* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [Air Quality Awareness Week Press Conference]
          [00:00:06]
          READY TO GET GOING? YEAH. 
          WELCOME EVERYBODY. 
          GOOD AFTERNOON. 
          I AM AUSTIN'S MAYOR PRO TEM PAGE ELLIS. 
          I AM PLEASED TO SERVE AS THE DELEGATE TO THE CAP COG CLEAN AIR COALITION AND THE CLEAN AIR FORCE BOARD OF CENTRAL TEXAS. 
          SO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE TODAY. 
          WE ARE HERE DURING AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK TO DISCUSS THE IMPORTANCE OF CLEAN AIR IN CENTRAL TEXAS, THE STATE OF AIR QUALITY IN OUR REGION, AND WHAT WE CAN DO TO IMPROVE IT AT A BREATHING RATE OF 5,000 GALLONS OF AIR PER DAY, OR ABOUT EIGHT OUNCES OF AIR PER SECOND. 
          EVERY CELL IN YOUR BODY IS DEPENDENT UPON THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE. 
          OUR GOAL IS TO RAISE AWARENESS ABOUT AIR QUALITY IN OUR COMMUNITY, DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES WE FACE, AND HIGHLIGHT THE WORK THAT IS BEING DONE TO ADDRESS THOSE CHALLENGES. 
          WE ALSO AIM TO INVITE ALL AUSTINITES TO SHARE STEWARDSHIP OF OUR PUBLIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH BY TAKING ACTIONS TO PROTECT AIR QUALITY. 
          I AM HONORED TO BE JOINED BY SEVERAL LEADERS WHO WILL PROVIDE INSIGHTS INTO THE WORK BEING DONE TO IMPROVE OUR AIR QUALITY. 
          AND WITH THAT SAID, I WOULD LIKE TO INTRODUCE OUR FIRST SPEAKER, WHO IS ANTON COX, AIR QUALITY PROGRAM MANAGER FOR THE CAPITAL AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS. 
          THANK YOU, MAYOR PRO TIM. 
          UM, LIKE SHE SAID, MY NAME IS ANTON COX AND I AM THE AIR QUALITY PROGRAM MANAGER AT CAP COG CAPITAL AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS. 
          UM, AND THE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS IS FOCUSED ON REGIONALISM WORKING TO BRING THE REGION TOGETHER ON, UM, INITIATIVES THAT DON'T HAVE BORDERS OR POLITICAL BORDERS. 
          UM, AND ONE OF THOSE IS AIR QUALITY, WHICH KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES. 
          UM, SO THE CLEAN AIR COALITION, WHICH IS THE COMMITTEE THAT OF LOCAL OFFICIALS THAT HAVE COME TOGETHER TO WORK ON AIR QUALITY, HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED FOR OVER 20 YEARS NOW. 
          UM, AND ACTUALLY MAYOR PRO TIM IS A, THE VICE CHAIR OF THAT COMMITTEE RIGHT NOW. 
          UM, AND WE'VE BEEN PROUD TO WORK VOLUNTARILY ON ACTIONS THAT THE WE CAN DO TO HELP IMPROVE AND PROTECT, UM, AIR QUALITY IN THE REGION. 
          UM, AIR QUALITY AFFECTS ALMOST HALF OF THE POPULATION OF CENTRAL TEXAS WITH PEOPLE, UM, UNDER 18 OLDER ADULTS. 
          THOSE, UM, THAT HAVE A RESPIRATORY ILLNESS AND THOSE THAT SPEND TIME OUTDOORS, UM, ARE PARTICULARLY AFFECTED BY AIR QUALITY. 
          UM, AND SO OUR ORGANIZATION HAS WORKED ON VOLUNTARY ACTIONS AND STRATEGIES THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP PROTECT, UM, THE CITIZENS IN THE REGION, DOING THINGS LIKE OUTREACH AND EDUCATION AND AIR QUALITY MONITORING SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT AIR QUALITY LOOKS LIKE ACROSS THE ENTIRE REGION. 
          UM, WE'RE VERY PROUD TO BE WORKING, UM, AS A COALITION THAT'S DOING ACTION VOLUNTARILY RATHER THAN WORKING. 
          UM, BECAUSE WE ARE FORCED TO BY FEDERAL REGULATIONS, OUR REGION IS ACTUALLY ENTERTAINMENT OF ALL AIR QUALITY STANDARDS. 
