Tag Archives: ozone

Our still-smoggy skies

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

We’re being called on the carpet for them. The Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday sought to list the Houston and Dallas metro areas as “severe” violators of 2008 federal ozone pollution standards, kicking off a process that will likely impose … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Our still-smoggy skies

Yet another lawsuit by Texas against the EPA

Posted on January 9, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

So what else is new? In another lawsuit against the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the state of Texas is taking aim at tightened standards on ground-level ozone — President Obama’s effort to cut down on smog that chokes the nation’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Yet another lawsuit by Texas against the EPA

Here come the new ozone standards

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Over the objections of Texas officials, the Obama administration on Wednesday proposed a long-delayed rule to slash levels of ozone – a smog-forming pollutant known to worsen asthma, lung disease and heart … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Here come the new ozone standards

Bay City coal plant gets TCEQ approval

Posted on October 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Great. Texas’ environmental agency granted air pollution permits for a proposed coal- and petroleum coke-fired power plant in Matagorda County over the objections of local officials and residents Wednesday. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality voted 3-0 in support of … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Some people want the EPA to do more

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Sierra Club is taking legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency, saying it has dragged its feet in Texas. The group said EPA officials have missed legal deadlines for action on limiting Texas pollution’s effects on neighboring states; reducing … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Some people want the EPA to do more

Of smog and hot air

Posted on January 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Get ready for the upcoming fight over Texas’ – and Houston’s – air quality. The federal government proposed a tougher limit on ozone pollution Thursday that will force Houston to make deeper emissions cuts just as the former smog capital … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

If that’s your best, your best won’t do

Posted on September 25, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

We may never actually comply with federal clean air regulations. Texas’ new plan to improve the Houston area’s famously dirty air may not meet federal limits for smog. The pollution-fighting plan that state regulators are rolling out today predicts marked … Continue reading →

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

EPA to tighten air quality standards

Posted on September 18, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Federal regulators signaled Wednesday that they would abandon Bush-era limits on smog pollution that scientists said didn’t go far enough to protect public health. Amid concerns that the current rules don’t adhere to the federal Clean Air Act, the … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The science of smog

Posted on May 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I thought this was a very interesting article about a current research project that is investigating the effect of industrial flares from refineries and chemical plants on ozone levels, but one bit of it really amazed me. Industrial flares burn … Continue reading →

Posted in Technology, science, and math | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The science of smog