DEC is undertaking a statewide community air quality monitoring effort in ten disadvantaged communities that are home to an estimated five million New Yorkers.
Air quality monitoring will focus on locations in these communities with high air pollution burdens. This effort will help DEC target strategies to reduce air pollution, including the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change, in these burdened areas to help achieve the goals of the State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
Ten disadvantaged communities (DACs) were selected for air quality monitoring using criteria developed by the State's Climate Justice Working Group. Comprised of members of Environmental Justice and community organizations across the state, the Working Group will help ensure all of New York's communities benefit from the implementation of the Climate Act. These ten communities were identified as having a disproportionate air pollution burden and include Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Tonawanda, Capital Region, Bronx, Manhattan, Rochester, Syracuse, Mount Vernon/Yonkers/New Rochelle, Brooklyn, Queens, and Hempstead/New Cassel/Roosevelt/Uniondale/Westbury. The results of the monitoring will drive solutions to reduce greenhouse gases and other harmful air pollutants to protect public health.
Air monitoring will be bolstered by an additional $2 million in grants that will support community-led, complementary air monitoring efforts, and $1 million in Community Air Monitoring Capacity Building Grants, for a total of $3 million in grants to communities. At the completion of monitoring, DEC will advance strategies to reduce emissions of toxic air contaminants, criteria air pollutants, and greenhouse gases in these communities.
New York State contracted with Aclima to measure air pollution from sources such as cars, diesel trucks, construction equipment, commercial sources, and industrial facilities. Air pollution data will be collected by Aclima cars with sensors driving along neighborhood streets, block-by-block, and across communities. Measurements will be made by driving at least 20 times on each road segment at different times of day, days of the week, and seasons of the year. Community-based organizations in each community helped to identify and define specific areas for monitoring.
