Westminster approved a letter to the Environmental Protection Agency regarding their endangerment finding on leaded fuel at airports on Jan. 9 at a post-city council meeting.
“Toward this end, Westminster City Council is writing to support the EPA and the FAA’s efforts to appropriately and promptly address lead pollution from aircraft,” the letter reads.
The letter cites the health and well-being of Westminster residents as to why they support the EPA’s actions.
The city sits next to Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport which serves aircraft that use leaded fuel. RMMA ranks 63rd on the top 100 lead-emitting airports in the country. The airport dropped 580 pounds of lead in 2017.
On Oct. 7, 2022, the EPA proposed the endangerment finding and is undergoing public notice and comment. Any final endangerment finding will be released in 2023.
“EPA is not proposing aircraft engine lead emission standards with this action. EPA’s consideration of endangerment is a first step toward application of EPA’s authority to address lead pollution. If the proposed finding is finalized, EPA would subsequently propose regulatory standards for lead emissions from aircraft engines,” the news release reads.
On Aug. 15, 2022, Mayor Nancy McNally asked city staff to explore the possibilities for testing lead around RMMA. However, the city’s toolbox is limited since Westminster doesn’t have jurisdiction over the airport.
“Westminster has rejoined the Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport's Community Noise Roundtable. Discussions are ongoing about a number of community concerns including noise and pollution, but next steps have not been established by the airport authority and the surrounding communities,” City Spokesperson Andy Le wrote in an email.
