Reduction of Industrial Air Pollution | Research on Health Effects of Air Pollution | Enhanced Enforcement Activities | Mobile Ambient Air-Monitoring Laboratory | Voluntary Benzene Reduction Plan | Registration Ordinance

Reduction of Industrial Air Pollution - Houston is undertaking initiatives to combat industrial air pollution, as such, Houston's Department of Health and Human Service's Bureau of Pollution Control and Prevention (BPCP) - which protects public health by collaboratively working to improve the quality of ambient air, water, and land in Houston and vicinity - was redesigned to enable investigators and engineers to focus on areas of concern, rather than routine inspections.

The Bureau is responsible for assessing the City of Houston 's air quality with the purpose of implementing strategic planning and evaluation based on the community's needs and right to a clean environment. Through the collective use of current technology, continuous air monitoring, surveillance and inspection it accepts responsibility for responding to citizens concerns with the intention of delivering a service-oriented organization that is dedicated to delivering measurable results.

Leadership and commitment at the executive level, coupled with effective environmental management policies have and will continue to result in the City of Houston 's ability to perform beyond mere compliance with environmental, health, and safety regulations.

Research on Health Effects of Air Pollution - Mayor White is very involved with monitoring Houston 's environment. Air quality is of particular concern because it also directly affects the health and safety of the citizens of Houston . As a result, the City of Houston has commissioned a scientific study of air pollutants in the Houston area. The results of the scientific commission report identified 12 pollutants as definite health risks to Houstonians. This report will now guide the city in deployment of air quality resources and will support the development of a regional benzene reduction plan, which, through the leadership of the City of Houston , other jurisdictions will be encouraged to adopt.

Enhanced Enforcement Activities - Air quality is a high priority for City of Houston . Because of its great importance the city has reclaimed its enforcement authority and has used it to insure that companies comply with environmental laws. Great progress has already been made; the city has reached an innovative emission reduction agreement with a large petrochemical company and initiated prompt enforcement against a refinery not in compliance. This action resulted in substantial penalties that have spurred corrective actions by the company. This has demonstrated to all companies who are not in compliance with established environmental laws, the City of Houston 's commitment in maintaining and promoting clean air for its citizens.

Mobile Ambient Air Monitoring Laboratory - The Houston area has the densest network of air monitoring stations in the country with 45 different locations measuring ozone and other air pollutants and eight fixed-base auto-gas chromatograph (auto-GC) stations in the Ship Channel area capable of measuring trace levels of several air toxics in the ambient air. Despite this abundance of monitoring stations, the City of Houston 's Mobile Ambient Air Monitoring Laboratory (MAAML) with its best-available technology of a gas chromatograph and mass spectrometer (GC/MS) and meteorological equipment represents the next phase in ambient air monitoring for air toxics. Using this sophisticated equipment platform in a specially designed cargo box van with four-wheel drive capacity, the City of Houston has a valuable tool in identifying and characterizing point source emissions. With this capability, the City can more accurately determine the major sources of air toxics emissions and work to ameliorate Houston 's air quality.

Voluntary Benzene Reduction Plan - H ouston 's air quality has been a concern for quite some time. We have come a long way over the last 30 years due to the Clean Air Act, but air quality must be better.

The City asked scientists to evaluate those chemicals in the air that pose significant health risks, and those that do not. The City wanted to target the worst chemicals for reduction. Benzene currently occupies the position of top priority due to the amount emitted and proximity to the populace.

The City's approach for reduction is practical; it's based on voluntary reductions to levels defined by scientific health-based criteria, and not merely regulation for regulation's sake. This approach does not demonize an entire industry; rather, a cleaner industry will face fewer hurdles to expansion in our region, without endangering public health.

This voluntary benzene reduction plan is the first of its kind. It focuses on the reduction of benzene from major sources.

Benzene is well established as a carcinogen. When benzene is present in the ambient air, people who breathe the air are at increased risk for developing cancer.

The reduction strategies in this plan will simultaneously reduce emissions and/or ambient air concentrations of six additional air pollutants that pose definite health risks according to the Health Effects of The Air Pollution Task Force: ozone, fine particles, diesel particulate matter, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde and acrolein.

Registration Ordinance - This ordinance requires certain facilities to register which are automotive body repair shops, dry cleaning plants, gasoline dispensing sites, sewage treatment plants, used vehicles sales lots, and any other facility that emits over one ton per year of any airborne contaminant. This registration process allows the City to ensure state and federal clean air laws are being enforced. To read the Source Registration Ordinance go to: City of Houston Code of Ordinances, Chapter 21. Health, Article VI. Air Pollution, Division 2. Source Registration, Sec. 21-161 through 21-166.