Senator Eliot Shapleigh - El Paso, Texas

 It's almost as predictable as the arrival of Texas bluebonnets in the spring. Whenever the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposes stronger requirements to protect public health, Texas air quality officials inevitably will protest – often in hyperbolic terms contradicting the facts. For example, in 1996, when EPA proposed a standard for small airborne soot particles, the chairman of Texas' Commission on Environmental Quality at that time proclaimed that each of the state's 254 counties would fail to meet the proposed standard. In fact, no county in Texas was ever found to violate that standard (although one Houston monitor now exceeds the limit).

Not to be outdone, current TCEQ Chairman Buddy Garcia has gone on record opposing the stricter standard for ozone smog announced by EPA last month. Not only does Mr. Garcia doubt the evidence justifying a tighter standard, he went so far as to claim it couldn't be "further from the truth" that current air pollution levels in Texas were unhealthy.

This stance sharply conflicts with the nation's foremost health experts. In 2006, EPA's independent panel of expert science advisors, the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee, unanimously concluded, "There is no scientific justification for retaining the current [ozone standard]." Citing a large body of data, CASAC found that "the current standard would continue to put large numbers of individuals at risk for respiratory effects and/or significant impact on quality of life."

CASAC ultimately concluded – again unanimously – that the ozone standard "needs to be substantially reduced to protect human health, particularly in sensitive subpopulations."

Such strongly worded consensus statements are quite unusual for CASAC, which is deliberately selected to represent a variety of viewpoints.

Unfortunately for Texans, our state political leaders aren't limiting their dissatisfaction to public grumbling. News broke last week that Texas is considering joining a lawsuit with Mississippi to prevent implementation of the new standard.

So, why should Texans care? We should all care when politics and special interests interfere with scientific, health-based decision making. Mr. Garcia underestimates the negative health impacts of poor air quality, while scientific evidence mounts that ozone poses a real and present danger.

Ozone at levels well below the current standard can affect the respiratory system by damaging lung tissues and reducing lung function. This can exacerbate asthma and chronic bronchitis, create diminished lung development in growing children and, in some cases, even lead to premature death. Consequently, numerous public health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Lung Association, support a stronger ozone standard.

And while TCEQ and industry skeptics question whether studies of ozone's health effects performed in other places are pertinent to Texas, there is no reason to believe that ozone is less harmful to people in Texas than elsewhere. In fact, one major study found that Dallas-Fort Worth had the fifth strongest association between ozone and death out of some 84 major U.S. metropolitan areas analyzed.

The dangers aren't limited to children and those with chronic lung conditions, but extend to teenagers, the elderly and even healthy adults who work or exercise outdoors. One need only ask emergency room personnel if they get busier on high-ozone days.

Soon after the Texas bluebonnets begin to fade, warmer temperatures will bring the start of the ozone season in North Texas. Beginning in May, the public should take precautions when the forecast calls for high ozone days.

The good news is that more North Texans than ever remain committed to improving air quality. For example, modest air quality improvements made in the region over the last few years are attributable to pollution controls on power plants and an innovative grant program to replace older diesel vehicles and equipment.

There is great potential for all Texans to work together to solve our air quality problems. Instead of ignoring the science and pursuing legal delay tactics, our state government officials should put their energies into doing what the science calls for – taking thoughtful action in our communities to protect our children's health.

Ramón Alvarez is a senior scientist with the Texas office of Environmental Defense Fund. His e-mail address is ralvarez@environmental defense.org.