Texas Air Emissions Best Ever says State Agency Monitoring

Dallas-Fort Worth area improves 21 over past 15 years By Alex Mills AUSTIN Texas (Texas Insider Report)  Great news from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in that Texas air quality continues to improve. As a matter of fact TCEQs web page proclaims that 2014 ozone levels were the best ever in much of the state." The Houston-area improved 29 between 2000 and 2014 during 8-hour ozone monitoring while the population increased more than 34. 

• In the Dallas-Fort Worth area eight-hour ozone levels have likewise improved 21 during the last 15 years while the population grew more than 29.
• The Corpus Christi and Tyler-Longview-Marshall areas have seen 20 and 30 reductions in ozone over the last 15 years.
• The Austin-Round Rock and Beaumont-Port Arthur areas have seen ozone improvements of 22 and 20 percent during this same period respectively.

Texas air quality has made huge strides in the past few decades" TCEQ stated.

Not that long ago Houston and Los Angeles dueled for the dubious honor of having the worst ozone in the country. Now using EPAs latest figures ozone levels in DFW and Houston are comfortably better than those of Los Angeles."

TCEQ stated that nine of the states 13 areas that have had at least 15 years of regulatory ozone monitoring recorded the lowest or tied the lowest ozone values in 2014. Better air quality has been achieved through targeted emission-reduction strategies" TCEQ stated. Key improvements have come from electric generating plants and oil and gas compressors. The report noted the oil and gas production has expanded rapidly near the San Antonio and DFW areas but the TCEQs scientific studies have not to date seen significant contributions of oil and gas activities to ozone levels in those metropolitan areas." TCEQs report stated that there have been several changes enacted during the last decade to address the states growing economy and population and their potential impact on air emissions. TCEQ implemented a new permit by rule and standard permit systems in the Barnett Shale. Also another new rule involves a permit by rule for new maintenance startup and shutdown of equipment in the oil and gas sector. EPA enacted new standards called Subpart OOOO and TCEQ has the delegated authority. Even though Texas has achieved outstanding results the EPA has lowered ozone standards to 75 parts per billion (ppb). The previous standard was 84 ppb and the DFW (81 ppb) and Houston (80 ppb) areas both reached attainment. However the new 75 ppb standard makes both areas and San Antonio non-attainment areas.

Recently the EPA has proposed even lower ozone standards in the 65-70 ppb range and has requested comments on retaining the current standard or lower the standard to 60 ppb. Studies say that to reach 60 ppb sources in these Texas areas would have to reduce NOx emissions by as much as 75 from the levels of 2008-2010 depending on the final standard" the TCEQ said.

Its difficult to see how that will be achieved since NOx emissions have already been drastically reduced and background levels of ozone entering an area sometimes approach or exceed 60 ppb" according to TCEQ. Alex Mills is President of the Texas Alliance of Energy Producers. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.