News Feed
Utah's air quality has been harming your health for years, but tourism is now in the crossfire
From the Wasatch Front to the Uintah Basin to the Colorado Plateau, different areas of Utah have varying air quality challenges that could affect more than just your health.
USU Welcomes Colleen P. Jones as an Associate Research Professor
Utah State University Uintah Basin and the Bingham Research Center are pleased to announce that Colleen P. Jones is now an associate research professor in the Department of Plants, Soils and Climate. Jones brings a wealth of experience and a distinguished...
Methods of Measuring Atmospheric Mercury
In this interview conducted at Pittcon 2024 in San Diego, we spoke to Seth Lyman about atmospheric mercury, exploring innovative measurement techniques, and the environmental impact of mercury pollution.
New research tests AI’s ability to forecast severe weather
Researchers at the National Severe Storms Laboratory and several universities in the U.S. and U.K. recently tested artificial intelligence’s ability to generate a severe weather forecast. After some prompting and prodding, the AI eventually correctly iden...
Railroad Commission Approves Toxic Waste Ponds Next to Baptist Camp
Martin Water is building an oil and gas waste recycling facility next to the Circle 6 Baptist Camp in the Permian Basin despite concerns of water and air pollution.
Bingham Research Center works to improve Utah’s climate
Bingham Research Center works to improve Utah’s climate.
Production in Utah's oil-rich Uinta Basin is at an all-time high
Utah's Oil Boom: Production in Utah's oil-rich Uinta Basin is at an all-time high. Texas oilman Jim Finley is credited with opening the floodgates.
The Uinta Basin: Part 2 — Ozone and Collaboration
This article is the second in a two-part series focusing on Utah’s Uinta Basin. Part 1looked at the Uinta Basin as an oil-and-gas-based economy that’s navigating cultural and regulatory complexities.1 As discussed there, one of its challenges is to reduce...
Research Landscapes
In eastern Utah’s Uinta Basin, air quality is a complicated issue. Oil and natural gas are key parts of Utah’s economy, but they also create heavy concentrations of wintertime ozone. On Thursday, Nov. 9, Seth Lyman explored this relationship during a USU...
John Lawson joins the Bingham Research Center
John Lawson has joined Utah State University Uintah Basin and the Bingham Research Center as a senior air quality scientist. Lawson joined the center on Sept. 15.
Wyoming Air Quality Division Receives National Award
The Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality Air Quality Division (DEQ-AQD) was recently presented the Best Practice Award from the Association of Air Pollution Control Agencies (AAPCA). Wyoming DEQ-AQD received the national recognition for developing...
Gen Z’s Road to Clean Energy Runs Through Flyover Country
Last summer, as part of a summer research program at my high school, I spent weeks driving a pickup truck around northeast Utah’s Uintah Basin, where oil derricks and gas wells stretch as far as the eye can see, and the air pollution is even worse than ba...
Bingham Research Center Hosts Celebratory Open House
The Bingham Research Center at Utah State University Uintah Basin hosted an open house on Aug. 28 to celebrate its accomplishments and to thank donors for their contributions. The open house hosted several guests, including a state senator, representat
The Uinta Basin, Petroleum Country: Part 1
This article is the first in a two-part series focusing on the oil and gas industry in Utah’s Uinta Basin. Look for Part 2 to be published in the December 2023 issue of EM.
A Proposed Utah Railway Could Quadruple Oil Production
Opponents say the rail line goes against the Biden administration’s efforts to fight climate change and could cause an East Palestine-type disaster on the Colorado River.
Utah State University Collaborating with Slovenia to Measure Atmospheric Oxidized Mercury
Utah State University Uintah Basin researchers have been working together with researchers in Slovenia to better assess atmospheric oxidized mercury measurements. The researchers collaborated to compare data as well as methods, with each trying to learn f...
What is Ozone and What Can Be Done to Help Improve Levels This Winter?
Throughout the winter months, air quality is an issue on the minds of many who live in Utah, especially those who live in mountainous areas like the Uintah Basin. Because of cold winter temperatures and pollutant emissions from both businesses and residen...
