Sharon Bailey Murphy, executive director of the Coastal Bend Air Quality Partnership, delivered the partnership's annual presentation to the San Patricio County Commissioners Court and outlined recent work and recommendations.

Murphy said the partnership has worked since 1995 with municipalities, industry, military and nonprofit groups across the coastal bin to maintain attainment of national ambient air quality standards. She told the court that the region has remained in attainment for the six criteria pollutants even as standards tightened and the population grew.

The presentation highlighted a Texas A&M-Corpus Christi economic study cited by Murphy that estimated nonattainment of federal ozone standards would cost the region about $54 billion; including PM2.5 in the calculation would double that figure to about $108 billion, she said. Murphy said the partnership is developing a Coastal Bend Community Air Action Plan and recommended steps San Patricio County could take for county operations: develop an ozone action plan, participate in vehicle pollution-prevention inspections, have county fleets undergo checks through the Pollution Prevention Partnership at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and adopt anti-idling policies for fleet vehicles.

Murphy thanked San Patricio County for long-term support and noted that both the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have recognized the partnership's community-based planning model. She described outreach work including open houses, school events and public awareness activities.

No vote was taken; the presentation was accepted for the record and commissioners expressed appreciation for the partnership's work and suggested continued coordination on county operations.