RIFLE — A community-based program might be one way of responding to concerns by Garfield County residents about the effects on air quality of oil and gas development, a state official says.

Ray Mohr, with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, made the suggestion at an air quality forum Thursday night in Rifle.

Residents’ concerns pertain to dust, diesel exhaust, condensate tank fumes and other pollutants, said several people attending the forum. Some of those residents voiced frustration over the situation.

“I am a walking, talking condensate tank,” said Hunter Mesa resident Rick Roles, who said he endures high exposure to volatile organic compounds being released from tanks.

Mohr said the oil and gas industry is responsible for 85 percent of the 900 point sources of air pollution in the county. Pollution also comes from mobile sources such as automobile traffic.

Although regulations are in place to limit air pollution, Mohr said there have been numerous examples in Colorado in which communities have gone further to craft solutions to local air pollution problems. Some examples include Pueblo, where a steel mill was struggling to comply with state regulations; Mesa County, which responded to a problem with woodburning stoves; and Adams County, which set up a hotline to try to pinpoint odor sources.

“I think there’s quite a bit of interest in doing more about many of the oil and gas, as well as other, issues,” Mohr said.

One important benefit of community programs is that they improve communication between the public and industry, Mohr said.

Jim Rada, environmental health manager for Garfield County, said monitoring results to date show that the county isn’t near reaching nonattainment status for air quality, but localized problems exist. He said the industry has taken some steps to try to address air emissions, such as by voluntarily installing controls in residential areas.

“We’ve been seeing some success in that regard,” he said.

He said residents might consider approaching county commissioners with the idea of forming an air quality commission to focus on the problem.

Mohr said early testing by the Grand Valley Citizens Alliance prompted the state to take a closer look at air quality in the area.

Steve Carter, a Democratic candidate for county commissioner, asked Mohr to respond to allegations in a recent BBC story that the state is doing a poor job of responding to local air quality concerns.

“A number of my friends are wondering how I can continue to live here,” Carter said.

Mohr said “robust air monitoring” has taken place over the past several years. But he also said the regulatory efforts take time and must have a scientific basis.

“It’s a five-year process to get things that really work in place because they have to be vetted, they have to be talked about,” he said.

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E-mail Dennis Webb at dwebb@gjds.com.