EPA Approves State of Texas Plan to Improve Air Quality in San Antonio Area
DALLAS, TEXAS (March 13, 2025) – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced approval of the state of Texas’s clean-air plan, or State Implementation Plan (SIP), to address vehicle emissions and improve air quality in the San Antonio area. The plan calls for the state to implement vehicle inspection and maintenance requirements in Bexar County. This approval supports Administrator Lee Zeldin’s commitment to improve air quality through timely processing of SIP revisions while working with states to prioritize cooperative federalism.
“The Clean Air Act lays the groundwork for one of EPA’s most important core responsibilities—to improve air quality for all Americans,” said Regional Administrator Scott Mason. “EPA will continue to work with the state of Texas to develop sensible plans for addressing air pollution and helping San Antonio meet air quality standards.”
In 2022, EPA reclassified the San Antonio area from marginal to moderate nonattainment of the 2015 ozone standard of 0.07 parts per million, or 70 parts per billion, which required the state of Texas to revise part of its SIP to reduce emissions from vehicles that contribute to the formation of ozone. The approved revisions will expand the state’s existing inspection and maintenance program and require implementation in Bexar County by November 7, 2026. The program requires annual on-board diagnostics testing of gasoline-powered vehicles between 2-24 years old in Bexar County.
The implementation of the inspection and maintenance program in the San Antonio area is important to help meet Clean Air Act requirements through the identification and maintenance of vehicles with malfunctioning emission control systems.
Yesterday, Administrator Zeldin announced EPA’s commitment to work with States and Tribes to resolve the massive backlog of SIPs and Tribal Implementation Plans (TIPs) that the Biden-Harris Administration refused to resolve. When the Biden Administration left, there were 685 unresolved SIPs with 322 considered overdue. The Trump EPA’s goal is to clear this backlog as soon as possible.
Ozone background
Ground-level ozone is not emitted directly into the air but is created by chemical reactions between oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOC). This happens when pollutants emitted by cars, power plants, industrial boilers, refineries, chemical plants, and other sources chemically react in the presence of sunlight. Ozone in the air we breathe can harm our health, especially on hot sunny days when ozone can reach unhealthy levels. Those at greatest risk of harm from breathing air containing ozone include people with asthma. Elevated exposures to ozone can affect sensitive vegetation and ecosystems, including forests, parks, wildlife refuges and wilderness areas.
For more information about ozone, see our webpage.
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