HEALING

FROM PAGE 15 and you don’t need horse experience to do it,” Schultz said. “It’s not just for any speci c type of person.”

Schultz said when she and Kellenberger entered into the industry, it was small and many people did not really understand it.

“ ere were so many people, especially when we were rst getting started, that were just kind of doing backyard therapy that were not therapists,” Kellenberger said, explaining that she and Schultz wanted to put their mental health degrees at the forefront of their work and help the eld gain notoriety.

“Because we were seeing the really great work that can be done when you’re doing it correctly,” she added, advising people to do their research and look for licensed therapists. Schultz highlighted that this type of therapy is for everyone, saying they have clients ranging from the ages of 7 to 78.

“It’s inspiring. I’m inspired by my clients to, you know, for me to keep my training up, to be the best I can be because they’re showing up to do the hard work,” Schultz said.

In her work in occupational therapy, Petitt shared how powerful it is to see clients transform throughout equine-assisted therapy sessions.

“It’s just so cool to see them being able to accomplish the things that they weren’t able to accomplish before,” she said. “Raising awareness of what we do is so important and amazing to help our riders grow.”

“It’s just amazing what horses do for us,” Petitt said. “ ey’re so inspiring.” stay below the upper 40s in parts per billion in 2023. Readings at key monitors spiked to 89 ppb in 2021, and 78 ppb in 2022.

Let’s talk steaks. Steaks that are tender, juicy, and full of flavor. Perfectly aged, hand-trimmed, one-of-a-kind steaks that are GUARANTEED to be perfect, every single time. These aren’t just steaks. These are Omaha Steaks.

The relevant readings at a monitor near Chatfield Reservoir reached 70 by late May of this year, and 67 at the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden. Those put the three-year averages at 79 at Chatfield, for example, and 77 at NREL, the Center for Biological Diversity said.

State regulators do not dispute those calculations. The health department “takes ground-level ozone pollution seriously,” Schleifer said, in a written statement.

One of the primary impacts of a downgrade in the attainment classification is a broadening of pollution sources that must go through the state permitting process.

Regulators can demand changes in process or equipment that could reduce pollution before issuing a permit, and permits can ratchet down allowed pollution over time.

In 2022, the EPA downgraded the nine-county area under the looser 2008 ozone standard from “serious” to “severe.” The federal agency said at the time that under “severe,” requirements include the use of reformulated gasoline in summer months and a reduction of the threshold requiring control measures on emissions sources from 50 tons per year to 25 tons per year.

Each reclassification puts another strain on state regulation as well. Colorado officials said at the time of the “severe” reclassification it would require for 473 more sources of pollution that contribute to ozone, as the threshold dropped to include all those emitting 25 tons or more.

Recent legal actions by environmental groups forced the addition of pollution sources in northern Weld County, home to much of the oil and gas drilling and production activity in Colorado, to the Front Range nonattainment area. Previously, only the southern portion of Weld County was included in the stricter permitting regime.

Taking action now would put far more northern Weld County operations under the “serious” 2015 standards. After asking the EPA for another downgrade, Colorado could take other actions such as demanding a “pause” to oil and gas operations on bad air days, much as the state asks individuals to limit driving, get car emissions tests, or avoid outdoor activity, Ukeiley said. The state could also limit the use of the natural gas-fired Cherokee Generating Station north of downtown Denver on high pollution days.

Colorado officials often argue against swift air pollution action by saying it can take corporations a long time to acquire and install new equipment. Admitting to another ozone downgrade now rather than waiting would give those officials and companies longer lead time to make changes, Ukeiley said.

“We know it’s all inevitable that we’re going to get downgraded,” he said. “The state might as well admit that and move forward with the process. And use the process to come up with the most protective effective measures to reduce our pollution.”

This story via The Colorado Sun, a journalist-owned news outlet based in Denver that covers the state. For more, visit www.ColoradoSun.com. The Sun is a partner in the Colorado News Conservancy, which owns Colorado Community Media.