Clean Air Working Group

Pollution doesn’t know geographic boundaries, said
Gregg Cooke, former regional administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency
Region 6, which includes Texas.
“Cities alone can’t solve the problem,” he said. “It must be
done statewide.”
A coalition of federal, state, and local government
officials, business leaders, and public interest groups – the Texas Clean Air
Working Group (TCAWG) – is working to see that Texas complies with the Clean Air Act. These
stakeholders from the state’s nonattainment and near nonattainment areas work
to develop attainment strategies, or State Implementation Plans (SIPs), for
their regions.
Texas has four areas of nonattainment: El Paso, Houston/Galveston, Dallas/Fort Worth
and Beaumont/Port Arthur. In addition, five areas have been listed as near nonattainment:
Corpus Christi, Victoria, Austin, San Antonio and Northeast Texas.
According to the federal Clean Air Act, a nonattainment area
is one “that does not meet (or that contributes to ambient air quality in a
nearby area that does not meet) the national primary or secondary ambient air
quality standard for the pollutant.” In this case, ambient refers to surrounding
or encircling air.
Texas Clean Air Working Group
Thirty-seven counties, representing 71 percent of the state’s
population, are active in the Texas Clean Air Working Group (TCAWG), which meets
monthly to share ideas and create strategies to help clean up the air.
Stakeholders in the TCAWG say the information exchange
aspect of the group is one of its strengths.
Margaret Keliher, Dallas County judge, said not all pollution problems
around the state are the same, but ideas can be shared. For instance, in the
Dallas area, much pollution is vehicular in nature, while some areas
are dealing with industry-related pollution.
The overriding interest is to clean up the air, she
said, and TCAWG is a place “where we can all come together to do that.”
Renee Green, director of environmental services for
Bexar County, agreed.
“We all put our cards on the table,” Green said.
She also said the first-hand information shared by the Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) is good to take back home.
Collin County Judge Ron Harris, chair of TCAWG, said
the goal of this information exchange among the various parties is to “work
and speak as one.”
When these groups, which include the EPA and the TCEQ,
become partners, confidence is built, Harris said. By sharing resources about
new technologies and other methodologies, the group can strike a middle ground
to find solutions.
The group also takes into account the cost of clean
air when looking at solutions. While health is the first concern, Harris said,
the economics also must be considered.
Donald Lee, executive director of the Texas Conference
of Urban Counties, said “The Texas Clean Air Working Group has been instrumental
in bringing together the various concerned entities (state officials, business
leaders, local government officials, environmental groups, scientists and others)
and merging their diverse opinions into a unified voice on the importance of
taking timely steps to improve air quality for the people of Texas.”
This consensus building also gives the working group
clout. The group has had great success in affecting statewide legislation and
in working with enforcement agencies.
“Whenever have you seen Houston and North Texas united on a problem?” Harris quipped.
The working group’s research committee is charged
with analyzing select air quality issues and recommending positions for legislative
and regulatory proposals, which may become official positions for TCAWG.
Lee said TCAWG worked closely with the Legislature
in 2001 to establish the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) and again in
2003 to ensure full funding for TERP after some original funding was struck
down by the courts. TERP provides incentive programs to promote the purchase
and use of cleaner-burning vehicles and engines. It also promotes energy efficiency
as a means to improve air quality.
Many areas in Texas already have begun to receive TERP
grants for local pollution reduction measures. While counties are eligible for
funding, few received monies this round, said Cooke. More are expected to receive
grants in the next funding cycle.
TERP is expected to again be among the priorities
of the group for the 79th Texas Legislature.
“Continuing to support and improve the TERP programs
is of vital importance to the physical and economic health of the large population
centers of the state and the surrounding areas,” Lee said. “It is essential
that we continue working together to improve our air quality over the next few
years if we are to avoid more stringent emissions reduction measures in the
future.”
Anne Culver, co-chair of the TCAWG Research Committee,
said the group is devising its agenda for the 2005 session of the Texas Legislature.
Issues being considered, in addition to TERP, are potential energy efficiency
measures and adjustments to the AirCheck Texas Repair and Replacement Assistance
Program, which provides financial assistance to qualified owners of vehicles
that fail the new emissions test.
Another strength of TCAWG is its ability to find positive
ways to address problems, rather than regulatory.
The group’s Clean Contractor Committee helped develop
recommendations for political subdivisions to implement provisions of legislation
related to emission reductions by contractors and vendors.
Strategies Underway
As the EPA implements a switch from a one-hour ozone standard
to an eight-hour standard, attainment areas are being forced to consider new
ways of dealing with pollution. Some of the strategies being undertaken in attainment
and nonattainment areas can be used in other areas of the state.
Cooke, who works with counties in the Dallas area on clean air issues, said they
are looking at two areas in particular to reduce pollution: energy efficiency
and cleanliness of vehicles.
“Not all vehicles are created equal,” Cooke said. Counties
are developing “green vehicle” procurement guidelines and increasing their knowledge
of cleaner-running vehicles.
Counties also are performing audits of county-owned buildings
to help them become the most energy efficient. In addition, counties are examining
their fleets and contractors used for construction to make sure they operate
efficiently.
Cooke said these moves are good for the environment
and for taxpayers. In general, purchasing decisions based on energy efficiency
typically cost less.
He said leadership on these issues by county judges
locally and by groups such as TCAWG is important. This local involvement makes
a better process, Cooke said, and results in measures led by those closest to
the people.
This local involvement was a key in the four-county
San Antonio area being able to enter into an Early
Action Compact (EAC) to clean up its air, the first agreement of its kind in
the nation. That protocol now is used nationwide for other areas that are developing
EACs.
San Antonio currently is designated as a “nonattainment
deferred” area. If the county can effectively clean up its air by 2007, it will
be able to avoid a nonattainment designation, Green said.
San Antonio and the nonattainment areas of Austin-San
Marcos and Northeast Texas have entered into EAC agreements with the TCEQ and
the EPA. In essence, these plans revolve around voluntary action for areas that
are in attainment of the one-hour standard but are approaching or exceeding
the eight-hour standard.
The EAC relieves an area of some of the more stringent
requirements of a SIP and ideally will mean these areas achieve their goals
for emissions reduction prior to implementation of the eight-hour standard.
Green said three control strategies are being put
into effect in the San Antonio area: state and federal regulations
for emissions reductions that come into play in the next couple of years, Stage
1 vapor recovery, and degreasing controls on equipment.
The vapor recovery system requires tankers that deliver
fuel to underground storage tanks at gas stations to vent the vapor back into
the tanker. This applies to gas stations that sell more than 25,000 gallons
of fuel monthly.
Degreasing controls require a hood when washing equipment
so the pollutants remain in a closed area, rather than traveling out into the
air.
Big incentives are pushing groups to reduce their
pollution. In the end, regions could have their federal highway dollars cut
if they don’t meet the requirements. By Tammy WishardTammy Wishard