The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced seven organizations in Colorado have been chosen for more than $2.9 million in funds toward air quality monitoring projects in the Denver area, as well as northern and southwest Colorado.
According to a Nov. 3 EPA news release, the grants are among 132 projects across 37 states. Through President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan, 37 states are receiving $53.4 million for air quality monitoring. These projects are for underserved communities, and those that have issues with pollution.
“This funding will help address air quality information gaps in and near underserved communities across the Front Range and Southwest Colorado, providing community members with more data about the air they breathe” EPA Regional Administrator KC Becker said in the release. “The data these projects produce will help Colorado communities more closely evaluate potential pollution concerns and opportunities to address them.”
According to the release, Colorado projects include San Juan Basin Public Health, $312,500 to deploy particulate matter, ozone and volatile organic compound monitors in Archuleta, La Plata and San Juan counties; Fort Collins, $499,139 for VOC and air toxics monitoring at areas new oil and gas development in Larimer and western Weld counties; 350 Colorado, $498,537 for air quality monitoring programs for VOC, ozone, methane and particulate matter near two public schools in Greeley; Cultivando, $500,000 for monitoring stations and deployment of a mobile air monitoring van for Commerce City, Globeville and Elyria-Swansea; Jefferson County, $225,954.25 for creating air monitoring capacity for underserved communities; Tri-County Health Department, $403,996 for expanding the air monitoring networks in Adams and Arapaho counties; and Black Parents United Foundation, $472,656 for installing and operating ozone, VOC, methane and PM2.5 air monitors in Aurora.
"Polluted air hurts Coloradans' health and ability to enjoy the outdoors. That's why I voted to expand community and local efforts to monitor their own air quality," said Rep. Jason Crow (CO-06), according to the release. "This funding will help Colorado communities most impacted by bad air quality expand localized monitoring so that we can better understand how pollution impacts communities."
