WHEREAS, air quality can threaten our environment, economy, and the health of the residents of Williamson County; and 
WHEREAS, air pollution levels in Central Texas were considered “moderate” or worse as a result of elevated ozone (O3) or fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution on thirty-four percent of days in 2020, according to the National Air Quality Index; and
WHEREAS, children, older adults, people with lung disease and people with heart disease are particularly affected by poor air quality, and make up about two out of every five residents in the CAPCOG region; and
WHEREAS, ground-level O3 levels in the Austin-Round Rock-Georgetown Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) remain close to exceeding the O3 National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) and the regions PM2.5 levels are within the range EPA recently considered for the PM2.5 NAAQS; and
WHEREAS, ground-level ozone is an odorless, colorless gas that can lead to respiratory problems and is driven locally by combustion sources such as cars, trucks, construction equipment, and power plants; and
WHEREAS, particulate matter, which is different from ozone, is defined as the sum of all solid and liquid particles suspended in air, which include both organic and inorganic particles, such as dust, pollen, soot, smoke, and liquid droplets, which can vary in size and come from sources such as road and construction dust, prescribed fires, commercial cooking, and mining and quarrying; and