EPA Deputy Administrator Announces $75,000 Environmental Justice Grant to Groundwork Ohio River Valley for Air Quality Monitoring in Cincinnati
Funding will help improve public health in high-risk Cincinnati neighborhoods
CINCINNATI (March 29, 2022) — Today, U.S. EPA Deputy Administrator Janet McCabe joined Mayor Aftab Pureval at the Oyler Community Learning Center in Cincinnati to announce a $75,000 Environmental Justice Grant to Groundwork Ohio River Valley. EPA’s grant will fund a community-driven air quality monitoring project to gather data about air pollution in overburdened neighborhoods and reduce exposure.
“EPA funding will expand an innovative local program that helps improve air quality and empower community members to better advocate for and protect their health,” said EPA Deputy Administrator McCabe. “EPA is thrilled to be able to partner with Groundwork Ohio River Valley through this grant to provide young people from Cincinnati with an opportunity to learn new skills and use them to support and strengthen their community.”
Groundwork’s air quality monitoring program will focus on neighborhoods where residents experience a higher risk of heart disease and cancer related to air pollution and asthma. The grant will expand Groundwork’s air and water quality education training for their Green Team Youth Employee Workforce, as well as for members of the Climate Safe Neighborhood Equity Advisory Group.
"There is no better way to understand the impacts of Climate Change than learning from our frontline communities and building their power to fight it,” said Tanner Yess, Co-Executive Director of Groundwork Ohio River Valley. “This program connects the data behind air quality and other equity indicators, which allows residents and our youth green workforce to take action. Groundwork Ohio River Valley and its partners are changing the way our city prioritizes equity in planning."
“Cincinnati is proud to have Groundwork Ohio River Valley as a dedicated partner in our shared mission of comprehensive environmental justice,” said Mayor Pureval. “We are grateful for the EPA’s support of this project to foster ownership and education for Cincinnatians of all ages.”
“This is great news for Cincinnati and the Ohio River Valley,” said U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown. “These resources will help provide community members with the technology and training they need to monitor local air quality. We’re working to give Ohioans living in the Ohio River Valley the tools they need to take control of their health and help mitigate serious health problems caused by air pollution.”
This grant will help achieve the goals of President Biden’s Justice40 initiative, which aims to ensure that federal agencies deliver at least 40% of benefits from certain investments to underserved communities.
Over 100 youth employees and 10 neighborhood residents will be trained on air quality and monitoring techniques and air pollution education. Twenty youth employees will earn green infrastructure certifications. Groundwork will also be able to expand its air monitoring technology and gather more accurate data. This data will then be used to create yearly air quality reports, which will be incorporated into neighborhood resilience plans and formally adopted by the city council.
Groundwork is a nonprofit organization working to form community-based partnerships that empower people, businesses, and organizations to promote environmental, economic, and social well-being.
EPA’s grant was announced at Oyler Community Learning Center, a Cincinnati Public School that also functions as the neighborhood's resource hub including health, dental, early childhood education, and career services. Groundwork will work extensively with Oyler on the air quality monitoring project.
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