Big Push initiative aims to improve air quality in Central Texas

Big Push initiative aims to improve air quality in Central Texas

By Amy Stansbury and Patrick Brendel Friday, 05 June 2009

Local economy and transportation plans could constrain region if EPA determines area ground-level ozone emissions are harmful

Transportation projects, economic development and the quality of life in Williamson and Travis counties could be affected if the area is designated “nonattainment” by the Environmental Protection Agency next year. New, stricter federal standards on air quality, specifically ground-level ozone, have put Central Texas at risk for this designation, which carries steep and long-term consequences

“We are exactly right on the edge of nonattainment,” said Cathy Stephens, environmental program manager of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization. “All of the requirements that come with being designated nonattainment — the transportation requirements, the industry offset requirements — those apply for 20 years after you come back into compliance.”

In accordance with the Clean Air Act, on March 12 Gov. Rick Perry recommended to the EPA that Travis County be designated nonattainment. After six months of monitoring the area’s air quality, the EPA will announce its initial decision in November. The public will have 30 days to comment, beginning Nov. 12. The EPA will make its final decision March 12, 2010.

If the EPA designates counties in the Austin area nonattainment like Houston and Dallas, state and federal regulations could lead to delays and higher costs for transportation and construction projects, which would be subject to air quality analyses and EPA approvals. Some area road projects could even be eliminated because of the difficulty in demonstrating conformity, according to Capital Area Council of Governments, or CAPCOG.

“We will have to prove to the EPA that new roadways will not cause more emissions,” said Bill Gill, CAPCOG director of air quality planning. “That will make transportation planning more cumbersome, more expensive and more time consuming.”

Gill said Austin does not have dirty air compared to Houston or Dallas, but on high-ozone days, 60 to 80 percent of the Austin area’s ozone is carried by wind from areas such as Houston and East Texas.

Efforts to improve

Several government entities, including CAMPO, the City of Round Rock, Williamson County and Travis County, teamed up to form the Clean Air Coalition, which is leading an effort called the Big Push to reduce public agencies’ and businesses’ emissions to help the region meet the EPA’s new, stricter standard. In March, the City of Pflugerville passed a resolution to support the Big Push.

Clean Air Coalition officials are also calling on private citizens to volunteer to reduce their own impact through measures such as driving less and waiting until the evening to fill up their cars with gasoline.

“In order for us to achieve significant emissions reductions, everybody has to participate in it,” Gill said.

Transportation

If any county in Central Texas is designated nonattainment, transportation projects across the region could be affected because roads are designed to flow traffic beyond city and county limits, said John Dean, Round Rock transportation planner.

“The City of Round Rock pays for a lot of roads ourselves,” Dean said. “A project could be held up even though no federal money is involved.”

Dean said air quality is a regional issue that needs to be addressed regionally or statewide.

“Right now it’s addressed at the county level,” he said. “But there’s no wall. The two counties are so interrelated with people commuting, how can you draw a line?”

The length of time, and therefore the cost to plan and construct road projects are expected to increase with a nonattainment designation because the EPA would require municipalities to prove that a proposed road will have a neutral or positive impact on air quality.

Federal transportation funding for area road projects could also be withheld if the state fails to produce an acceptable air quality plan for the area designated nonattainment.

Economic development

Federal restrictions placed on businesses could hurt the Central Texas economy, which is surviving despite a national economic recession. Companies with growth plans in an area designated nonattainment must prove to the EPA that the expansion would not increase emissions. New businesses looking to move to the region are also held to this standard.

Stephens said the businesses that would be affected are mainly those that emit ozone precursor emissions such as nitrogen oxides, NOx, or volatile organic compounds, VOC. But companies in clean industries such as high-tech may also decide not to locate in Central Texas if it receives a nonattainment status.

“There’s a certain stigma associated with being a nonattainment or dirty air city,” she said. “You may find that companies choose not to locate here even if it wouldn’t cost them any more. They may not want to locate here because they don’t think they can attract the quality of employees they want because they can live anywhere and they don’t want to live here.”

Quality of life

While financial repercussions are important, health is also an obvious and critical issue affected by air quality.

“By not keeping our air quality at an acceptable level, you’re going to have a lot more people exposed to bad air, especially children, elderly adults, and people who work outdoors,” said Adele Noel, air quality project manager for Travis County.

CAPCOG’s Bill Gill said ozone conducive weather is low wind, bright sunlight and temperatures between 85 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Windy, cool and cloudy days present little risk of ozone exposure.

Stephens, who lives in Pflugerville, said the public should be concerned about the ozone and do their part to support the Big Push.

“Pflugerville is so family oriented and sports oriented,” she said. “On those days when the ozone is high, it flat-out isn’t healthy to be outside exercising. And the kids with asthma have to watch the weather every day.”

Ozone

Ozone is formed naturally high in the stratosphere when the sun’s ultraviolet rays interact with oxygen molecules. Ground-level ozone, which is harmful to human’s health, is formed when nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC) combine in the presence of sunlight.

Car exhaust, industrial emissions, gasoline vapors and chemical solvents are manmade sources of NOx and VOC. Due to the summer sun, ozone is typically most prevalent from April through October, considered to be the “ozone season.”

The economic downturn may help Travis and Williamson counties achieve compliance. A smaller number of cars on the road, fewer buildings under construction and reduced commercial activity have cut major sources of air pollution.

Clean air tips

• In the car
  • Share a ride to work or school
  • Avoid rush-hour traffic and driving on hot days
  • Take your lunch to work or school
  • Use public transit, walk or ride a bicycle
  • Combine errands into one trip
  • Avoid drive-through lanes
  • Postpone refueling until after 6 p.m.
  • Do not top off your tank while refueling
  • Keep vehicles tuned and tires properly inflated
  • Do not ignore “check engine” lights
  • Avoid revving or idling engine more than 30 seconds
• In the yard
  • Avoid spilling gasoline
  • Maintain equipment
  • Consider cleaner options, like newer or electric equipment
  • Wait until after 6 p.m. to do yard work with gas equipment
  • Use manual tools
  • Reduce mowing time by planting low- maintenance grasses
  • Recycle old equipment
• In the house
  • Use compact florescent lights
  • Turn off lights and appliances when not in use
  • Use microwaves for smaller meals
  • Recycle
  • Plant shade trees to reduce dependence on air conditioning
  • Reuse materials such as paper bags and boxes
  • Properly dispose of household hazardous waste
  • Paint with brushes, not sprayers
  • Check air-conditioning filters monthly
• On the Web
  • Learn about Energy Star products, certified for energy efficiency, www.energystar.gov
  • Find out how “green” your car is with the Vehicle Emissions Guide, www.epa.gov/autoemissions
  • Find information on disposing of toxic solid waste, www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/citizens.htm
  • Keep track of the Clean Air Coalition, www.capcog.org/divisions/ regional-planning/clean-air-coalition

Source: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Environmental Protection Agency