San Antonio narrowly in compliance with new EPA soot rules

The San Antonio area barely slipped in under a new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rule aimed at reducing particulate matter, or soot, in the air — a change the agency said could prevent up to 4,500 premature deaths annually nationwide.

The long-anticipated regulatory change cuts the amount of soot allowed in the air to 9 micrograms per cubic meter annually, down from the prior allowable level of 12 micrograms. It’s the first time the EPA has changed those limits in a dozen years.

A total of 10 Texas counties recorded 2020-2022 soot emissions that would put them over the new level, according to EPA records. Those counties include Dallas, Harris (Houston), Tarrant (Fort Worth) and Travis (Austin). The remainder are located along the U.S.-Mexico border or in East Texas.

Bexar County narrowly missed inclusion since its annual output was 8.6 micrograms during that time, or less than half a microgram shy of the new limit. Even so, the county has spent years falling short of separate federal ozone standards.

Environmental groups praised the new limits on soot, which can aggravate asthma, cause irregular heartbeats and lead to other respiratory issues, especially among kids, the elderly and pregnant individuals. In the U.S., fossil fuels are the leading human-caused source of particulate air pollution.

In addition to staving off premature deaths, the new standards will eliminate 290,000 lost work days, resulting in $46 billion in economic benefit by 2032, EPA officials said.

“Air pollution used to be the price we had to pay to heat our homes, commute or produce goods by burning coal, oil and gas,” Environment Texas Research & Policy Center Executive Director Luke Metzger said in an emailed statement. “Thankfully, in the rapidly accelerating renewable energy era, that’s no longer the case. These soot standards will save lives, clear our skies and alleviate the burden of asthma and other illnesses. That’s something all Americans should celebrate.”

Even so, business groups are expected to sue the federal government to stop the new limits from taking effect.

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This article appears in Feb 7-20, 2024.