HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 95-023 RESOLUTION NO.
WHEREAS,The City of Beaumont recognizes the importance of the air quality goals
set forth in the federal Clean Air Act and it's amendments; and,
WHEREAS, Transportation Conformity, being the process that assures that
transportation plans and programs are consistent with state and local air quality goals, is an
integral part of improving local air quality; and,
WHEREAS, The counties of Hardin, Jefferson and Orange fail to meet the federal
clean air quality standards for ozone (classified as a serious ozone nonattainment area) and
must therefore conduct conformity analyses to assure that transportation plans and programs
do not contribute to the degradation of the regions air quality; and,
WHEREAS, Reducing delay and congestion through promoting the free flow of
traffic brings about reductions in VOC emissions, but often increase NOx emission; and,
WHEREAS, Failure for a nonattainment area to meet the NOx or VOC conformity
test will cause an immediate suspension of federal highway and certain transit funding and
may jeopardize other federal funds; and,
WHEREAS, Section 182 (f) of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 pertaining
to the control of oxides of nitrogen states that "This subsection shall not apply in the case
of oxides of nitrogen for those sources for which the Administrator determines that net air
quality benefits are greater in the absence of reduction of oxides of nitrogen from the
sources concerned"; and,
WHEREAS, Current modeling efforts by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission show that decreasing NOx emissions in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area will
result in an increase in ozone; and,
WHEREAS, Efforts are underway by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation
Commission to incorporate a more robust data base, taken from an intensive 1993 field
study, the Coastal Oxidant Assessment for Southeast Texas (COAST), into the model which
will provide a higher degree of confidence in an air quality attainment strategy; and,
WHEREAS, Conformity creates a substantial burden on the health, safety and
welfare of the region by delaying the expansion of many hurricane evacuation routes found
to be lacking during the Hurricane Andrew evacuation; and,
WHEREAS, Conformity has a negative impact on the economic development of the
region by delaying improvements to vital links, such as State Highway 73, which provide
access to world markets through the Port of Port Arthur in southern Jefferson County to
U.S. and Mexican markets to the west;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BEAUMONT:
THAT the City of Beaumont strongly urges the Environmental Protection Agency to
approve a Section 182 (f) exemption from NOx control measures for the Beaumont/Port
Arthur area.
PASSED BY THE CITY COUNCIL of the City of Beaumont this the day
of , 1995.
- Mayor Pro Tem