Air Pollution from Ozone
- What is ozone?
- Latest air quality planning that addresses the ozone NAAQS
- Related Web pages and publications
- Get more information on the Texas SIP and contact the TCEQ
What is ozone?
What is ozone? How is it formed? Why should we be concerned about this air pollutant?
Latest air quality planning that addresses the ozone NAAQS
Last updated: 12/5/2012
Infrastructure and Transport SIP Revision for the 2008 Ozone Standard
On December 5, 2012, the commission adopted the Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA), §110(a)(1) and (2) Infrastructure and Transport State Implementation Plan (SIP) Revision for the 2008 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) (Non-Rule Project No. 2012-004-SIP-NR). This SIP revision outlines the requirements of FCAA, §110(a)(2)(A) through (M) and the Texas provisions supporting the requirements. These requirements include basic program elements such as enforceable emission limitations and control measures, air quality monitoring and modeling, a permitting program, adequate funding and personnel, authority under state law to carry out the plan, emissions reporting, emergency powers, public participation, and fee collection. This SIP revision also includes a technical demonstration to support that Texas meets the interstate transport requirements of FCAA, §110(a)(2)(D)(i)(I).
A public hearing was held on September 25, 2012 at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality headquarters in Austin. The public comment period was from August 24 through September 28, 2012. Comments were submitted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Alamo Area Council of Governments, Public Citizen, and four individuals.
The 2008 Ozone Standard
On March 27, 2008, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) lowered the primary and secondary eight-hour ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) to 0.075 parts per million (73 FR 16436) 
. On May 21, 2012, the EPA published in the Federal Register final designations for the 2008 eight-hour ozone standard (77 FR 30088) . The Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) area was designated moderate nonattainment and the Houston-Galveston-Brazoria (HGB) area was designated marginal nonattainment. The effective date of the final rule is July 20, 2012.
On May 21, 2012, the EPA also published in the Federal Register a final rule to establish classification thresholds, establish December 31 of each relevant calendar year as the attainment date for each classification, and revoke the 1997 eight-hour ozone NAAQS for purposes of transportation conformity (77 FR 30160) .
For more information on the ozone standard, see:
For more information on the TCEQ's designation recommendation process, see:
