Help Spread the Word

Submit a comment and ask the Environmental Protection Association (EPA) to further strengthen the national ambient air quality standard for particulate matter (PM 2.5) to better protect public health.

Last month, the EPA released a big proposal that would create more protective air quality standards across the country. This proposal includes an improvement to the national limit for ambient particulate matter (PM 2.5) - also known as fine soot - that would reduce the allowed 12 micrograms per cubic meter to 9 or 10.

While particulate matter has many industrial sources, it is the only regulated pollutant associated with quarries and concrete plants. An environmental justice issue across the state, air pollution from these industrial facilities disproportionately impacts both communities of color and low income communities. If the EPA improves its standards, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) will be obligated under the Clean Air Act to do the same - making permits for industrial operations like quarries and concrete batch plants more protective. This would have a positive impact on the health of Hill Country residents in communities where industrial and residential areas are side by side - such as quarry row in Comal County. 

Though the EPA's proposed change is a great step, the American Lung Association, Moms for Clean Air Force, and numerous other groups point out that it is not enough to be adequately protective. In fact, the World Health Organization recommends a PM limit of no more than 5 micrograms per cubic meter. To further protect air quality, we ask that the EPA set an even more protective standard than what is listed in the current proposal - reducing allowed particulate matter to 8 micrograms per cubic meter.

Submit a Comment

We urge you to join us in submitting public comments (see below) to share these concerns. We need your help submitting comments to the EPA by March 28, 2023. 

Please take a few minutes to:

1. Draft a comment to the EPA and send it to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov with EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072 in the subject line. You can write your own comment, or use the template below.
2. Copy info@hillcountryalliance.org when you submit your comment, to help us track the impact of our HCA network.
3. Tell your friends and neighbors! 

Write your own unique comments or use the template below:

Submit comments by Tuesday, March 28!

• WRITE your comment to the EPA
• EMAIL a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov with EPA-HQ-OAR-2015-0072 in the subject line
• COPY info@hillcountryalliance.org to let us know
• HIT SEND AND SUBMIT YOUR COMMENT 

Tell Your Friends

Support Safer Air Quality

• up to 4,200 premature deaths per year;
• 270,000 lost workdays per year;
• result in as much as $43 billion in net health benefits in 2032.