Wilco pushes for EPA attainment label

From Hill Country News, January 14, 2009...

Not everyone is earth- and environmentally-conscious about recycling and the green movement these days, but one thing is for sure - everyone likes having clean air to breathe. With this in mind, Williamson County has always worked hard to keep air pollution at a minimum and now its efforts could pay off.

Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided to set more restrictive standards on ozone levels in the atmosphere by lowering the current levels from 80 parts per billion (ppb) to 75 ppb. Counties and regions now have until 2013 to come into compliance, or “attainment,” with these levels.

Williamson County was originally supposed to be included in a five-county region of Central Texas that would include Travis County, which does not meet the standards.

However, by being included, the region would be designated as a non-attainment area because it doesn't meet the standards, even though Williamson County does.

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Perry requests waiver from ethanol mandate

From Austin Business Journal, June 25, 2008...

The increasing use of grain-based ethanol for fuel is causing a crisis in the livestock industry, Texas Gov. Rick Perry says.

Gov. Perry on Tuesday joined the livestock industry and business leaders from Texas and across the country to ask the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for a 50 percent waiver from its Renewable Fuel Standards mandate for grain-based ethanol. Perry made his initial waiver request in late April, at which time the EPA granted a comment period to consider the appeal. The comment period ended on Monday.

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Texas May Sue EPA Over Clean Air Rules

From statesman.com April 4, 2008...

Less than a month after the federal Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would tighten smog standards, Texas could join a lawsuit to stop the change.

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