The air residents of Tarrant County breathe could put their health at risk, according to the State of the Air 2024 report from the American Lung Association.
But residents in Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake could breathe cleaner air in as little as five years following the development of a new plan to reduce regional emissions.
The North Central Texas Council of Governments submitted its Priority Climate Action Plan to the Environmental Protection Agency on March 1, the first step in an effort to improve air quality throughout North Texas.
The priority plan is one piece of the Dallas-Fort Worth Air Quality Improvement Plan, a collaborative effort between the NCTCOG’s transportation department, and environment and development department, Senior Air Quality Planner Savana Nance said. The priority plan was created with support and collaboration from more than 30 local governments in the region, including from Tarrant County.
Tarrant County Commissioner Gary Fickes, whose Precinct 3 includes Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake, signed a letter of support for the plan last year and said the county has access to additional grant funding as part of this initiative.
“[Improving air quality] can really benefit us if we do it right,” Fickes said.
About the plan
The plan covers the next five years and has 42 actionable measures, Nance said.
These measures include initiatives related to funding infrastructure for low-emission and electric vehicles, incentivizing commercial and industrial solar projects, and promoting clean energy finance programs.
If all measures from the plan are fully implemented, the region could see a reduction in ground-level ozone, which has been rising in North Texas for the last three years. Ground-level ozone is a harmful air pollutant and the main ingredient of smog, according to the EPA.
Health problems coming from ground-level ozone include coughing, breathing difficulty and lung damage. It can also increase the risk of death from lung disease, according to the EPA. Those at a greater risk include people with pre-existing conditions, such as asthma or chronic bronchitis, said Dr. Kari Northeim, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth.
The plan addresses emissions and air quality improvement measures across five sectors.
- Transportation
- Solid waste management
- Agriculture, forestry and land use
- Energy
- Water, wastewater and watershed
What's happening
Despite improvements made over the past 20-30 years, North Texas is still not meeting the attainment standard for ground-level ozone set by the EPA, Nance said.
The region’s population growth may have contributed to stalls in air quality improvement. Tarrant County’s population increased more than 16% between 2010 and 2019, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
One result of being out of the attainment standard is that while most Texas residents will benefit next year from House Bill 3297, which exempts drivers from getting their vehicles inspected, Tarrant County will continue to require this.Why it matters
Dr. Carolyn L. Helbert-Green moved her practice Colleyville Vision Associates to a new building, which she and her husband, Revvie Green, worked together to design. The building is the first in Colleyville to earn a gold certification for leadership in energy and environmental design, also known as LEED, by the U.S. Green Building Council. Green said he wanted to show how a small business, such as theirs, can reduce energy and emissions to help improve the community.
"Colleyville Vision Associates marks a significant milestone in a journey that has been fueled ... by passion, dedication and a vision for a better future in healthcare, particularly eyecare," Helbert-Green said in an email. "Our patients' trust and loyalty have always been the heartbeat of CVA and the 'why' to our commitment to excellence."
Northeim said clean air is associated with good health because clean air means it is free of pollutants that can cause irritations in the respiratory tract. Better local air quality can improve the health of the population, she said. She also pointed out that new studies suggest air pollution may influence diabetes and high blood pressure.
Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake all have policies in place to help protect trees from development, as the EPA website states trees are one way to help reduce ground-level ozone. These three cities have received Tree City USA distinctions from the Arbor Day Foundation dozens of times. Southlake spends at least $2 per resident each year planting and maintaining trees, the city’s Landscape Administrator Keith Martin said.
“[Trees] facilitate water [evaporation], oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption, combating air pollution,” Martin said in an email.
Tarrant populations at risk
Some groups of Tarrant County’s total population of 2.15 million people are especially vulnerable to illnesses and death from exposure to ozone or other types of air pollution.
Despite improvements made over the past 20-30 years, North Texas is still not meeting the attainment standard for ground-level ozone set by the EPA, Nance said.
