• Tara Bozick •
• Originally published January 9, 2009 at 12:03 a.m., updated January 9, 2009 at 12:03 a.m.

No one wants to live in smog. Air quality and pollution affects the health of Texas residents.

State legislators may hammer out ways to keep the air clean for future generations this coming 81st Legislature. One legislator even wants Texas to lead the way in curbing carbon emissions to fight global warming.

State Sen. Glenn Hegar, whose District 18 includes the Crossroads, realizes sufficient air quality standards are not only necessary for residents' health, but for enjoying the scenic vistas and unique ecosystems in our area. Hegar already sees Houston rivaling Los Angeles as the city with the highest ozone levels in the country.

"This is not a contest we want to win and we must work to ensure that rural areas of the state continue to enjoy the excellent air quality that we have come to expect," Hegar, R-Katy, said.

The legislature needs to promote clean air and energy by setting tougher pollution standards and creating incentives for alternatives like solar power, said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas in Austin. He said smog levels make it unsafe to breathe on certain days for two-thirds of the Texas population.

All the while, oil refineries, chemical and power plants discharge unauthorized emissions without much consequence, he added.

"Texas needs to crack down on air quality violations and better monitoring and regulation of emissions is a great place to start," Metzger said.

Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr., whose District 6 includes the east side of Houston, filed Senate Bill 176, which would require quicker and better reporting for emissions under the Texas Clean Air Act.

That's in addition to Senate Bill 171 he introduced, which would take into account the cumulative effects of different air contaminants on human health. Bill 171 would establish limits and penalties and would publish an annual report that lists all violations.

Bill 171 requires the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to set enforceable standards while taking into account people may be exposed to more than one contaminant at a time, which doesn't help just Houston residents, Gallegos said via e-mail.

"It will help us all breathe a little easier," he said.

Gallegos also filed Senate Bill 173, which would require fence-line monitoring systems for major sources of pollution. That bill would require more monitors and at the highest concentrations of emissions, both upwind and downwind. The bill also calls for the creation of an Air Pollutant Watch List by geographic area.

Area plants don't yet know what the complex proposed legislation may mean, as the bills ask commissions to develop more precise rules.

Formosa Plastics in Point Comfort needs more time to review the legislation to better understand the implications, Jim Shephard, communications manager, said.

"These bills are dealing with very complex issues that are critical for a lot of people," he said. "Before we can make a statement on them, we would need more time to determine the effects and benefits these bills could provide."

Seadrift Coke doesn't think it will be affected short-term, but planning long-term will depend on the standards set by the commissions, John Earl, human resources manager, said. The company participates in voluntary Clean Texas efforts and already complies with federal standards, but doesn't know the benefits or burdens that may come from the legislation.

"We have a wait-and-see attitude," Earl said.

Proposed legislation to curb carbon dioxide emissions may be problematic for companies as to what sources are monitored and how the state plans to come up with appropriate levels, Earl added.

Earl refers to Senate Bill 136 that was filed by Sen. Rodney Ellis, whose District 13 also includes part of Houston. That bill, also called the Texas Global Warming Solutions Act, would create a cap and trade system for the state's carbon emissions.

The bill calls for the state's environmental commission to quantify the carbon emissions in 1990 and create a plan to get back to that amount. Ellis thinks addressing the issue now will give it a better chance to make the state's case to the federal government.

Acting now would also combat the effects of global warming, which could bring worse droughts and hurricanes, he said via news release.

"Texas can either be a leader in developing alternative energies and reap the benefits, or we will be left behind," Ellis said. "We can't pretend there is no problem."

• ON THE WEB

  Look up the filed bills at www.legis.state.tx.us.

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