Bingham Research Center Receives Additional Funding
Utah State University’s Bingham Research Center has received additional funding from the Utah Legislature as part of the 2023 state’s General Legislative Session. The bill will increase funding for the center’s Uintah Basin air quality research by $150,00...
Great Salt Lake dust events, Utah ozone issues get monitoring money
Utah’s continuing and pressing problem of anomalous ozone formation in the Uinta Basin in the winter months also received funding and extension of one of the most far-reaching and ambitious studies of its kind to study the hazardous pollutant in eastern U...
Sampling Mercury at 10,000 Feet
It’s admittedly a complicated work commute. But for a lifelong snowboarder like Tyler Elgiar, who used to dream of working at a ski resort, the journey to the Storm Peak Laboratory above Steamboat Springs, Colorado, is about as good as it gets for a youn...
Spring 2022 newsletter
The newsletter provides a preview to the upcoming annual report and a less formal look at our teams' goings-on.
Statewide Campuses Help Prepare Students for Postgraduate Success
Makenzie Holmes had opportunities for internships, research and one-on-one mentorship with professors, including Bingham Center Director Seth Lyman. With a strong undergraduate résumé full of diverse activity and experience, Holmes was accepted to the Doc...
Market Forces Halved Methane Emissions in the Uinta Basin
But a research team led by John Lin, a U. atmospheric scientist, is now using long-term monitoring data to determine how much methane escapes
Bingham Research Team Develops Most Accurate Mercury Analyzer
Researchers at Utah State University Uintah Basin have designed a mercury analyzer and deployed it at the Storm Peak Laboratory in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The analyzer measures elemental and oxidized mercury in the air and it is the only instrument in th...
Spring 2021 Newsletter
In this issue, we give a brief report of ozone in the Uinta Basin during the past winter and discuss a few ongoing projects, including measurement of emissions from engines, recent modeling work, and thoughts on NOx versus VOC control of winter ozone. An...
Donations to Bingham Research Center Aim to Understand Ozone in Uintah Basin
Utah State University’s (USU) Bingham Research Center has teamed up with local oil and gas industry partners to address emissions of pollution that can lead to high wintertime ozone.
Summer 2020 Newsletter
In this issue, we share news about changes in winter ozone that have occurred over the past few years, provide updates about how we are improving photochemical models, and show a comparison of methane concentrations during winters 2019 and 2020.
Uintah Basin Researchers Awarded NSF Grant to Study Mercury and its Impact on Ecosystems and Health
USU Uintah Basin researchers are working on an NSF-funded project that will measure air quality at Storm Peak at the top of the Steamboat Springs Ski Resort in Colorado through March 2023, with a particular focus on mercury.
Spring 2020 Newsletter
Learn about the research being conducted by our team at The Bingham Research Center.
USU Scientist Named UCAIR Person of the Year for His Work to Combat Air Pollution in Uintah Basin
Utah State University’s air quality expert Seth Lyman was awarded the Clean Air Person of the Year by the Utah Clean Air Partnership (UCAIR) for his continued work into developing solutions to fight Utah’s air pollution problems in the Uintah Basin.
Makenzie Holmes Presents Her Research on Capitol Hill
Six undergraduate researchers from USU’s College of Science are among about 30 Aggies selected to present research posters to state legislators and visitors to Utah’s Capitol Hill in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, February 18, from 8 a.m.-1 pm.
Winter Ozone and Air Quality
Director of the USU Bingham Research Center and Research Associate Professor in Chemistry, Dr. Seth Lyman visits with us about winter ozone in the Basin, what it is, why it's harmful and what we can do to help.
USU Uintah Basin Partners with Local Industry to Solve Air Quality Issues
Utah State University’s (USU) Bingham Research Center has teamed up with local oil and gas industry partners to address emissions of pollution that can lead to high wintertime ozone.
Vernal Chamber recognizes key contributors to community
The USU Bingham Research Center - Air Quality Program was the recipient of the Vernal Chamber of Commerce's 2019 Environmental Health & Safety Award.
Governor’s energy advisor contradicted by air quality expert
Governor Gary Herbert’s energy advisor says the oil and gas industry is not a major contributor to air quality problems in the Uinta Basin.
