Jefferson County Meets Federal Ozone Standards, But Heavy Industry Is Present

Jefferson County is in the Beaumont-Port Arthur (BPA) ozone area. Hardin and Orange counties are also in this area. As of 2018, the BPA area met the 2015 federal ozone standard. Meeting the standard is called attainment. The area must follow a TCEQ-approved plan to stay in attainment.

Big refineries and chemical plants operate in Port Arthur and Beaumont. TCEQ (the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) permits and watches those sites.

If you are worried about air near a specific plant, go to tceq.texas.gov. You can search air monitoring data and look up emissions event reports there.

People with asthma or other breathing issues should check the daily air quality index before spending a long time outside near industrial areas.