Office of Air, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Austin, TX 78711-3087, USA.
J Air Waste Manag Assoc. 2013 May;63(5):507-20. doi: 10.1080/10962247.2013.763868.
The Federal Clean Air Act (FCAA) framework envisions a federal-state partnership whereby the development of regulations may be at the federal level or state level with federal oversight. The US. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes National Ambient Air Quality Standards to describe "safe" ambient levels of criteria pollutants. For air toxics, the EPA establishes control technology standards for the 187 listed hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) but does not establish ambient standards for HAPs or other air toxics. Thus, states must ensure that ambient concentrations are not at harmful levels. The Texas Clean Air Act authorizes the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), the Texas state environmental agency, to control air pollution and protect public health and welfare. The TCEQ employs three interactive programs to ensure that concentrations of air toxics do not exceed levels of potential health concern (LOCs): air permitting, ambient air monitoring, and the Air Pollutant Watch List (APWL). Comprehensive air permit reviews involve the application of best available control technology for new and modified equipment and ensure that permits protect public health and welfare. Protectiveness may be demonstrated by a number of means, including a demonstration that the predicted ground-level concentrations for the permitted emissions, evaluated on a case-by-case and chemical-by-chemical basis, do not cause or contribute to a LOC. The TCEQ's ambient air monitoring program is extensive and provides data to help assess the potential for adverse effects from all operational equipment in an area. If air toxics are persistently monitored at a LOC, an APWL area is established. The purpose of the APWL is to reduce ambient air toxic concentrations below LOCs by focusing TCEQ resources and heightening awareness. This paper will discuss examples of decreases in air toxic levels in Houston and Corpus Christi, Texas, resulting from the interactive nature of these programs.
Texas recognized through the collection of ambient monitoring data that additional measures beyond federal regulations must be taken to ensure that public health is protected. Texas integrates comprehensive air permitting, extensive ambient air monitoring, and the Air Pollutant Watch List (APWL) to protect the public from hazardous air toxics. Texas issues air permits that are protective of public health and also assesses ambient air to verify that concentrations remain below levels of concern in heavily industrialized areas. Texas developed the APWL to improve air quality in those areas where monitoring indicates a potential concern. This paper illustrates how Texas engaged its three interactive programs to successfully address elevated air toxic levels in Houston and Corpus Christi.
联邦清洁空气法案（FCAA）框架设想了一种联邦-州伙伴关系，其中法规的制定可以在联邦层面或州层面进行，并由联邦进行监督。美国环境保护署（EPA）制定国家环境空气质量标准，以描述“安全”的环境污染物标准水平。对于空气毒物，EPA 为 187 种列出的危险空气污染物（HAPs）制定了控制技术标准，但不为 HAPs 或其他空气毒物制定环境标准。因此，各州必须确保环境浓度没有达到有害水平。《德克萨斯州清洁空气法案》授权德克萨斯州环境质量委员会（TCEQ），即德克萨斯州环境机构，控制空气污染，保护公共健康和福利。TCEQ 采用三个互动程序来确保空气毒物浓度不超过潜在健康关注水平（LOCs）：空气许可、环境空气监测和空气污染物观察清单（APWL）。全面的空气许可证审查涉及应用最佳可得控制技术，适用于新设备和修改后的设备，并确保许可证保护公共健康和福利。可以通过多种方式证明其保护性，包括证明根据逐案和逐个化学物质的基础评估，允许排放的预测地面浓度不会导致或促成 LOC。TCEQ 的环境空气监测计划广泛，提供数据帮助评估一个地区所有运行设备的潜在不利影响。如果空气毒物在 LOC 处持续监测，则建立一个 APWL 区域。APWL 的目的是通过集中 TCEQ 资源和提高认识，将环境空气有毒浓度降低到 LOC 以下。本文将讨论德克萨斯州休斯顿和科珀斯克里斯蒂地区的空气毒物水平下降的例子，这是由于这些计划的互动性质。
德克萨斯州通过收集环境监测数据认识到，除了联邦法规之外，还必须采取额外措施来确保公众健康得到保护。德克萨斯州整合了全面的空气许可、广泛的环境空气监测和空气污染物观察清单（APWL），以保护公众免受危险空气毒物的侵害。德克萨斯州发放对公众健康具有保护作用的空气许可证，还评估环境空气，以确保在工业化程度较高的地区浓度保持在关注水平以下。德克萨斯州制定了 APWL，以改善监测显示存在潜在问题的地区的空气质量。本文说明了德克萨斯州如何利用其三个互动计划成功解决休斯顿和科珀斯克里斯蒂地区的空气毒物水平升高问题。
