Air Central Texas (ACT) is an initiative to reduce exposure to air pollution in Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson Counties through voluntary actions to reduce emissions and tools for the public to avoid exposure to high pollution levels when they occur. Participants include local governments, regional and state government agencies, non-profit groups and institutions, and businesses. ACT works to provide the public with information about Central Texas Air Quality, support existing air quality programs, and motivate everyone to make decisions that are Air Aware.
Be Air Aware
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued an ozone action day alert for Wednesday, June 16, 2021, not only for Austin but also for San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. Ground-level ozone, which is created when sunlight and industrial emissions mix, can make it harder for people with respiratory problems, like asthma, to breathe.
With fewer cars on the road this spring, many air pollutants decreased, as expected in the Austin-area. At the same time, some air pollutants increased and scientists are working to find out why.
A review of Austin air quality by the Capital Area Council of Governments released earlier this year found that some harmful pollutants, like nitrogen dioxide and ground level ozone, did decrease in March and April. But the levels of other air pollutants, like fine particulate matter and carbon monoxide, actually increased in those early months of lockdown.
Travis County commissioners approved the county’s first-ever climate action plan, an initial step toward a collection of short and long-term goals to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions and water use.