          UM, AND THAT IS IN NO SMALL PART TO THE WORK THAT THIS COALITION HAS PUT TOGETHER TO HELP PROTECT AIR QUALITY. 
          SO FOR THIS AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK, WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF HOW AIR QUALITY CAN AFFECT THEIR LIFE AND HOW THEY CAN HAVE AN EFFECT ON AIR QUALITY LOCALLY. 
          AND WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW, UM, THAT THEY CAN NOT ONLY JUST, UM, REDUCE AIR QUALITY, BUT ALSO REDUCE THEIR EXPOSURE TO HIGH, UM, AIR POLLUTION. 
          SO KNOWING ABOUT WHEN AIR QUALITY IS GONNA BE POOR OR MIGHT BE, UH, MIGHT HAVE AN IMPACT ON SOME ON YOURSELF OR A LOVED ONE IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO HELP US, UM, PROTECT NOT ONLY YOU BUT YOUR LOVED ONES. 
          AND WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO PASS THE MIC OVER TO, UM, ONE OF MY COLLEAGUES, THE CHAIR OF THE CLEAN AIR COALITION, MELISSA REYNOLDS ELSE. 
          HI. 
          THANK YOU ANTON. 
          UM, AS HE SAID, MY NAME'S MELISSA REYNOLDS. 
          I'M THE CHAIRPERSON FOR THE CLEAN AIR FORCE, CLEAN AIR C WE'VE BEEN HERE FOR OVER 20 YEARS. 
          WE'RE PROBABLY ONE OF THE NONPROFITS YOU MAYBE HAVEN'T HEARD OF, BUT WE'VE BEEN DOING WORK WITH GOVERNMENT AND WITH OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES, EDUCATION AGENCIES TO TRY TO BRING CLEAN AIR TO THE AUSTIN AREA AND THE METRO AREA. 
          SOME OF YOU MAY NOT KNOW THAT AUSTIN'S ACTUALLY THE ONLY MAJOR CITY TO HAVE NEVER REACHED UN ENTERTAINMENT IN THE EPA GUIDELINES, WHICH IS GREAT FOR BUSINESS AND WE WANNA KEEP IT THAT WAY, RIGHT? BUT WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT CLEAN AIR IS THERE FOR OUR CHILDREN. 
          WE DO THINGS LIKE PARTNER WITH AUSTIN, I S D, AND WE'VE BROUGHT OUT IN THE LAST YEAR OR TWO WHAT WE CALL PURPLE AIR SENSORS THAT ARE ACROSS AUSTIN ISD CAMPUSES, WHICH HAVE ACTUALLY HELPED CHILDREN HELP EDUCATE THEIR PARENTS ABOUT THE BENEFITS OF CLEAN AIR WHEN THE PARENTS ARE IDLING AT A SCHOOL WAITING TO PICK UP THEIR CHILDREN AND HOW THAT AFFECTS THE AIR QUALITY LEVELS JUST EVEN AT THEIR SCHOOLS. 
          SO WE'RE DRIVEN TO REDUCE EMISSIONS, UM, ACROSS THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR SECTOR WITH MAJOR EMPLOYERS, AND WE WANT TO ELIMINATE THAT POLLUTION AT ITS POINT SOURCE, WHICH CAN BE MANUFACTURING, BUT IT CAN ALSO BE US, OUR INDIVIDUAL EMPLOYEES, UM, THAT WE WORK WITH EVERY DAY IN OUR COMPANIES. 
          SO WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE BRING EDUCATION OPPORTUNITIES 
          [00:05:01]
TO OTHER GROUPS. 
          WITH THAT WE BELIEVE IT'S A COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITY ACROSS THE COMMUNITY TO HAVE CLEAN AIR AND TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE CLEAN AIR, NOT ONLY FOR US AND THE PEOPLE WHO ARE OUTSIDE ENJOYING IT, BUT FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS HERE IN AUSTIN, UH, WE RECOGNIZE THAT THIS IS A COLLABORATIVE EFFORT AND IT TAKES ALL OF US. 
          IT TAKES A VILLAGE, RIGHT? OR A WHOLE CITY OR A METROPOLITAN AREA, AND WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO SEEK PARTNERSHIPS. 
