For the Mile High City, miles to go on smog

But that status was fleeting. By the time the EPA began enforcing stricter ozone standards last year, Denver was hovering at the brink of compliance. Last summer's violations weren't unexpected. Still, the record-high ozone levels were the worst since the mid-1980s. And their geographic range sparked alarm.

"There can be no clearer and more urgent call for comprehensive air-quality measures to protect Rocky Mountain National Park and the citizens of the Front Range," says Vickie Patton, a senior attorney with Environmental Defense's regional office in Boulder. "There is [an] imperative for action now."

State health officials agree. To stave off being cited a high-pollution zone again, Colorado is developing a proposal for reducing ozone levels by 2007. Under a pending agreement with the EPA, the state could avoid the legal restrictions that accompany nonattainment status.

The rub is that once the EPA approves a state proposal for reducing ozone, the city can't continue to violate federal standards. "The hammer is out there, it's cocked. If [Colorado] fails to meet the milestones, the hammer will fall," says Long

But the state isn't complaining. Having a conditional deferral of the pollution zone gives officials a chance to solve the problem independently, says Margie Perkins, director of the Air Quality Control Division for the state health department. "That way, we are allowed a little more flexibility in how we go about meeting requirements."

Under the state proposal - which is still being developed - cleaner-burning blended gasoline and emissions controls for oil-and-gas rigs would be mandatory. Coupled with technology advances in the coming fleet of automobiles, and tougher federal emissions standards for industry, ozone levels should decline significantly, state officials say.

"With these things that are already in the pipeline, we know we're going down in emissions," says Ms. Perkins.

Still, some believe that Colorado's efforts fall short of what's needed for lasting improvement, considering that Denver's population is projected to increase by 1 million in the next 20 years - a surge that places it among the country's fastest-growing regions. And the lack of a unified transit system only exacerbates Denver's infamous congestion - gridlock that makes it the third most congested city in the nation, according to the Texas Transportation Institute.

Reducing ozone concentrations to safe levels is achievable, says Patton. "But it's going to require some tough decisions."

Meanwhile, an expanded smog zone could spur state leaders toward more aggressive action, she says: "The nonattainment designation is really critical in two ways: First, in being honest and forthright with the public; and second, in putting in place a framework for policy solutions and control measures."

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