The big picture
If all measures from the plan are fully implemented, the region could see carbon dioxide emissions, oxides of nitrogen and volatile organic compounds reduced by more than 1,000 metric tons each year. Each gas is a precursor to ground-level ozone, Senior Air Quality Planner Savana Nance said.
The plan, which was submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency on March 1, is one part of the NCTCOG’s air quality improvement efforts. Staff are also working on a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan that is due in 2025.
Both plans are funded by a grant from the EPA that was awarded in 2023. The NCTCOG is also required to deliver a status report in 2027.
The cause
Ground-level ozone measurements have been rising in North Texas for the last three years, according to data from the NCTCOG.
“Many of our ground-level ozone levels have been getting worse over the past couple of years,” Nance said. “Since the '90s, we had seen a lot of improvement in our local air quality, and recently with a lot of economic development and population growth that has started to creep back upwards.”
During the 2023 ozone season, NCTCOG reported 50 exceedance days. One exceedance day means one or more air quality monitors in the region measured ozone levels averaging above 70 parts per billion, the federal standard.
Diving in deeper
North Texans can access the priority plan on the NCTCOG’s website. The plan includes measures across several sectors to reduce greenhouse gases and other air pollutants. Sectors include:
- Transportation
- Energy
- Water, wastewater and watershed management
- Waste management
- Agriculture, forestry and land use
