Monday, August 1, 2022

Agencies Fighting Air Pollution at a National & Local Level

 Module 4 Blog Post:

Part 1:

At the National level, the United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has been fighting and regulating several industries. These industries are oil refineries, aerospace manufacturers, steel mills, chemical plants, and farming, among others, to reduce their environmental emissions. As previously mentioned, the Clean Air Act (CAA) of 1970 has helped to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, ground-level ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter in our air (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2021). To ensure these regulations are followed, the EPA established the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in 10 regions throughout the country. The EPA Region 6 (South Central) Main Office serves Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and 66 Tribal Nations in Downtown Dallas (the United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2022).

EPA Region 6 Main Office
1201 Elm Street, Suite 500
Dallas, TX 75270

The City of Dallas created the Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability in 2004. One of its missions is to protect the air quality in the area. This office has partnered with institutions like Texas A&M University to install air quality monitors throughout the City of Dallas (City of Dallas, n.d.).


Dallas City Hall
1500 Marilla Street
Room 7A North
Dallas, TX 75201

The City of Dallas has committed to following environmental policies approved by the Dallas City Council on January 26, 2005, to continue educating its employees and citizens and implement programs and procedures to maintain an environment with clean air and water and sustainable development in the City of Dallas (City of Dallas, 2005).

References

City of Dallas. (n.d.). Office of Environmental Quality & Sustainability: Air Pollution Control. www.dallascityhall.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://dallascityhall.com/departments/OEQ/Pages/air-pollution-control.aspx

City of Dallas. (2005, January 26). Environmental Policy. www.dallascityhall.com. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://dallascityhall.com/departments/OEQ/DCH%20Documents/environmental-policy.pdf

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, March 7). Regional and Geographic Offices. www.epa.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/epa-region-6-south-central

United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2021, September 28). Summary of the Clean Air Act. www.epa.gov. Retrieved August 1, 2022, from https://www.epa.gov/laws-regulations/summary-clean-air-act


Part 2:


Were you aware of the agencies mentioned above and their mission to fight air pollution? If so, please explain what you knew about them. If not, is there another agency you are aware of that has a mission to keep our air clean?


at

6 comments:

  1. Public Health WorkerAugust 7, 2022 at 5:20 PM

    Hi Paola, great post about the agencies working behind the scenes to protect us. I was aware of the EPA, I knew that they have laws/regulations for emissions that help to protect our air from hazardous chemicals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paola_TAMUCAugust 7, 2022 at 8:33 PM

      Hello Sumera,

      Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Yes, the EPA has been around for some time now. It is good to have established agencies that can protect us by regulating companies that can cause so much damage to our environment. However, as previously mentioned in another blog, it is very unfortunate that the Supreme Court limits the authority of such a valuable entity.

      Delete
  2. Victoria TrevinoAugust 8, 2022 at 5:55 PM

    Hello Paola,
    Great infographic! The only agency I was aware of was the EPA since they are a major player in environmental protection and have been around for decades and many know of the work they do and the power they have that have created laws to protect human health from pollution. I was not aware of the organization in Dallas, but since pollution is a big problem there I am not surprised and am glad there there is one monitoring and regulating industries.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paola_TAMUCAugust 8, 2022 at 8:43 PM

      Hello Victoria,
      Thank you for taking the time to read my blog.
      Yes, I knew there was an environmental office here in the City of Dallas, but until this class, I became more aware of their purpose and how they work. Dallas is a very polluted city, and I feel like this program should be more present in the community since it seems like many people are still unaware of them. This issue is more than just having a booth at events or giving stickers away. They need to start more educational programs to make people more aware of this serious environmental concern.

      Delete
  3. Anil PanthaAugust 8, 2022 at 6:36 PM

    Hello Paola,
    Thank you for presenting this topic beautifully. Yes, I do know about Environment Protection Agency (EPA). It is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. The great majority of the EPA's protective rules and advice are supported by the knowledge, evaluations, and scientific instruments that research and development research centers produce. The national implementation, observance, and enforcement of regulations are directly supported by these labs. For instance, motor vehicle standards testing is done by the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Paola_TAMUCAugust 8, 2022 at 8:53 PM

      Hello Anil,
      Thank you for taking the time to read my blog!
      Yes, the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is prestigious and has served a purpose in our communities. This agency serves well, and its data shows it as previously presented. It is upsetting to know that our government is attacking it and giving more benefits to polluters. I really hope that changes. Agencies like the EPA need our support to continue doing their important job of caring for our planet.

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Air Pollution, Take Action

Module 5 Blog Post: Part 1: Hello all, thank you for reading follow this blog to stay informed about air pollution and how it affects our en...