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Regional Services

Air Quality Improvement Initiatives

 
Regional air quality planning strategies play an important role in working towards attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone.  CAPCOG's air quality group has been involved with providing technical assistance to area businesses, government entities, and community groups. The technical assistance provided by the air quality group is aimed at compiling and analyzing information that assists in the effort to gain a better understanding of the sources of ozone in Capital Area. Over the years, CAPCOG's air quality group has been able to provide assistance to local air quality planning efforts by operating air monitoring stations, estimating and modeling emissions, and developing regional planning strategies that include emissions reduction measures. The data that results from these air quality assessments is an important asset for the Capital Area and will be vital to analyzing where the region stands with compliance of the 2008 ozone NAAQS.  Great strides have already been made in reducing concentrations of ground-level ozone (click here to view graphs of historic ozone concentrations); but much work remains to be done.

Clean Air Coalition
Early Action Compact
8-Hour O3 Flex Plan
The Big Push
Future Planning Initiatives

 

Regional Air Quality Initiatives

Clean Air Coalition

Government officials and local stakeholders from counties in the Austin-Round Rock (A-RR) MSA participate in several regional air quality initiatives through their involvement with the Clean Air Coalition (CAC). The CAC is a voluntary, unincorporated association which became linked with CAPCOG by resolution in 2002. The CAC consist of elected officials from the A-RR MSA who are representatives of the governmental entities that agreed to participate in the Central Texas 8-hour O3 Flex Agreement (8-O3 Flex).

Early Action Compact

In March 2004, the region adopted an Early Action Compact (EAC) to support maintenance of the 8-hour ozone standard. Emission reduction measures implemented for the EAC include a Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program, Heavy-Duty Vehicle Idling Restrictions, additional state rules, and a comprehensive collection of voluntary locally implemented measures. The region met the EAC objective of compliance with the 8-hour standard by December 31, 2007.

Additional information can be found on EAC Plans and EAC SIPs on the Texas Comission on Environmental Quality's webpage.

8-Hour O3 Flex

The 8-Hour O3 Flex is the latest in a series of regional initiatives and builds on the region's previous plans: the 1-hour O3 Flex Plan and the Early Action Compact. The 8-Hour O3 Flex Plan is a voluntary agreement between local governments within the MSA, the TCEQ, and EPA that allows local governments to implement measures to reduce ozone emissions in order to maintain compliance with the 1997 ozone NAAQS. The emissions reductions measures in the 8-Hour O3 Flex include, but are not limited to:

Voluntary initiatives, such as those outlined in the 8-Hour O3 Flex, have allowed the region to address ozone problems proactively rather than wait to address them through the prescribed federal nonattainment process. These initiatives have been instrumental in keeping the region in compliance with the 1997 ozone NAAQS.

The Big Push

Capital Region's plan to lower ground-level ozone for attainment of new federal standard in 2009

Following successful completion of the region's last air quality improvement plan, the Early Action Compact, the Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area's (MSA) regulatory air quality monitor showed that ground-level ozone levels had diminished enough for the area to be classified by EPA as in attainment of the 1997 ozone standard (84 parts per billion [ppb]). The EPA then strengthened the standard (75 ppb) in 2008 such that the area is again facing a nonattainment classification. The EPA will make their final decision by March of 2010 on which areas are included in a nonattainment designation, which is expected to be based on the 2007 - 2009 monitoring data.

In response to this challenge, CAPCOG and other regional air quality partners put together a plan, known as the "Big Push," to maximize reductions of ozone-forming emissions this ozone season (April 1 - October 31, 2009). If the Big Push proves to be successful, ozone levels could be lowered enough that the three-year average will show attainment. Besides insuring healthier air for citizens to breathe, an attainment classification will mean fewer restrictions on business development, as well as, lessening possible delays in planning regionally significant transportation projects.

Reducing regional ozone-forming emissions will take the combined effort of local governments, businesses, educational and other nonprofit organizations, groups, and individuals. To find out more about becoming an ozone action hero and what can be done on an individual basis, visit www.ozoneheroes.com.

Future Planning Initiatives

As we look towards demonstrating compliance with the new federal ozone standard, access to air quality data will continue to be an important asset for the Capital Area. The ability to compile and analyze air quality data has been an effective tool in implementing air quality planning initiatives, and will continue to be utilized by stakeholders, elected officials, and air quality groups in determining compliance with the new ozone NAAQS.

 

 

 

 

 

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