          WE HAVE OVER 30 PARTNERSHIPS RIGHT NOW WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, BUSINESSES, EDUCATION, AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS TO HELP DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT STRATEGIES THAT HELP REDUCE AIR POLLUTION TOGETHER. 
          I KNOW THAT WE CAN HAVE A CLEANER, HEALTHIER, MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR OUR COMMUNITY IN THE CLEAN AIR FORCE IS DEDICATED TO PLAYING AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THAT. 
          SO NEXT I'D LIKE TO INTRODUCE LUKE. 
          LUKE METZKER. 
          HE'S THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT TEXAS. 
          UH, THANKS MELISSA. 
          AND, AND THANKS, UH, MAYOR PROTEM ELLIS FOR HOLDING THIS EVENT. 
          UH, THIS, IT'S VERY TIMELY BECAUSE AS SUMMER APPROACHES, WE ARE NOW IN OZONE SEASON WHERE, UH, SMOG POLLUTION, UH, BECOMES EVEN WORSE AND REALLY THREATENS HUMAN HEALTH. 
          AND, UH, AND THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE DRAW ATTENTION TO THIS PROBLEM, UH, TO HELP PROTECT PEOPLE, UH, FROM THIS POLLUTION AS WELL AS TAKE ACTIONS TO REDUCE IT. 
          YOU KNOW, AS UH, MORE AND MORE RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE ON AIR POLLUTION AND ITS EFFECTS ON HUMAN HEALTH AND OUR WELLBEING, WE'RE LEARNING THAT THE SCALE AND MAGNITUDE OF THOSE EFFECTS IS MUCH LARGER THAN WE KNEW EVEN JUST A FEW YEARS AGO. 
          WE'RE LEARNING THAT AIR POLLUTION CAN CAUSE OR WORSEN EVERYTHING FROM HEART DISEASE TO CANCER DEPRESSION, TO COVID 19. 
          AND THAT EXPOSURE TO PARTICULATE AND OZONE POLLUTION AT ANY LEVEL INCREASES THE RISK OF DEATH. 
          AND IT'S CLEAR THAT FOSSIL FUEL COMBUSTION IS ONE OF THE MAIN SOURCES OF AIR POLLUTION. 
          AND IT'S INCREASINGLY CLEAR THAT GLOBAL WARMING WILL BOTH EXACERBATE THE AIR POLLUTION PROBLEM AND BE ACCELERATED BY MANY FORMS OF AIR POLLUTION. 
          THE SINGLE BIGGEST TOOL TO IMPROVING AIR QUALITY AND REDUCING CLIMATE POLLUTION IS TO RAPIDLY SHIFT AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS THROUGHOUT THE ECONOMY. 
          AND I'M PROUD TO LIVE IN A CITY THAT'S PRIORITIZING SUCH A TRANSITION. 
          YOU KNOW, THANKS IN PART TO THE LEADERSHIP OF MAYOR PROTE ELLIS. 
          THE CITY IS ENABLING PEOPLE TO DRIVE LESS AND WALK AND BIKE AND USE TRANSIT MORE. 
          AUSTIN, AUSTIN ENERGY GENERATES MORE THAN HALF OF ITS ELECTRICITY FROM WIND AND SOLAR, AND IS, UH, AIMING FOR EVEN HIGHER, UH, CAPITAL METRO AND AUSTIN I S D HAVE COMMITTED TO TRANSITION THEIR FLEETS TO ALL ELECTRIC BUSES. 
          AND THANKS TO THE INFLATION REDUCTION ACT PASSED BY PRESIDENT BIDEN, IN THE LAST CONGRESS, UH, HISTORIC AMOUNT OF FUNDING IS AVAILABLE TO HELP AUSTINITES AND ALL AMERICANS BUY CLEAN ELECTRIC VEHICLES, INSTALL SOLAR ON THEIR ROOFS AND MUCH MORE. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THE TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE OUR AIR CLEANER. 
          IT'S TIME TO PUT THEM INTO PLACE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WANNA THANK OUR SPEAKERS TODAY FOR THEIR INSIGHTFUL REMARKS AND FOR THEIR TIRELESS WORK ON BEHALF OF OUR ENVIRONMENT. 
          I KNOW THERE MAY ONLY BE A FEW PEOPLE UP HERE TODAY, BUT I KNOW A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE REGION ARE WORKING ON THESE ISSUES EVERY DAY. 
