Clean Air Partners Program ... Air Quality

Air Quality

Although air quality encompasses a wide variety of issues, one key challenge to the Central Texas region is ground-level ozone pollution. The Clean Air Partners program is designed to reduce ozone, which will improve regional air pollution and our quality of life.

Ozone...The Threat is Real

Regulating Our Ozone: A very brief history

More Ozone Information

Ozone...The Threat is Real
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has established standards for unhealthy airborne pollutants. In the Austin area, the pollutant of primary concern is ground-level ozone. Ozone occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere and protects us from harmful solar radiation, but ground-level ozone is formed when man-made NOx and VOC emissions combine and “cook” in the sun. Ground-level ozone is a serious threat to the health, economy and livability of the Central Texas region. This invisible pollutant hovers at our level, endangering our children, the elderly and anyone who suffers from lung related illnesses. High ozone days (Ozone Action Days) can even affect healthy people who are active outdoors. Furthermore, federal regulations to reduce ozone pollution threaten our economy and would impose mandatory restrictions on the way we do business….actions that have already occurred in current other metropolitan areas around the nation.

Ozone is produced in greater amounts on hot, sunny days when there is little wind. Two major pollutants, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), react with sunlight to create the ozone. Much of these NOx and VOC emissions come from our region’s commuting vehicles, construction equipment, and business practices. Ozone takes time to form, and as the day gets hotter, the levels build. This makes morning rush hour period of high vehicle emissions a large contributing factor to ozone levels for the remainder of the day.

Regulating Our Ozone...A very brief history
The Clean Air Act requires that all metropolitan areas maintain standards (allowable levels) for certain air pollutants, particularly ground-level ozone. The EPA monitors air quality and classifies areas that fail to meet standards as areas in "nonattainment." The nonattainment status requires areas to develop plans for improving air quality with EPA-mandated road funding restrictions, vehicle emissions testing, and limits on new business-related emissions.

Central Texas has recorded recent violations of the EPA 8-hour standard for ground-level ozone. Repeated violations could lead to our region being designated as nonattainment under the Clean Air Act in the near future. However, area officials have developed a regional “Ozone (O3) Flex” Plan and reporting its local voluntary emission reductions to preclude the need for harsher federal restrictions in the future. A key component of voluntary reductions is the efforts of local employers to reduce their on-site and commute-related emissions (i.e. the actions of Clean Air Partners).

The region has gone even further to avoid “nonattainment” status by developing a Clean Air Action Plan (CAAP) as part of the Early Action Compact (EAC), an agreement positively endorsed by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the EPA. The successful implementation of the CAAP within a strict schedule resulted in compliance with EPA’s 8-hour ozone standard for 2007. As long as the milestones in the EAC CAAP are met and reductions are made, the EPA defers a nonattainment designation for the region.

See the Clean Air Solutions website for more O3 Flex Plan / CAAP information and the Capital Area Council of Governments’ AQ Planning web page for detailed documentation of these two plans.

More Ozone Information
For a closer look local air quality issues, see the CLEAN AIR Force's publication, Breathing Easier: A Citizen's Guide to Participation. (updated hyperlink)

The Web has a wealth of information on Air Quality issues. Two good starting points are the EPA's Office of Air Quality (Air Now) and the EPA Transportation and Air Quality Center. (both links have updated hyperlinks)

For local information, see the Resources page.