DEC Extends Deadline for Air Monitoring Capacity Building Grant Applications

$1 Million in Grants Available, Application Deadline Extended to Oct. 12

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the extension of the application deadline for DEC's Air Monitoring Capacity Building Grant to Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 3 p.m. The $1 million grant program is designed to support New York's statewide air quality and greenhouse gas mobile monitoring initiative currently underway in 10 disadvantaged communities statewide identified as having a disproportionate air pollution burden based on criteria developed by the State's Climate Justice Working Group. The communities include Buffalo/Tonawanda/Niagara Falls, Capital Region (Albany/Rensselaer/Cohoes/Watervliet), Bronx, Manhattan, Rochester, Syracuse, the Mount Vernon/Yonkers area, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Hempstead area.

"The success of DEC's statewide air monitoring initiative depends on our partnerships with groups on the ground," said Commissioner Seggos. "This funding opportunity is available to support these community partners to launch important work and initiatives in neighborhoods long overburdened by environmental pollution. I encourage eligible communities to apply for this support in the fight against air pollution and our work to combat climate change."

Eligible community-based organizations in these 10 identified communities can apply for $50,000 to $100,000 to be used for, but not limited to, developing, or strengthening existing programs focused on reducing exposure and improving public health in communities most impacted by air pollution, or supporting community engagement in the State's air monitoring program. Information about the grants can be found at DEC's website. Fact sheets and maps about each of the 10 communities can be found at DEC's website.

This grant opportunity, first announced by Governor Kathy Hochul in July, is supported by the State Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) with resources designated to environmental justice communities. Individual award amounts will range from $50,000 to $100,000. DEC is now accepting applications until Oct. 12, 2022, at 3 p.m., through the New York State Grants Gateway. Among the many environmental victories in the 2022-23 State Budget, Governor Hochul succeeded in increasing the EPF from $300 to $400 million, the highest-ever level of funding in the program's history.

For more information, contact DEC's Office of Environmental Justice by email at justice@dec.ny.gov (be sure to include Community Air Monitoring Capacity Building Program in the subject line of the email), or by phone at (518) 402-8556. The question and answer period closes Sept. 28, 2022.

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New York State's nation-leading climate agenda is the most aggressive climate and clean energy initiative in the nation, calling for an orderly and just transition to clean energy that creates jobs and continues fostering a green economy as New York State recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. Enshrined into law through the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, New York is on a path to achieve its mandated goal of a zero-emission electricity sector by 2040, including 70 percent renewable energy generation by 2030, and to reach economy wide carbon neutrality. It builds on New York's unprecedented investments to ramp-up clean energy including over $35 billion in 120 large-scale renewable and transmission projects across the state, $6.8 billion to reduce buildings emissions, $1.8 billion to scale up solar, more than $1 billion for clean transportation initiatives, and over $1.6 billion in NY Green Bank commitments. Combined, these investments are supporting nearly 158,000 jobs in New York's clean energy sector in 2020, a 2,100 percent growth in the distributed solar sector since 2011 and a commitment to develop 9,000 megawatts of offshore wind by 2035. Under the Climate Act, New York will build on this progress and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 85 percent from 1990 levels by 2050, while ensuring that at least 35 percent with a goal of 40 percent of the benefits of clean energy investments are directed to disadvantaged communities, and advance progress towards the state's 2025 energy efficiency target of reducing on-site energy consumption by 185 trillion BTUs of end-use energy savings.

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