City provides update on Climate Action Plan after EPA cracks down on air pollution
EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The Biden Administration took a step towards reducing harmful pollutants on Wednesday, Feb. 7.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced stricter soot standards, reducing allowable soot pollution from 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 micrograms per cubic meter.
The nearly 25 percent decrease comes at a time when the City of El Paso is developing its first Climate Action Plan.
The plan is a decade in the making, according to the climate and sustainability officer with the City of El Paso Nicole Alderete-Ferrini
Alderete-Ferrini said the office has an idea on the main drivers of pollution in the city but thinks air quality monitoring can be expanded and focused in areas where residents are experiencing the most pollution-related health issues.
Alderete-Ferrini said, “Emissions from vehicles are huge drivers of air pollution. We are going to see higher levels of pollution where cars are idling so clearly that’s going to mean international bridges, the ports of entry. That’s going to mean areas near highways or congestion.”
Another major contributor, according to Alderete-Ferrini, are industry fumes.
KTSM 9 News reached out to the Texas Commission on Environment Quality who said in a statement:
“Based on preliminary 2023 design values, there is a regulatory monitor in El Paso that does not meet the 2024 annual PM2.5 standard of 9.0 µg/m3. However, this data is preliminary and subject to change. The most current annual PM2.5 design value for El Paso that was calculated using data that have been certified is the 2022 design value. This value is 9.2 µg/m3, and it would exceed the EPA’s new annual standard of 9.0 µg/m3.“
Alderete-Ferrini said that in the upcoming Climate Action Plan, not only will the city be looking at regulatory structure, but “how and where are we seeing folks get sick, and how can we make that better.”
Being a border community, El Paso shares an air shed with Ciudad Juarez. This results in a variety of emission sources.
According to the TCEQ, “Monitored values in the El Paso area include particulate matter from Juarez, Mexico that crosses the border, but TCEQ does not currently have an estimate of the degree to which those emissions impact monitored values in El Paso.”
Climate discussions are extending across the border. Alderete-Ferrini said El Paso is looking to work with its sister city to see what options are available at a municipal policy level to address air quality on both sides of the border.
“Climate action is a collective effort, especially in our region. It’s going to be bi-national, it’s going to be tri-state, it’s going to be multi-city,” Alderete-Ferrini said.
A preliminary Climate Action Plan will be released on Friday, March 1, with the full document scheduled to debut in 2025.
The community can participate in the El Paso Climate Action Plan Community Climate survey and submit questions and comments to the Office of Climate & Sustainability by Friday, Feb. 9.
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