Last week, we learned that the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) approved proposal of the Bexar County 2015 Eight-Hour Ozone Nonattainment Area FCAA, §179B Demonstration SIP Revision (Non-Rule Project No. 2019-106-SIP-NR). That plan included the 179B Demonstration SIP Revision that your Chamber advocated for when testifying before the TCEQ on February 8.
When a community receives a non-attainment designation, the TCEQ is tasked with developing a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to get back into attainment. Your Chamber submitted comments and was the only chamber to testify before the TCEQ to argue that San Antonio’s nonattainment designation was unjust considering only 20% of the ozone emissions in Bexar County are from local-sources – fully 38%, in fact, are from foreign sources.
Bexar County has a proven history as a community of lowering emissions into compliance through voluntary and local measures. Twice before, Bexar County has been in danger of running afoul of National Ambient Air Quality Standards (“NAAQS”) for ozone when such standards were set at 80 and 75 ppb respectively. Each time, Bexar County has brought ozone levels into compliance in a timely fashion. Despite the region’s population increasing by 1 million, San Antonio’s ozone levels have gone down from 93 ppb in 2003, to 73 ppb in 2016.
Inclusion of the 179B Demonstration SIP Revision is a great step forward for Bexar County. The TCEQ has submitted the SIP to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for approval. EPA approval or denial of the 179B Demonstration has been known to take several years in other cases. Count on your Chamber to keep you updated on the status.
For more information regarding the 179B Demonstration SIP Revision, please contact Stephanie Reyes, VP of Public Policy at sreyes@sachamber.org or by phone at 210-229-2162.
