Clean Air In the News

Air pollution is a constant concern for El Paso, so it's good to see that the next session of the Texas Legislature will consider a measure that would tighten vehicle emissions standards. Vehicles spew out a gaseous soup of pollutants that do everything from contributing to the "haze" we so often see hanging over the El Paso area to posing a very real danger to people with health concerns that include heart conditions, asthma and other respiratory problems.

Even though El Paso has met air quality standards and gained attainment status from the Environmental Protection Agency, it's often visibly obvious that pollution is still a problem, whether that realization comes from ozone warnings posted on freeway electronic sign boards or just looking at the blanket of brown haze over the city. Vehicles aren't the only culprits in El Paso's battle against pollution. Particulates generated by dust storms, pollution that drifts north from Mexico, industry-generated pollution ... there are plenty of sources. But taking care of air-quality problems, particularly in such heavily polluted areas as Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, will only happen one step at a time and the emissions measure to be considered by the Legislature is one important part of the solution.

State Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston and state Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, announced the bill last week. It will involve both stricter emissions limits coupled with a requirement that Texas would have to sell a certain percentage of cars using advanced technologies such as fuel cells and hybrid gas-electric vehicles.

El Paso Mayor John Cook is a supporter of the measure, and said, "I've been a very strong advocate for environmental issues. It is not only a quality-of-life thing, it is an economic development issue." Cook makes an interesting point. As El Paso struggles to improve its economy, it's important that air pollution not only be kept in check, but actually improved. Attracting the drivers of economic development demands that air quality, among other factors, be acceptable. That's one place where quality of life and successful economic development meet, with much of the possibility of development being reliant on quality of life.

Texas isn't exactly in the forefront of tightening down on emissions. Ellis said that 11 states already have tighter controls and a few others, including New Mexico, are thinking about it. There's a downside, of sorts. The tighter emissions standards would inevitably lead to increased costs to motorists, at least initially. However, according to Luke Metzger of Environment Texas, over the years owners of vehicles with stricter emissions controls would actually save money at the gas pump. This emissions bill should get serious consideration in the Legislature's impending session.