Four Texas counties were recently flagged by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for exceeding federal air quality standards. Some environmental justice advocates worry that recent attacks on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives could prevent regulators from getting a full picture of which neighborhoods are most harmed by excessive pollution.
In a recommendation that will be submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency in early February, the TCEQ is proposing both Dallas and Tarrant counties be required to improve their air quality. If the proposal is accepted, Texas will have several years to develop a plan that would bring each county’s air quality into compliance with federal standards. That plan will also have to go through EPA approval.
For Caleb Roberts, executive director of the Dallas environmental justice group Downwinders at Risk, TCEQ’s assessment was a necessary and worrying step. Four counties were included in the non-compliance report, but eight others were excluded because of bad air monitoring data or “exceptional events.”…