Once a region is determined to be in violation of air quantity standards, the federal government can withhold funding for transportation and other projects or refuse to issue permits for initiatives that would exacerbate the pollution.
The Austin area is no longer meeting acceptable levels of air quality standards for fine particulate matter, also known as “soot,” pollution.
The EPA says fine particulate matter is “associated with increased infant mortality, hospital admissions for heart and lung diseases, cancer, and increased asthma severity.” In recent years, Travis County air monitors have recorded an average of 9.3 micrograms per cubic meter, half a microgram over the new standard. Those levels have stayed near constant in the area for at least the last 14 years, according to Cox.
Some local sources of fine particulate matter pollution include: vehicle tail pipes, factories, oil wells, construction sites, quarries or even Cox said the area has a year before the EPA issues its formal nonattainment designation. After that, he said, local officials should have about a year and a half to develop a plan with state regulators at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to tackle the problem “before there are greater consequences.”At a meeting this month of the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, or CAMPO, CEO Ashby Johnson said talks with state regulators were just starting.
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