Environmental Resources

Air Quality Monitoring

The Air Quality Program works to keep southeast Texas elected officials and citizens informed of the importance of clean air through the use of air quality data and educational programs. In the past, the three-county region of Hardin, Jefferson and Orange has been designated as an Ozone Nonattainment Area because it did not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Currently, however, the Beaumont-Port Arthur region is designated as Attainment-Maintenance for the 1997 Ozone Standard and Attainment/Unclassifiable for the 2008 Ozone Standard.

In the early 1980s, SETRPC formed an Air Quality Advisory Committee (AQAC) develop an integrated approach to managing the region’s air quality. The AQAC is a diverse, broad-based group composed of local elected officials, private industry, government, chambers of commerce, unions, concerned citizens, and environmental groups. In 1989, the AQAC successfully obtained voluntary funding from area industries and established an on-going Regional Meteorological and Air Quality Monitoring Network. The network is made up of numerous air monitoring stations throughout the area. With real-time data from these sites, SETRPC maintains a comprehensive database that enables the AQAC to accurately evaluate control strategies for meeting the federal clean air standards for ozone.

 

To help meet some of the air quality challenges facing the region, the AQAC is continuing in its effort to:

  • inform citizens about the immediate and long-range air quality concerns that face Southeast Texas

  • advise elected public officials and citizens about the impact of federal clean air legislation
  • help identify air quality problems that affect economic growth and develop solutions
  • recommend public programs regarding existing and proposed federal clean air legislation
  • work with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to develop air quality plans for southeast Texas

View Air Quality Advisory Committee Meeting Materials on the Committees and Boards page

The AQAC welcomes input and comments regarding current air quality issues facing the Southeast Texas region. General comments can be made to Bob Dickinson at bdickinson@setrpc.org or 409-899-8444 x6600.


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