Organized by @actonclimateUS, the event was a call to @POTUS and @EPA to adopt more stringent standards for air toxics like #mercury and fulfill commitments to

By Erin Douglas, The Texas Tribune HOUSTON — When Brenda Compton, 73, was a child living in a tight-knit Black neighborhood of northeast Houston, the smell of chemicals was constant, she said. The soil was discolored. She remembers the rainbow sheen on the water running in the drainage ditches. “We were used to it because it was our neighborhood,” said Compton, who grew up in Fifth Ward and still lives in the house her parents built more than 70 years ago. “It was our home.”

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) is alerting the community of an Ozone Action Day for tomorrow, August 3rd with atmospheric conditions expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone air pollution.

The City of San Antonio is kicking off its “Breathe Today. SA Tomorrow.” air quality public education campaign to encourage businesses and residents to help reduce air pollution. The campaign will include blogger meet-ups, media outreach, neighborhood events, industry roundtables, social media postings and print and digital advertising. “Everyone has a role to play regarding our air quality,” said Chief Sustainability Officer Douglas Melnick, “and this is a message we want people to understand and take action on to help us maintain clean air.”

The City of San Antonio is asking for input from the business community and residents to provide their feedback on a proposed ordinance limiting idling of heavy duty vehicles to five minutes. Comments are accepted by letter, phone call, voicemail or e‐mail directed to the City of San Antonio through Tuesday, May 31, 2016. Details of the proposed ordinance are available at www.sanantonio.gov/sustainability.

San Antonio has unhealthy levels of ozone that could cause premature death, asthma attacks and heart disease, according to the American Lung Association’s just-released “State of the Air” report. That reinforces the need for regional measures to improve air quality, including an anti-idling ordinance, says San Antonio District 8 City Councilman Ron Nirenberg.