Your San Antonio Chamber of Commerce testified this week before the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in support of the proposed allocation of $73.5 million to Bexar County to address the recent non-attainment designation issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this past July.
The TCEQ held a hearing in San Antonio to help decide how to spend $209 million allotted to the Texas from the settlement of Volkswagen's emissions scandal. Under the TCEQ's draft mitigation plan, 81 percent of the Volkswagen settlement money will go toward adopting alternative fuel vehicles and clean air projects in five priority areas — San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, El Paso and Beaumont-Port Arthur. Fifteen percent of Texas' settlement money would go toward electric vehicle charging stations across the state, while the remaining 4 percent would be retained by the TCEQ for administrative purposes and staff time.
In July, the EPA designated Bexar County as a “nonattainment” area under the new national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) passed in 2015. This was an especially devastating blow to a low-income community like San Antonio, where the designation is expected to result in an economic loss of $3.2 billion according to a study conducted by the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) in 2017.
What made the designation feel particularly unjust was that San Antonio has a better track record than any other major metropolitan area of voluntarily complying with new air quality standards. Twice before Bexar County has been in danger of running afoul of the NAAQS when such standards were first lowered to 80 ppb and then 75 ppb. Each time, Bexar County brought ozone levels into compliance, despite the fact as well that only 20 percent of ozone emissions in Bexar County are from local sources. In fact, Bexar County has reduced ozone levels over the last twenty years from 93 ppb in 2003 to 73 ppb in 2016.
The silver lining, however, is that Bexar County – because of its track record and because of the marginal nature of its nonattainment – has a real chance of getting out of nonattainment by 2021. The proposed allocation of $73.5 million to Bexar County to reduce the nitrogen oxides in the environment might just be the measure that tips the scales.
A $73.5 million dollar measure that averts $3.2 - $27.5 billion in economic losses to one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the state ought to be a financial and political no-brainer. We believe investing Volkswagen funding in Bexar County would yield a higher return than anywhere else in the state.
Bexar County has a unique track record of working as a community to improve its air quality. Volkswagen monies would complement a range of other efforts that the community has undertaken to voluntarily reduce emissions.
San Antonio is one of six cities to host public meetings. Your Chamber will be in Austin September 26 to testify once again in support of Volkswagen funding being allocated to the Alamo City.
