Office of Air

This office oversees all of our air permitting activities. The office also implements plans to protect and restore air quality in cooperation with local, regional, state, and federal stakeholders, and tracks progress toward environmental goals, adapting plans as necessary.

Steve Hagle, P.E., Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

Air Permits
Air Quality

Air Permits

Mike Wilson, P.E., Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Air Permits Division processes air permits and authorizations for facilities that, when operational, would emit contaminants into the atmosphere. The division does this through two major air permitting programs, New Source Review (NSR) Permits and Title V Federal Operating Permits.

New Source Review Permits

Several potential air authorizations fall under the category of NSR Permits:

De Minimis
Permits by Rule (PBR)
Standard Permit (SP)
Construction, Modification
Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)
Nonattainment

Title V Federal Operating Permits

Two kinds of permits are possible under the category of Title V Federal Operating Permits:

Site Operating Permit
General Operating Permit

Air Quality

David Brymer, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Air Quality Division works to protect and restore air quality through four programs.

Air Implementation Grants

Under the Texas Emission Reduction Plan (TERP), Air Implementation Grants provide funding and financial incentives to offset the costs of eligible projects that reduce emissions of NO_x from high-emitting diesel sources.

Air Industrial Emissions Assessment

Provides information about the Toxic Release Inventory Program.
Maintains the inventory of point source emissions for industrial sources of air contaminants.
Develops the emissions inventory for area emissions, such as those from small businesses that are not regulated as point sources.
Develops the emissions inventory for mobile sources of air contaminants.
Assists companies in interpreting emissions and inspection-fee rules and performs audits to ensure fees have been correctly reported.

Air Modeling and Data Analysis

Analyzes data and conducts photochemical modeling in support of pollution control strategies and designs.
Manages air quality research for the agency.
Coordinates the Rider 8 program, an initiative that supports air quality planning activities to reduce ozone in specified areas of the state. The areas include: Waco, El Paso, Beaumont, Austin, Corpus Christi, Granbury, Longview-Tyler-Marshall, San Antonio, and Victoria.

Air Quality Planning

Coordinates the development and implementation of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) — the state’s plan for air quality protection and improvement — which explains how the state will comply with federal air quality standards.
Performs research to identify and develop appropriate pollution control measures.
Reviews federally funded projects such as airports, roads, and ports to ensure they comply with the SIP. Also reviews transportation projects in nonattainment areas to ensure emissions do not exceed budgets in the SIP.
Administers the state’s Low-Emission Diesel, Low Reid Vapor Pressure Gasoline, and Gasoline Vapor Recovery programs.
Implements a number of other programs to reduce pollution related to transportation:

AirCheckTexas Motor Vehicle Emissions Testing
AirCheckTexas Drive a Clean Machine Program, which provides financial assistance for replacing or repairing qualifying vehicles in certain counties
Vehicle Emissions Enforcement and Smoking Vehicle programs

Administers the Air Emissions Banking and Trading Program, which:

provides flexibility for compliance with the federal Clean Air Act through a market-based framework for emissions banking and trading while achieving net reductions in air emissions, and
offers incentives for voluntary air emissions reductions.

Implements the Tax Relief Program for Pollution Control Property, which provides determinations of whether certain pollution control property may be exempted from property taxes.
Evaluates appropriate pollution control strategies, develops plans to implement the stationary source control measures necessary to comply with federal air quality standards, and provides technical guidance to stakeholders affected by these regulations.