          UM, WHAT YOU'RE SEEING TODAY IS CITY LEADERSHIP. 
          YOU'RE SEEING OUR COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS, WHICH THE CLEAN AIR COALITION HAS A BOARD OF PROBABLY 20 OR SO MEMBERS FROM NEIGHBORING COUNTIES AND CITIES THAT HELP TO PARTNER TOGETHER. 
          AND THEN YOU HAVE FOLKS WHO WORK WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO MAKE SURE THAT BUSINESSES WITH, WITH LARGE FLEETS ARE DOING THEIR PART TO MINIMIZE IDLING AND TO PARTICIPATE IN CLEAN AIR QUALITY. 
          AND THEN YOU'VE GOT ENVIRONMENT TEXAS, WHO IS ALWAYS, YOU KNOW, TALKING TO THE STATE CAPITAL, TALKING TO CITY LEADERS AND FOLKS AROUND THE REGION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GOT NONPROFITS AND OTHER PARTNERS AT THE TABLE FOR THESE CONVERSATIONS. 
          DURING OZONE SEASON, WHICH IS MARCH THROUGH OCTOBER, I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE, AND ESPECIALLY PEOPLE WHO ARE SENSITIVE TO POOR AIR QUALITY, TO BE AIR AWARE. 
          THIS MEANS CHECKING THE AIR QUALITY INDEX BEFORE SPENDING A LOT OF TIME OUTDOORS AS WE GO FORWARD. 
          I URGE EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY TO DO THEIR PART TO REDUCE AIR POLLUTION AND PROTECT OUR AIR QUALITY. 
          YOU CAN TAKE ACTION BY REDUCING YOUR OWN EMISSIONS THROUGH SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION, REDUCING ENERGY USE, AND SUPPORTING POLICIES AND PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE CLEAN AIR. 
          BY WORKING TOGETHER, WE CAN CREATE A HEALTHIER FUTURE FOR OUR REGION. 
          LET US CONTINUE TO COLLABORATE AND TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION FOR A BRIGHTER AND CLEANER FUTURE FOR ALL. 
          SO TODAY WE ARE PROCLAIMING THIS WEEK AS AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK, AND I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO READ THE PROCLAMATION, BE IT KNOWN THAT WHEREAS AIR QUALITY IS CRITICAL TO THE HEALTH OF OUR ENVIRONMENT, ECONOMY, AND THE RESIDENTS OF AUSTIN. 
          AND WHEREAS IN 2022, CENTRAL TEXAS EXPERIENCED ITS WORST OZONE SEASON IN OVER A DECADE WITH MORE THAN 30 DAYS WHEN OZONE LEVELS WERE UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS AND TWO DAYS THAT WERE UNHEALTHY 
          [00:10:01]
FOR ALL. 
          AND WHEREAS CHILDREN, OLDER ADULTS, PREGNANT PEOPLE, PEOPLE WITH LUNG OR HEART DISEASE, MAKE UP ABOUT HALF OF ALL RESIDENTS IN CENTRAL TEXAS AND ARE PARTICULARLY AFFECTED BY POOR AIR QUALITY. 
          AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN SUPPORTS PUBLIC AWARENESS ABOUT HOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS CAN LOWER THEIR EXPOSURE TO AIR POLLUTION AND HELP IMPROVE OUR AIR QUALITY BY AVOIDING IDLING, TAKING SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION AND USING LESS ENERGY. 
          AND WHEREAS THE US ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY HAS DESIGNATED MAY 1ST THROUGH FIFTH OF 2023 AS NATIONAL AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK. 
          AND WHEREAS THE CITY OF AUSTIN SUPPORTS THE EFFORTS OF THE CENTRAL TEXAS CLEANER COALITION AND THE CLEAN AIR FORCE BOARD OF CENTRAL TEXAS TO PROMOTE AIR QUALITY. 
          NOW, THEREFORE, I PAY JEALOUS. 
          THE MAYOR PRO TEM OF THE CITY OF AUSTIN ON BEHALF OF MAYOR KIRK WATSON, DO HEREBY PROCLAIMED MAY 1ST THROUGH FIFTH 2023 AS AIR QUALITY AWARENESS WEEK. 
          YOU WANNA GET SOME PICTURES, LAUREN? YEAH. 
          THANK YOU.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.