The Chicago Tribune
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HOUSTON AIR PLAN DIGS DEEP, WIDE
TEXAS REGULATORS EXPECTED TO OK PROPOSAL THAT WOULD RESTRICT BUSINESSES, MOTORISTS

By Judith Graham  
December 6, 2000

HOUSTON -- This freewheeling, anything-goes city is in for a culture shock.

Texas regulators on Wednesday are expected to adopt a far-reaching plan to control air pollution for metropolitan Houston, which has overtaken Los Angeles as the smog capital of the United States.

If federal environmental officials approve the proposal, Houston's largest industries will be forced to change the way they do business, and motorists will face unprecedented restrictions on how fast they can drive.

"It's going to be a tremendously big deal, and it's going to call on everybody to make major changes," said sociology professor Stephen Klineberg of Rice University.

Houston is one of several metropolitan areas preparing new strategies to clean their air. Others include Chicago, Atlanta, Baltimore, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Washington and Hartford, Conn.

All are proceeding in a climate of considerable political uncertainty, in which the Clean Air Act has come increasingly under attack. Whether the Environmental Protection Agency will vigorously pursue enforcement is uncertain and likely will depend on who wins the presidency.

Houston's dirty air became an issue during the presidential campaign, and city leaders admit they have a serious problem--a turnaround from the denial that was expressed a few years ago. "This is the most significant environmental challenge we have ever faced," wrote James Royer, chairman of the Greater Houston Partnership, in a recent Houston Chronicle article.

Still, there is plenty in the state's ambitious plan that stirs controversy.

Business is yelling loudly about a proposed 90 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions, a key component of smog. Experts estimate such a move would force utilities, refineries and manufacturers to upgrade plants at a cost of more than $7 billion over seven years.

In contrast to Los Angeles, where cars and trucks are the big polluters, industry is responsible for most of the pollutants in Houston

Consumers are griping about a proposal for a mandatory 55 m.p.h. speed limit, unthinkably slow for freedom-loving Texans.

"It's not realistic. People just aren't going to drive that slow and the police aren't going to enforce it, and for us to pretend otherwise is sheer foolishness," said Jim Marston, regional director of Environmental Defense in Austin. That group was formerly known as the Environmental Defense Fund.

Also, Houstonians don't like the prospect of mandatory annual auto emissions testing and maintenance, a provision of the plan, or the expected higher gas prices that would come with requirements for cleaner fuels.

The construction industry isn't happy with proposed restrictions on the use of heavy equipment in the morning, when smog-forming conditions are at their height. Commercial lawn-mowing services don't like a proposed morning ban on lawnmowers.

But complain as people do, the reality is that the eight-county Houston-Galveston area doesn't have an alternative. If federal environmental officials deem the region's clean air plan inadequate, they can cut off federal highway funds worth about $1 billion a year and impose other sanctions under the Clean Air Act.

No one wants to see that happen, especially local business groups that don't want anything to stand in the way of the region's breakneck growth and prosperity.

These groups deeply resent the political hay made of Texas' air-quality problems in the presidential campaign, and they are determined to resurrect Houston's image, said Charles Duncan, a former federal energy secretary who heads the Business Coalition for Clean Air.

"For many years, our vibrant economy and Texas independence was what marketed Houston," said Royer of the Greater Houston Partnership. "But these days, if you're going to compete for the best and the brightest, the quality of life you can offer is paramount. And we have a problem, as long as the taint of our dirty air hangs over us."

Growth and development is part of Houston's air-quality problem. As more people settle in the area--economists suggest it could see an influx of 1.6 million residents over the next 20 years--they add more pollution from cars, air conditioners and lawnmowers, making it more difficult to meet federal clean air standards.

Houston's sultry climate also contributes to the problem. Long sunny days, plenty of lush vegetation and factories spewing chemicals create optimal conditions for the formation of ozone, the region's major pollutant. Last year, Houston's ground-level ozone readings exceeded federal standards on 52 days, the most in the U.S., compared to 43 such days for Los Angeles.

This year, Houston has violated federal ozone standards 44 days, sometimes for three hours or more.

Public health experts warn that Houston's air pollution presents a serious problem. High levels of ozone affect the lungs. The exposure exacerbates breathing problems, especially in children and the elderly, and may contribute to long-term respiratory ailments.

Preliminary research by Dr. Nick Hanania, who directs an adult asthma clinic at one of Houston's largest public hospitals, indicates a significant correlation between visits to the emergency room and elevated ozone readings. A study last year by the city of Houston noted that asthmatic children experienced more than a million days of chest symptoms because of elevated ozone levels. Eye irritation resulting from ozone totaled 4 million days.

By cleaning its air of ozone and fine pollution particles that are even more harmful to health, the Houston region could save $2.9 billion to $3.1 billion in health-care costs, the study said.

By far the largest contributors to Houston's ozone problems are the oil refineries and related industries that make this area the energy capital of the country. More than half of ozone emissions come from these sources, which is why they have been targeted for the most severe measures in the state plan: the 90 percent reduction in nitrogen oxide emissions by the end of 2006.

The state cannot seek reductions from other sources, such as ships, railroads, aircraft and diesel trucks. They represent 30 percent to 40 percent of the pollution problem in the Houston area but are regulated by the federal government, explained Jeff Saitas, executive director of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. That group is expected to approve the state's plan Wednesday and send it on to federal environmental officials for review.

Houston business groups have been pressing hard for the state to lower the emission reduction target to 75 percent, arguing that the 90 percent target is unrealistic.

But state officials say 75 percent won't be enough to meet federal air quality standards by 2007.

And, in an unusual break with the local business community, oil giant BP has thrown its support behind the state's approach, saying it is feasible.