Region 6

Air

---

Officials from the EPA and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality joined representatives from the Beaumont-Port Arthur area recently to celebrate the region reaching the national eight-hour standard for ozone.

“This is an important clean air milestone for everyone in the Beaumont-Port Arthur area,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard E. Greene.  “EPA is pleased to recognize the committed efforts of the many residents and industry leaders who have worked side-by-side with air quality staff at the local, state and federal levels to reduce ozone in the region.”

The Beaumont-Port Arthur area includes Hardin, Jefferson, and Orange counties.  Ozone monitoring data from 2005 to 2007 shows that the area meets both the eight-hour ozone standard and the former one-hour standard.  EPA revoked the one-hour standard of 0.12 parts per million (ppm) in 2005 with regulations to implement the more protective eight-hour standard of 0.08 ppm.

Ozone is a gas that occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere to protect the Earth from the sun's harmful ultraviolet rays.  At ground level, pollutants released from vehicles, factories and other sources combine to form the ozone mixture commonly known as smog.  Smog can cause respiratory problems including coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest pain.  The risk is greatest for people with asthma, children and the elderly.

Eight-hour ozone standard

---

Dallas, Houston make EPA list of top green power purchasers

Wind power has propelled the cities of Dallas and Houston onto EPA’s national list of top green power purchasers.  

"Texas leads the nation in wind power production, and Dallas and Houston are leading the way in showing other cities how green power can help protect the environment,” said EPA Regional Administrator Richard Greene.  More

---

Truckers driving toward environmental excellence

At a ceremony in Grapevine, Texas, EPA presented SmartWay Excellence Awards to trucking companies that exemplify superior environmental performance in their fleet operations.

“The freight industry drives America's economy, and EPA's SmartWay partners are keeping more money in their pockets while helping us all breathe easier,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson.  More

SmartWay Transport Partnership

---

North Central Texas Council of Governments Receives Grant to Help Truckers Save Fuel, Reduce Emissions

North Texas will benefit from a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership program awarded a $300,000 grant to test new pollution reduction technology on local long-haul delivery routes to reduce truck emissions and save on fuel. More

---

Blue Skyways Partners to Bring Cleaner Air

The Blue Skyways Collaborative is a group of businesses, communities, and government agencies voluntarily working together to significantly reduce air pollution emissions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as well as other major urban areas in the central part of the United States. The collaborative is implementing projects that use innovations in diesel engines, alternative fuels and renewable energy technologies to reduce air emissions along major transportation corridors in various sectors, including air, water and rail transportation.

Learn more about Blue Skyways | Read what people are saying about Blue Skyways |

---

Ozone (O3) Flex Program

The Air Quality Ozone Flex Program is a voluntary approach to maintain attainment of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level Ozone. It requires that a candidate city, county, or area develop a formal agreement to conduct emissions inventories, perform air quality modeling, and implement voluntary control measures to effect air quality improvements. It is designed for areas close to violating the 1-hour ozone air quality standard. Implementation of voluntary control measures in the Ozone Flex plans will help areas to avoid violating the 1-hour ozone air quality standard, while providing benefits toward reducing exceedances of the 8-hour ozone air quality standard. Early actions now will improve air quality and provide public health benefits. More