Environment
Environment
BY MELISSA ENAJE
BY KAMERYN GRIESSER
10 Texas counties exceed EPA’s new air quality standard
Bluebonnet season began early this year—what does it mean? Bluebonnet Bloom time: March-May Texas paintbrush Bloom time: March-September
A new national air quality standard announced Feb. 7 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency aims to lower the amount of ne particulate pollution emitted by power plants, vehicles and industrial facilities. Federal o cials said the e orts are meant to better protect communities across the U.S. from the dangerous and costly health e ects of air pollution. “This nal air quality standard will save lives and make all people healthier, especially within Ameri- ca’s most vulnerable and overburdened communi- ties,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said. The takeaway Ten Texas counties do not meet revised annual levels based on 2020-22 air quality monitoring data from the EPA, including in the Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas. They are: Bowie County, Cameron County, Dallas County, El Paso County, Harris County, Hidalgo County, Kleberg County, Tarrant County, Travis County and Webb County.
San Antonio’s Bexar County is one of the 12 Texas counties that meets the new annual air pollution levels, according to the 2020-22 data. Several counties are projected to meet the more protective standard in 2032, which is likely the earliest year states would need to meet the revised standard, according to the EPA. However, the EPA predicts Harris, Travis and Hidalgo counties will not be able to meet the new standards by 2032. The gist The national annual air quality standard for ne particulate matter exposure was lowered from a level of 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 micrograms per cubic meter. Fine particulate matter is a mixture of various particles—such as dust, dirt, soot and smoke— emitted by industrial facilities, vehicles, con- struction sites, res or unpaved roads, according to o cials with the environmental nonpro t Air Alliance Houston.
In recent weeks, Texans traveling on major highways may have noticed a familiar harbinger of spring: seas of bluebonnets ooding the roadsides— over a month early this year. What’s happening? A typical bluebonnet season begins in early April, but the rst buds arrived at the end of February, said Andrea DeLong-Amaya, the direc- tor of horticulture for the Lady Bird Johnson Wild ower Center. She said the ower typically blooms until mid-May before they become “toasted.” “The seeds start to germinate in the fall, when we get a lot of rain, and then continue to grow in the winter,” DeLong-Amaya said. “If it ends up being a really dry spring, [the season] might stop earlier.” DeLong-Amaya said another wild ower to look out for next is the pink evening primrose, followed by paintbrushes and star hibiscus.
Butter yweed Bloom time: May-September
Texas redbud Bloom time: March-April
Pink evening primrose Bloom time: February-October
Texas star hibiscus Bloom time: May-September
Exxon Mobil’s Ole ns Plant in Baytown has raised health concerns for residents.
COURTESY TERRI BLACKWOOD
SOURCE: LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER COMMUNITY IMPACT
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