Biden-Harris Administration Announces Almost $1.2 Million for Four Community Air Pollution Monitoring Projects in Michigan
Largest investment for community air monitoring in EPA history funded by President Biden’s Climate and Economic Plans
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency selected two governments and two organizations to receive funding to conduct community air quality monitoring in Michigan. These grants are four of 132 air monitoring projects in 37 states that will receive $53.4 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in communities across the United States. The projects are focused on communities that are underserved, historically marginalized, and overburdened by pollution, supporting President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative.
“For too long, underserved communities have been overburdened by air pollution,” said EPA Regional Administrator Debra Shore. “Clean air is vital for building healthy, thriving communities. EPA is proud to work with our community partners to provide those in need with these critical air-monitoring resources.”
The awardees have been selected from across the state of Michigan: the Asthma & Allergy Foundation of America Michigan Chapter, the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians, the city of Detroit and the Green Door Initiative. In total, these projects will receive $1,193,818 in funding. Michigan also received funding as part of a grant to the Wildlife Habitat Council. The Council’s $460,000 grant is part of a multi-state project.
“We know air pollution is linked to a number of serious health conditions, and communities of color are hit hardest with higher levels of pollution,” said Sen. Debbie Stabenow. “These investments will help improve air quality monitoring and public health in our communities that need it the most.”
“It’s clear that we need to take additional steps to address the harmful effects of pollution on our communities and ensure the air we breathe is safe,” said Sen. Gary Peters. “I’m proud to have supported the legislation that is providing these investments that will support local efforts, particularly in underserved Michigan communities, to protect our health and our future — and I will continue to work to reduce environmental and health disparities caused by pollution in Michigan.”
“Clean air is a basic human right, and as we work to clean up our environment and prevent future pollution, it’s critical that we prioritize communities that have historically been underserved and left behind,” said Rep. Debbie Dingell. “This funding will help collect crucial air quality data in neighborhoods that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution, which will help improve health outcomes for residents and build the infrastructure our communities need to be more resilient to the effects of climate change.”
“Air pollution from traffic and industry impacts low-income and underserved communities the most in Michigan, resulting in higher rates of pollution-related illnesses such as asthma. I am proud to have supported and voted for the Inflation Reduction Act and other legislation that funds federal investments to monitor air quality in our communities. Improving air quality monitoring systems, especially for frontline communities, is a matter of public health,” said Rep. Brenda Lawrence. “We must continue to support the EPA’s efforts to reduce the impact of air pollution in Detroit and cities across the country. Let me be clear: clean air is a human right.”
“Detroit’s residents are disproportionately harmed by corporate polluters. Rates of asthma in the city are 46% higher than in the rest of Michigan,” said Rep. Rashida Tlaib. “The EPA grants to establish a city-wide air pollution monitoring system will equip residents with data that backs up their lived experience and educate policy makers on the cumulative impacts of pollution on our frontline communities. Monitoring pollution is a first step—we must use this information to improve the air quality of our city and reduce the racial health disparities Detroiters experience. Every human being deserves to breathe clean air, regardless of their zip code. Children can’t learn if they can’t breathe clean air.”
The air pollution monitoring projects are made possible by more than $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which supplemented $20 million from the American Rescue Plan and enabled EPA to support 77 additional projects, more than twice the number of projects initially proposed by community-based nonprofit organizations, state and local governments, and Tribal governments.
These grant selections further the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative and Executive Order, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad, which directed that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to overburdened communities that face disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental impacts. By enhancing air monitoring and encouraging partnerships with communities, EPA is investing in efforts to better protect people’s health, particularly those in underserved communities.
EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. Grantees will have three years to spend the funds from the time EPA awards the grants.
See the full list of applications selected for award.
Background
In spring 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan, providing EPA with a one-time supplemental appropriation of $100 million to address health outcome disparities from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. Half of that $100 million, was dedicated to air quality monitoring. EPA Regions began awarding nearly $22.5 million from this appropriation in 2022 as direct awards to state, tribal, and local air agencies for continuous monitoring of fine particle and other common pollutants. In addition, EPA Regions are in the process of procuring monitoring equipment using $5 million in American Rescue Plan funding to advance the EPA Regional Offices’ mobile air monitoring capacity and establish air sensor loan programs. These investments will improve EPA's ability to support communities that need short-term monitoring and air quality information.
In July 2021, EPA announced the $20 million American Rescue Plan Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring for Communities Grant Competition. The goal of this competition was to improve air quality monitoring in and near underserved communities across the United States, support community efforts to monitor their own air quality, and promote air quality monitoring partnerships between communities and tribal, state, and local governments. EPA received more than 200 applications in response to the competition.
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 provides funding to EPA to deploy, integrate, support, and maintain fenceline air monitoring, screening air monitoring, national air toxics trend stations, and other air toxics and community monitoring. Specifically, the Inflation Reduction Act provides funding for grants and other activities under section 103 and section 105 of the Clean Air Act. EPA is using approximately $32.3 million of this funding to select 77 high-scoring community monitoring applications.