Air Quality Meeting Today in Longview

LONGVIEW — An East Texas meeting on air quality standards is set for today. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is hosting a series of meetings around the state to inform the public about, and receive comment on, potential nonattainment boundaries and designations for new ozone standards. These standards were proposed by the EPA in January 2010 and are expected to be finalized in August. Longview’s Maude Cobb Activity Center will host a meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Earlier this year, the EPA announced potential new ozone standards—a primary standard in the range of between 0.060 and 0.070 parts per million and a cumulative secondary standard of 7 – 15 ppm-hours. The EPA has published a compressed schedule for the new standards, with the ozone standards to be announced on August 31 of this year. The state must submit recommendations for which counties should be designated nonattainment for ozone standards by January 2011. Due to the EPA’s shortened schedule, the TCEQ is holding these meetings prior to the standard being finalized to provide available information and receive comment.

The EPA designates areas as either in attainment or nonattainment with respect to National Ambient Air Quality Standards for ozone. A nonattainment designation may require measures be taken to bring an area into compliance. Officials say the meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to learn about the process the state will follow as it develops its recommendation. The state must submit a recommendation to the EPA no later than January 7, 2011 according to the federal Clean Air Act. You can go to http://www.tceq.state.tx.us to learn more about TCEQ and its work.