The region’s population growth may have contributed to stalls in air quality improvement. Tarrant County’s population increased more than 16% between 2010 and 2019, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
One result of being out of the attainment standard is that while most Texas residents will benefit next year from House Bill 3297, which exempts drivers from getting their vehicles inspected, Tarrant County will continue to require this.Why it matters
Dr. Carolyn L. Helbert-Green moved her practice Colleyville Vision Associates to a new building, which she and her husband, Revvie Green, worked together to design. The building is the first in Colleyville to earn a gold certification for leadership in energy and environmental design, also known as LEED, by the U.S. Green Building Council. Green said he wanted to show how a small business, such as theirs, can reduce energy and emissions to help improve the community.
"Colleyville Vision Associates marks a significant milestone in a journey that has been fueled ... by passion, dedication and a vision for a better future in healthcare, particularly eyecare," Helbert-Green said in an email. "Our patients' trust and loyalty have always been the heartbeat of CVA and the 'why' to our commitment to excellence."
Northeim said clean air is associated with good health because clean air means it is free of pollutants that can cause irritations in the respiratory tract. Better local air quality can improve the health of the population, she said. She also pointed out that new studies suggest air pollution may influence diabetes and high blood pressure.
Grapevine, Colleyville and Southlake all have policies in place to help protect trees from development, as the EPA website states trees are one way to help reduce ground-level ozone. These three cities have received Tree City USA distinctions from the Arbor Day Foundation dozens of times. Southlake spends at least $2 per resident each year planting and maintaining trees, the city’s Landscape Administrator Keith Martin said.
“[Trees] facilitate water [evaporation], oxygen production and carbon dioxide absorption, combating air pollution,” Martin said in an email.
Tarrant populations at risk
Some groups of Tarrant County’s total population of 2.15 million people are especially vulnerable to illnesses and death from exposure to ozone or other types of air pollution.
- Children under age 18: 543,108
- Adults age 65 and older: 265,948
- Pediatric asthma: 34,509
- Adults with asthma: 125,852
Source: American Lung Association/Community Impact
A closer look
Ten counties in North Texas, including Tarrant County, do not meet federal standards for ground-level ozone concentration, which can impact quality of life and respiratory health for North Texas residents.
To reach attainment, each North Texas monitor has to report less than 75 parts per billion in ozone concentration on a three-year average. The region’s ozone average was reported at 81 parts per billion between 2021-23.
The Federal Clean Air Act can impose penalty fees on major sources of emissions in North Texas. Transportation and energy production make up a significant portion of emissions.
Transportation and energy production make up a significant portion of emissions. Residents can help reduce ground-level ozone by making the following adjustments to daily activities, according to the EPA:
A closer look
Ten counties in North Texas, including Tarrant County, do not meet federal standards for ground-level ozone concentration, which can impact quality of life and respiratory health for North Texas residents.
To reach attainment, each North Texas monitor has to report less than 75 parts per billion in ozone concentration on a three-year average. The region’s ozone average was reported at 81 parts per billion between 2021-23.
The Federal Clean Air Act can impose penalty fees on major sources of emissions in North Texas. Transportation and energy production make up a significant portion of emissions.
Transportation and energy production make up a significant portion of emissions. Residents can help reduce ground-level ozone by making the following adjustments to daily activities, according to the EPA:
- Conserve energy
- Reduce engine idling in cars
- Refuel cars in the evening when it is cooler
What's next
With the five-year plan published, the council of governments will make every effort to collaborate with the region in implementing improvement measures, Nance said.
“We’re going to need the buy-in from local governments, businesses [and] residents to adopt that change,” Nance said.
The NCTCOG can apply for more grant funding to help implement measures from the plan. The association submitted a $199 million grant request April 1 to the EPA. If awarded, the money would be used to implement 19 measures listed in the plan. These would support clean vehicle initiatives, improve bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and enhance regional transit services.
The EPA is expected to announce grant recipients in October, Nance said.
