I recently read an article in the Washington Post about natural gas drilling in Wyoming, and how the industry is becoming more profitable in the region. And now little dinky Cheyenne is seeing smog levels usually only seen in major urban centers like LA. When I think Cheyenne, I think cold, so I personally was surprised that they were having this problem. It’s the sunnier, urban areas that you usually associate with smog and haze.
People in the area have been complaining about bloody noses, watery eyes, and shortness of breath, which has been attributed to the high levels of ozone in the atmosphere over Cheyenne, which is higher than even the worse LA days. The drilling of the oil releases nitrogen oxide and VOCs. The article explained that the release of these chemicals, combined with the snow on the ground, sunshine, and temperature inversion are creating the high levels of tropospheric ozone, so it is only a problem in the winter.
The article cited that two days last week, ozone levels in the region rose above the highest levels ever recorded in the most populous U.S. cities (Gruver). On the bright side, Wyoming has an unemployment rate of 6.4%, one of the lowest in the nation (Gruver). But are the economic gains worth the trade-off in terms of human health. I say no.
Last Wednesday the ozone levels reached 124 ppb. The EPA’s limit for healthy ozone levels is only 75 ppb. The worse day in LA last year was 114 ppb (Gruver). I think that a city exceeding the ozone limit by 49 ppb, especially in a city as small as Cheyenne is definitely a problem. The gas officials claim that are “working hard to curb smog by reducing truck traffic and switching to drilling rigs with pollution control equipment” (Gruver). But clearly they are not working fast enough.
People should be allowed to go outside freely and not have to worry about their health or getting a nosebleed. Wyoming is generally an outdoorsy place, so the warnings to stay inside must be hard to take.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/08/AR2011030802905.html