment of Commercial Technologies for Conversion of Solid Waste to Energy. →
Annotated Bibliography on Consensus Building. →
Articles in The Property Report. →
Brahney et al., Plastic rain in protected areas of the United States, 2020. →
Canada and the Human Environment. →
Colorado Environment 2000, 1989. →
Colorado's Environmental Future. →
Compact Board Hearing notice, Montrose. →
Development of a Waste-to-Energy Project for Anchorage, Alaska. →
Economics of Distributed Power Generation via Gasification. →
Environmental Agenda — Colorado 1989. →
Evaluation of Alternative Solid Waste Processing Technologies. →
Radon Reduction Methods: A Homeowners Guide. →
Special Institute in Public Land Laws. →
Statement of H. William Hochheiser on Oil and Gas Environmental Research. →
Stopping Land Abuse: What You Can Do. →
Testimony on Prevention of Significant Deterioration. →
Toxic Waste correspondence. →
Toxic Waste Papers — John Cairns. →
Waste to Energy in Boulder? Pros and Cons. →
Technical report (November 13-14, 1997). Covers Denver, Colorado, Helena. Topics: public land law, recreational development, water rights, species pre...
Technical report (October 2013). Covers US, Europe, Japan. Topics: refuse derived fuel, mass burn firing, air fed gasification, municipal solid waste....
Technical report (2005). Covers Los Angeles, California, Montgomery. Topics: solid waste processing, municipal solid waste, thermal processing, pyroly...
Correspondence. Covers Billings, Montana, Rocky Mountain region. Topics: coalbed methane, oil and gas development, Risk Based Data Management System, ...
Document (1971-1999). Covers Colorado Springs, Colorado, Verde River. Topics: consensus building, decision making, environmental mediation, comprehens...
Technical report (1989-2000). Covers Colorado, Colorado Springs, Yuma County. Topics: environmental goals, air quality, solid waste disposal, transpor...
Technical report (1989-2000). Covers Colorado, Colorado Springs, Yuma County. Topics: environmental goals, air quality, water quality, water resource ...
Correspondence (1989). Covers Denver, Uravan, Grand Junction. Topics: radioactive waste disposal, land transfer, low-level waste disposal. Agencies: C...
News article (1973-2001). Covers Threemile Canyon, Boardman, Oregon. Topics: sustainable development, brownfields, recycling systems, agricultural ope...
News article (1972-1990). Covers Leadville, Arkansas River, California Gulch. Topics: mining waste contamination, water pollution, environmental resto...
Technical report. Covers Eastern U.S., Western U.S.. Topics: hydropower licensing process, pre-filing consultation, public participation, hydropower l...
Correspondence (2002-2010). Covers Powder River, Powder River Basin, Little Powder River. Topics: coal bed methane production, produced water manageme...
Technical report (2100). Covers Fort Hunter Liggett, central California, U.S.. Topics: waste-to-energy technology, renewable energy, FastOx Gasifier, ...
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Correspondence (1975). Covers Pennsylvania, United States, Cambridge. Topics: nuclear radiation accidents, nuclear power program, Emergency Core Cooli...
Technical report (2005-2040). Covers Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii. Topics: Plasma Arc Gasification, waste-to-energy, Municipal Solid Waste, landfill footpri...
Technical report. Covers United States, Swindon, England. Topics: plasma arc recycling, waste treatment, plasma gasification, syngas technology. Agenc...
You are here: Home page > Environment > Plasma arc recycling Home A-Z index Random article Timeline Teaching guide About us Privacy & cookies Advertis...
Technical report (August 2012). Covers Northeast England, Toronto, Canada. Topics: plasma gasification, waste treatment, syngas, energy production. Ag...
Correspondence. Covers National Forests, Gila Wilderness, New Mexico. Topics: wilderness management, wilderness quality. Agencies: Department of Agric...
For anyone to sign any initiative or referendum petition with any name other than his or her own or to knowingly sign his name more than once for the ...
Search (https://www.facebook.com/NationalEnergyTechnologyLaborato (https://www.linkedin.com/company/national- (https://twitter.com/NETL_DOE) (https://...
Correspondence (2002). Covers San Juan Basin, Farmington, New Mexico. Topics: gas wells, air pollution, wildlife habitat, Environmental Impact Stateme...
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Technical report (March 29, 2007). Covers Colorado, Paonia, New Mexico. Topics: natural gas development, oil development, drilling, fracturing. Agenci...
Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v12y2019i1p137-d194245.html Environmental Assessment of Municipal Solid Waste by Two-Stage Plasma Ga...
Environmental assessment (2019). Covers Porto, Portugal, Vila Real. Topics: plasma gasification, municipal solid waste. Agencies: INEGI-FEUP, CITAB, U...
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Document (2010-2018). Covers California, west coast, China. Topics: plasma gasification, syngas production, plastic waste treatment, resource allocati...
I.J. van der Walt1, J.T. Nel1, D. Glasser2, D. Hildebrandt2, L. Ngubevana2 1 The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation SOC Ltd. (Necsa), Elias Mots...
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Environmental assessment (1974). Covers kingdom, village, valley. Topics: solid waste management, environmental protection, pollution, recycling. Agen...
Document. Covers Virginia, Northern Virginia, Fairfax. Topics: point pollution, non-point pollution, erosion control, sedimentation. Agencies: U.S. En...
Correspondence (1975). Covers North Fork of the Gunnison, Boulder, Golden. Topics: energy development, environmental impact, coal mining, community pl...
Technical report (1972-1975). Covers Western Colorado, Washington, D.C., Mt. Rainier. Topics: decision making for small size communities, energy devel...
An official website of the United States government. National Overview: Facts and Figures on Materials, Wastes and Recycling On this page: The Current...
Sachin B. Jadhao, Sunil G. Shingade, Aniruddha B. Pandit & Bhavik R. Bakshi Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 19, 1403– 1412(2017) 616 Acces...
Document (1975). Covers Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kingman. Topics: cattle by-products, pharmaceuticals, beef industry. Agencies: Beef Industry Counc...
•Runoff from liquid waste such as sewage and sludge is destroying the eco-system, killing fish, coral reefs, and impacting tourism •Sewage hookup gene...
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The technology involved in plasma gasification, or perhaps more properly plasma arc waste disposal, has been around for about fifty years, but few facil...
Environmental assessment. Covers Mount Emmons. Topics: environmental assessment.
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Environmental assessment. Covers Mount Emmons. Topics: environmental report.