Dallas and Tarrant counties could be in violation of new federal air quality standards, according to a memo sent to state environmental regulators. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is scheduled to decide whether to give the area a “nonattainment” designation in mid-December.
Harris and Bowie counties also may be in violation.
The possible move from the state’s environmental regulators could mean stricter permitting for potential polluters, fines if the quality doesn’t get better — and possible disruptions to state transportation projects.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised its air quality standards specifically for particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5). The particles are much smaller than a grain of sand or a strand of human hair.
Municipalities are in violation of the EPA’s new standards if its annual PM2.5 levels rise above 9 micrograms per cubic meter. Based on data from 2024, Dallas County is could be in violation — along with Tarrant, Harris and Bowie counties, according to a TCEQ memo.
When inhaled, PM2.5 can affect every organ in the body, according to medical researchers. The pollution has negative consequences on reproduction and may lead to cognitive diseases.
“Fine particulate matter infects the air we breathe and threatens our health,” Ian Seamans, the Dallas City Hall advocate for Environment Texas, said in a Tuesday press release.
“This proposed designation could force reductions in pollution from construction sites, power plants, cars and trucks, gas-powered lawn equipment, and other sources of deadly particulate matter,” Seamans’ statement continued.
But not everyone is in agreement.
The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) told state regulators that “nonattainment designations will impact transportation projects for decades and requested meticulous scrutiny during the evaluation process,” according to the agency memo.
“TxDOT commented that TCEQ should not consider data from near-road monitors and that exceptional events demonstrations should be considered in the recommendation to the commission,” the memo said.
Dallas’ air quality has been a source of tension between elected officials and community members for years.
Residents living in Joppa, the historic Freedman’s Town in southern Dallas, fought for years to see an asphalt plant near their homes closed. They said the plant’s emissions were leading to serious health problems.
That facility closed, but a health study released last year found the community was exposed to significantly more toxic air pollution than the rest of Dallas County.
In West Dallas, residents have been fighting to see a decades-old shingle factory near their homes shut down. Like Joppa residents, community members have said the facility along Singleton Boulevard is harming their health.
Yet another recent report found that residents living near the plant are also at a significantly higher risk of exposure to harmful air pollutants than those living in other parts of Dallas.
Caleb Roberts is the executive director of Downwinders at Risk, a nearly 30-year-old environmental advocacy group focusing on clean air in the Dallas Fort-Worth region. He says the possible designation is necessary to remedy sources of pollution — and that the county and city need a plan on how to get there.
“We know in the City of Dallas this begins with addressing major polluters like GAF and TAMKO, which have significant impacts on the counties nonattainment status,” Roberts said in a statement to KERA.
Robert added that Dallas County "needs to address its reliance on highway construction, that will only continue to fortify Dallas's nonattainment status, with highways producing the highest amount of regional PM pollution.”
State regulators are slated to decide whether to place Dallas County in violation of air quality standards during their Dec. 18 meeting.
Got a tip? Email Nathan Collins at ncollins@kera.org. You can follow Nathan on Twitter @nathannotforyou.
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