Air Quality Status Overview Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Region - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Andrew DeCandis February 13, 2019

Air Quality Status Overview

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria Region

National Ambient Air Quality Standards

• Clean Air Act is the basis of all federal air quality rules
• Defined the National Ambient Air Quality Standards

(NAAQS) for six criteria air pollutants, including ozone

• Defined process for nonattaining regions to meet the

standard – the State Implementation Plan (SIP) process

• Classifies regions based on severity of nonattainment
• Sets deadline to meet standards based on severity
• Lays out process by which regions identify and take actions
• Requires that after attainment, regions must comply with

rules for an additional 10-year maintenance period.

Ozone Air Quality Standards

• 1979 1-Hour Standard – 120 parts per billion
• 1997 8-Hour Standard – 80 parts per billion
• 2008 8-Hour Standard – 75 parts per billion
• 2015 8-Hour Standard – 70 parts per billion

Air Quality Standards

• Standards are reassessed by the EPA every five years.
• Designations are then reassessed per new standards.
• Historically, regions transitioned to new standards via

the redesignation substitute process.

• No longer possible due to the South Coast II federal

circuit court decision

• For now, all nonattainment regions must attain for

each standard.

The SIP Process for Ozone

Regional NAAQS Compliance

1979 – 2008 8-County Ozone Region

Regional Air Quality

65 75 85 95 105 115 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

8-Hour Ozone Design Values for Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) 8-County Nonattainment Area* Design Value (ppb)

2015 NAAQS: 70 ppb

2008 Moderate Attainment Date

2008 NAAQS: 75 ppb 1997 NAAQS: 80 ppb

8-Hour Ozone Design Value 2016 - 2018: 78 ppb * The eight counites include Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris Liberty, Montgomery, and Waller.

Regional NAAQS Compliance

• 1979 1-Hour Standard
• Severe Nonattainment; 2007 Attainment Deadline Date
• Attained 2011 through 2013
• 1997 8-Hour Standard
• Severe Nonattainment; 2019 Attainment Deadline Date
• Attained 2012 through 2014
• 2008 8-Hour Standard
• Marginal Nonattainment; 2014 Attainment Deadline Date
• Later reclassified to Moderate, then Severe
• 2015 8-Hour Standard (for 6 HGB Counties -- not Waller or Liberty)
• Marginal Nonattainment; 2021 Attainment Deadline Date

Regional NAAQS Compliance

1979 – 2008 8-County Ozone Region 2015 6-County Ozone Region

Questions?