Scores of Houstonians spoke out Monday night at a hearing on a proposal to improve air quality in the city, and more than 100 others were unable to attend because of overcrowding at the Houston-Galveston Area Council offices.

The purpose of the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission's proposal is to ensure that the state meets the federal standard for ground-level ozone. In addition to Houston and Galveston, the plan would affect the Dallas-Fort Worth and Beaumont-Port Arthur areas.

Chuck Mueller, TNRCC manager of the Strategic Implementation Plan Section, said Houston would have to undergo more stringent measures than other areas because of the city's deteriorating air quality.

Among the measures called for in the proposal are the expansion of vehicle emissions testing to eight area counties, a reduction in the speed limit, potential restrictions for individual motorists and a ban on operating heavy-duty construction equipment in the morning. Industrial emissions would be reduced as well.

TNRCC's goal is to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by as much as 75 percent in the Houston-Galveston area, compared to 57 and 26 percent in the Dallas and Beaumont areas, respectively.

"I don't want anybody telling me when I can and can't mow my yard," said Mary, a concerned citizen who asked that her last name not be revealed. "I think they need to get over there and get those chemical plants and make them clean up their act."

"I think we're hearing just about everything," Mueller said. "Not enough, too much, concerns about some of the proposals that are out there. I think that people are, for the most part, trying to be constructive in their comments and provide us with some input on which ones they think will work and which ones they think won't."

Green Party member Dennis Carter said the plan to reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 75 percent is inadequate.

"It's not going to be enough," Carter said. "We're killing kids, we're killing ourselves with all of this (pollution). It's really sad that we live in a population where so many people aren't concerned with their health."

Carter blamed the city's pollution woes on the refineries.

"This is going to sound tough, but they need to quit giving grants to people for a while," he said. "What they do is, they use a public relations campaign when they give grant money to doctors to go to school, to students to go to the University of Houston -- they give money to all of these wonderful, good things, wonderful charities.

"They need to stop it for about five years and clean up their own backyard," Carter said. "Turn the money back on themselves."

He said many associated with these industries are more concerned with money than with the environment.

"I really feel like the CEOs of these corporations are dumber than dirt," Carter said. "They don't realize that yes, maybe the stock will go down for a while, but all they're doing is playing a public relations campaign to keep the price of the stock up. And if it means polluting and killing people, that's what they'll do."

Mueller said he was surprised by the large turnout at the hearing.

"The concepts that are on the table are touching everybody," he said. "Every sector of the industry, the population, people's homes, their daily lives are being impacted by this. It's definitely got to the point where everybody's being asked to do their part."

"I think they're surprised too. I don't think they realize how passionate we are about clean air," Carter said.

Public comment on the proposals ends today. Another proposal based on the recent feedback will be drafted during the summer, which will again be open for comment.

TNRCC hopes to have a final plan submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency by December.

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