The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will host a meeting via videoconference on June 8 to inform the public about, and receive comment on, potential nonattainment boundaries and designations for a new ozone standard proposed by the EPA in January 2010.
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.
Beaumont-Port Arthur, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Houston-Galveston Brazoria areas—
1 p.m., Tuesday, June 8 via videoconference– TCEQ Headquarters 12100 Park 35 Circle, Building F, Room 2210. Video conferencing will be available to the public at the TCEQ regional offices in Beaumont; 3870 Eastex Freeway, Fort Worth; 2309 Gravel Drive, and the TxDOT Houston District Office, 7600 Washington Avenue.
San Antonio area—1 p.m., June 9, TCEQ Region 13 office, 14250 Judson Road, San Antonio
These are a series of meetings held around the state in June and July. Each 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.