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Posts Tagged ‘ozone pollution’

Help Stop Ozone Pollution, Show Support for Proposed EPA Rule

Posted in Toxics, tagged , , , , , , on January 28, 2010 |

Right now the EPA is accepting public comments on proposed new ozone standards that will make the air we breathe cleaner and our communities healthier, but they are facing fierce opposition from the coal industry and its allies. The Houston EPA hearing on new ozone standards is one of only three across the country (the other two are in Virginia and California), so this is a big deal!

Can you join us for an important EPA public hearing on hazardous ozone standards in Houston on February 2nd?

The final decision by the EPA will have an impact on our air quality for decades, but they need to hear from you.

Who: The EPA and you, your friends, family and neighbors.  There will be carpools from around the state.

What: EPA public hearing on proposed revision of the ozone standard which would improve the air quality in Texas

Where: Hilton Houston Hobby Airport, Moody Ballroom, 8181 Airport Boulevard, Houston, TX 77061 (map)

When: Tuesday, February 2, from 9:30am – 7:30pm (or later if there are still people waiting to testify!)
– 10:45am: Morning press conference/rally
– 6:30pm: Evening rally with speakers

RSVP!

Texans deserve standards that follow the law and abide by the Clean Air Act.  There are twelve new coal plants proposed in Texas, and we already have 17 coal plants up and running (some of the dirtiest in the country).  We deserve better.

Thanks for all that you do!

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

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EPA to Announce New Air Quality Standard Limiting Ozone Pollution

Posted in Coal, Energy, Toxics, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on January 6, 2010 |

Today Texas environmentalists, legislators, and medical practitioners wait with bated breath for an announcement from the EPA about a new air quality standard for ozone pollution.  The proposed rule would strengthen the Bush administration’s ozone standard, which did not meet scientific scrutiny or standards to protect public health. Now that scientists have demonstrated that ozone is harmful at lower quantities than previously thought, the EPA will announce a revision to their ozone rule so that the threshold of ozone concentration where cities enter “non-attainment,” or violating the rule, is lower.

Three major metropolitan areas in Texas are already in non-attainment of the less-protective standard: Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston/Galveston, and Beaumont/Port Arthur.  As a result of the new rule and lower threshold, several other areas could now be in risk of non-attainment: Austin, Tyler/Longview, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, and Waco.  Reaching non-attainment status has some serious consequences for cities, such as losing federal highway funds.

In August of this year the new rule will go into effect, after which time the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will submit a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to the EPA.  The SIP plan will more or less be a road-map to stay within the new standards and drastically reduce ozone pollution.  The SIP is really where the good news comes into play, because to stay in line with higher standards Texas will need new pollution controls, clean energy alternatives and transportation choices.

Oh, Santa, you shouldn’t have!  This is a much better gift than the coal we got in our stocking in the form of the Oak Grove Coal plant going on-line just days before the new year!

But there’s also a chance that this new ozone standard could ALSO give us a new opportunity to stop the coal rush.  Pollution from coal plants is one of the largest single sources of ozone, so a really awesome super-smart SIP plan could potentially give us the chance to review existing clunkers and gum up the works for new plants. Oh I hope I hope I hope!

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By promoting cleaner energy, cleaner government, cleaner cars, and cleaner air for all Texans, we hope to provide for a healthy place to live and prosper. We are Public Citizen Texas.

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