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Office of Air

The office offers grants in an effort to reduce air pollution; oversees air permitting activities; strives to protect and restore air quality in cooperation with local, regional, state, and federal stakeholders; and tracks progress toward environmental goals, adapting plans as necessary.

Cory Chism, Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

Air Grants

Josalyn McMillon, Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Air Grants Division oversees the implementation and award of grants under the Texas Emissions Reduction Plan (TERP) Program and the Texas Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Program (TxVEMP). The TERP and TxVEMP programs offer financial incentives to individuals, businesses, and governmental entities in Texas, to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from mobile sources and to encourage the use of alternative fuels for transportation in the state.

Air Monitoring

Brandy Brooks, Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Monitoring Division provides the TCEQ with the foundation for making sound, scientifically-based decisions for the protection of public health and the environment by ensuring the collection, analysis, and display of quality environmental data.

Air Quality Monitoring

The division oversees the Texas air quality monitoring program, which samples and analyzes the air in Texas and reports the results to the public and the U.S. EPA. It relies on a network of stationary monitors (that belong to the state, local governments, councils of governments, and private partners), labs that analyze samples, and short-term mobile monitoring of emission sources. The program generates data for:

  • determining the causes, nature, behavior, and trends of air pollution;
  • forecasting possible high concentrations of ozone and particulate matter;
  • determining attainment with EPA air quality standards;
  • informing Air Pollutant Watch List decisions; and
  • evaluating impacts of air quality on human health.

Laboratory Accreditation

The TCEQ’s laboratory-accreditation program is a voluntary program that accredits environmental laboratories providing analytical data directly or indirectly to the agency. Accreditation ensures that environmental labs meet established standards and reduces the risk of poor environmental decisions.

Air Permits

Sam Short, Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Air Permits Division processes air permits and authorizations for facilities that, when operational, would emit contaminants into the atmosphere. The division does this through two major air permitting programs, New Source Review (NSR) Permits and Title V Federal Operating Permits. The division also administers the Air Emissions Banking and Trading Program, a market-based framework to provide flexibility with Federal Clean Air Act compliance and incentivize voluntary air emissions reductions.

New Source Review Permits

Several potential air authorizations fall under the category of NSR Permits:

  • De Minimis
  • Permits by Rule (PBR)
  • Standard Permit (SP)
  • Construction, Modification
  • Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD)
  • Nonattainment

Title V Federal Operating Permits

Two kinds of permits are possible under the category of Title V Federal Operating Permits:

  • Site Operating Permit
  • General Operating Permit

Air Quality

Donna Huff, Deputy Director
Staff: Address/Phone/Fax

The Air Quality Division works to protect and restore air quality through three programs.

Air Emissions Assessment

  • Provides information about the Toxic Release Inventory Program.
  • Maintains the inventory of point source emissions for industrial sources of air contaminants.
  • Develops the emissions inventory for area emissions, such as those from small businesses that are not regulated as point sources.
  • Develops the emissions inventory for mobile sources of air contaminants.
  • Assists companies in interpreting emissions and inspection-fee rules and performs audits to ensure fees have been correctly reported.

Air Modeling and Data Analysis

  • Analyzes data and conducts photochemical modeling in support of pollution control strategies and designs.
  • Manages air quality research.

Air Quality Planning

  • Coordinates the development and implementation of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) — the state’s plan for air quality protection and improvement — which explains how the state will comply with federal air quality standards.
  • Performs research to identify and develop appropriate pollution control measures.
  • Reviews federally funded projects such as airports, roads, and ports to ensure they comply with the SIP. Reviews transportation projects in nonattainment areas to ensure emissions do not exceed budgets in the SIP.
  • Administers the state’s Low-Emission Diesel, Low Reid Vapor Pressure Gasoline, and Gasoline Vapor Recovery programs.
  • Implements programs to reduce pollution related to transportation:
  • Implements the Tax Relief Program for Pollution Control Property, which provides determinations of whether certain pollution control property may be exempted from property taxes.
  • Evaluates appropriate pollution control strategies, develops plans to implement control measures necessary to comply with federal air quality standards, and provides technical guidance to stakeholders affected by these regulations.