As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump moves to unwind or delay a range of air- and climate-related rules, public-health and environmental advocates warn the shift could hit Texas especially hard, just as industry groups and Republican officials argue the changes rein in costly federal overreach and return authority to states.
Texas already struggles to meet federal ozone limits in major metro areas. The EPA has classified the Dallas–Fort Worth, Houston–Galveston–Brazoria and San Antonio regions as “serious” nonattainment areas for the 2015 ozone standard.
These are designations that typically trigger tighter planning requirements and deadlines for pollution reductions. Health researchers have long linked higher ozone and fine-particle exposure with worse respiratory outcomes, including asthma impacts.
Critics say an aggressive rollback agenda, including efforts affecting methane oversight and greenhouse-gas reporting, could increase emissions from the state’s vast oil-and-gas footprint, particularly in the Permian Basin, and reduce transparency that companies and investors use to track pollution and qualify for federal incentives.
The EPA has proposed major changes to its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program, and outside analysts warn the move could ripple through markets and compliance regimes.
At the same time, potential reductions or disruptions in federal environmental funding are raising alarms among local governments and nonprofits that rely on grants for monitoring and cleanup.
The administration has also supported repealing a Biden-era methane fee, a move celebrated by producers but criticized by Democrats as a step backward on climate and public health.
State regulators, including the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, say Texas is pursuing its own emissions-reduction planning through federal grant programs — but the direction and durability of those programs could be tested as Washington’s priorities shift.
Guest:
Jen Duggan is executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project.
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This episode will be recorded on Thursday, February 5, 2026, at 12:30 p.m.
