Air Quality & Environment

The region has come a long way in addressing its air quality and other environmental challenges. But additional work remains in order to protect public health, sensitive ecosystems, and expensive infrastructure from the effects of air and water pollution and climate change.

To address these concerns, the TPB regularly forecasts future vehicle-related emissions of several common air pollutants and coordinates efforts to keep those emissions below approved regional limits beyond its own metropolitan planning area. Through its regional Green Streets Policy, the TPB is promoting and coordinating approaches to roadway design that mitigate runoff after heavy rains, which can pollute and damage local waterways. And together, COG and the TPB are working to identify strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and ways to adapt to the effects of climate change that are already underway or seen as inevitable.