Ozone reduction award given by Tri-County Health
The TriCounty Health Department announced the winners of the first Uintah Basin TriCounty Health Leadership in Ozone Reductions Awareness (LORA) Award on Thursday, with high praise going to Anadarko and Middlefork Energy.
Oil and gas industry team up with clean air advocates on emissions in Uinta Basin
In an era of lawsuits and accusations, protests, rallies, marches and angry posters, there are those rare, odd times when groups on opposite sides of an issue can lay down their swords and work together.
USU-Uintah Basin Student Receives URCO Research Grant to Study Local Air Quality
Makenzie Breitenbach, an undergraduate student at Utah State University (USU) Uintah Basin, was awarded the Undergraduate Research and Creative Opportunity (URCO) grant to perform research on local emissions and air quality.
In the Rural West: More Oil, More Gas, More Ozone
GRAND JUNCTION, Colorado seemed like the perfect spot for Jerry Nelson and his wife to retire from Champaign, Illinois, where he had been an economics professor at the University of Illinois.
USU Bingham Research Center Team Make Major Difference in Ozone Designation
While the fact that areas of the Uintah Basin are in non-attainment for ozone pollution is not great news, the efforts of local scientists made a major difference in the designation assigned by the EPA.
EPA Announces Areas Of Uintah Basin In Nonattainment For Ozone Pollution
On May 1st, the Environmental Protection Agency announced areas of nonattainment for ozone pollution including parts of the Uintah Basin in Duchesne and Uintah County.
After Oil Well Venting, Strong Odor Causes Alarm among Nearby Residents
Cassie Paup was alarmed when she discovered a strong sulfur smell outside her house on Flat Iron Mesa on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Basin Air Quality--Breathe Easy
In 2015, a Rolling Stone article claimed that poor air quality in the Uintah Basin, and Vernal in particular, was causing abnormally high numbers of fetal deaths. But what does air quality in the Uintah Basin really look like?
Former EPA Leader Defends Actions on Utah Haze, Ozone
A plan to require new pollution controls at coal-fired power plants in Utah was among the Environmental Protection Agency's greatest accomplishments under the Obama administration, according to one of the agency's former leaders.
Researcher Says Uinta Basin's High Ozone Likely to Result in EPA Action
Utah is home to one of only two places in the world where scientists see the unique formation of wintertime ozone, a pollutant that can negatively impact respiratory health.
Bingham Center Partners with Utah DAQ to Understand Emissions from the Oil and Gas Industry
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality released their annual environmental report this week, summarizing their work in 2016.
Utah Air Quality Conference to Be Held on March 30th
Air Quality: Science for Solutions is a new annual conference on air quality, especially for Utah and the Intermountain West.
Officials Say Utah Can Attain EPA's New Lower Ozone Standard
The newly released national ambient air standard for ozone should be within Utah's grasp, state regulators say, but environmental groups believe the standard falls short of protecting public health.
Peer-Reviewed Article: Inversion Structure and Winter Ozone Distribution in the Uintah Basin, Utah, USA (Seth Lyman and Trang Tran, 2015)
Report on the inversion structure and winter ozone distribution in the Uintah Basin.
Court Backs State, EPA on Uintah Basin's Pollution Designation
SALT LAKE CITY -- A federal court ruled that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency engaged in "reasoned decision-making" in its ozone pollution classifications for multiple areas across the country.
EPA's Lower Ozone Standard Will Disproportionately Impact the Intermountain West
On October 1, 2015, EPA finalized the new primary National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) for Ozone at 70 parts per billion (ppb).
National Parks Fail EPA Ozone Mandates
Of the 26 parks that are not in compliance, the biggest violator is Dinosaur National Monument, home to 1,500 dinosaur fossils and a popular white-water rafting destination on the Colorado-Utah border.
NASA: Background Ozone a Major Issue in U.S. West
Levels of "background ozone" -- ozone pollution present in a region but not originating from local, human-produced source.
Final Report: 2014-15 Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study
PDF of the Final Report: 2014-15 Uintah Basin Winter Ozone Study from the Bingham Research Center
EPA Strengthens the Air Quality Standards for Ground-Level Ozone
On October 1, 2015, EPA strengthened the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone to 70 parts per billion (ppb).