Air Emissions - University of Houston
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Air Emissions

The University of Houston and the City of Houston are both situated within Harris County, Texas. Harris County is part of the Harris-Galveston-Brazoria-County (HGB) nonattainment area for ozone per the EPA. This area consists of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties. The TCEQ monitors current ozone levels in the area and these levels are available for public view on the web. Currently the HGB nonattainment area is facing pressure from EPA to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds to the ambient air. The current consensus is that the presence nitrogen oxides and/or volatile organic compounds, along with the intense strong sunlight of the region, promote the formation of the undesirable ozone. The TCEQ is required to submit a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to the EPA which outlines the actions planned to reduce ozone levels. There are many proposed actions being considered which could impact the UH community along with the entire region.