Project Grant 02F28501

DESCRIPTION:THE AGREEMENT PROVIDES FUNDING UNDER INFLATION REDUCTION ACT TO CONDUCT AMBIENT AIR MONITORING OF POLLUTANTS OF GREATEST CONCERN IN COMMUNITIES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH OUTCOME DISPARITIES STEMMING FROM POLLUTION AND THE CORONAVIRUS DISEASE OF 2019 PANDEMIC. THE PRIMARY AIM OF THIS PROJECT IS TO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF OUR LOCAL PARTNERS IN ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH ('ST. JOHN') TO ADVOCATE ON BEHALF OF THEIR CONSTITUENTS ON ISSUES RELATING TO ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE/ HEALTH EQUITY. THESE GROUPS OF CONCERNED CITIZENS HAVE ALREADY ACHIEVED SOME IMPORTANT MILESTONES IN THESE AREAS, AND THEIR SUCCESS IN ADDRESSING THESE ENDEMIC ISSUES WILL ONLY GROW IF THEY ARE WELL-RESOURCED. THE TARGET COMMUNITY IS ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH [POP. ~21,000], LOCATED ABOUT 20 MILES FROM THE HEART OF NEW ORLEANS AND SITUATED ALONG THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. THE NEIGHBORHOODS (REPRESENTED BY OUR PARTNER COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS PARISH SHARE SEVERAL COMMONALITIES. THEY (1) ARE SUBJECTED TO HIGH LEVELS OF AIRBORNE POLLUTANTS (SUCH AS PARTICULATE MATTER 2.5 (PM2.5), CHLOROPRENE AND OTHER VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS [VOCS], DIOXIDES, AND MERCURY, AMONG OTHERS) ORIGINATING FROM THE NEARBY DUPONT DENKA PETROCHEMICAL FACTORY3 AND THE FORMOSA PLASTICS FACTORY (AMONG MANY OTHERS; THESE ARE THE CLOSEST) EVERY SINGLE DAY OF THE YEAR, (2) HAVE ACTIVE, RESIDENT-DRIVEN ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY GROUPS WITH WHOM DEEP SOUTH CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE (DSCEJ) HAS COLLABORATED ON PRIOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PROJECTS - THESE GROUPS WERE FORMED IN DIRECT RESPONSE TO DERISIVE ACTIONS TAKEN BY LOCAL AND STATE ELECTED OFFICIALS AND LOCAL POLLUTERS, (3) ARE MAJORITY AFRICAN AMERICAN, AND (4) HAVE REQUESTED (SEE ATTACHED LETTERS) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM DSCEJ TO ADDRESS THE ENDEMIC POLLUTION WHICH PLAGUE THEIR COMMUNITIES. OUR TEAM - CONSISTING OF DEEP SOUTH CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, CITIZEN GROUPS FROM THESE THREE COMMUNITIES, DATA SCIENCE AND PUBLIC HEALTH/ TOXICOLOGY EXPERTS - INTENDS TO ACHIEVE FOUR OBJECTIVES (DETAILED BELOW): (1) EDUCATE/ TRAIN A CITIZEN ACTION TEAM FROM EACH COMMUNITY BASED ORGANIZATION (CBO) ABOUT THE PROBLEM (POLLUTION SOURCES/ TYPES, HEALTH IMPACTS FOR LEVELS OF PREVALENT POLLUTANTS, REMEDIATION OPTIONS, ET CETERA) AND EFFECTIVE ACTIONS THEY CAN TAKE; (2) DEVELOP, THROUGH COMMUNITY-DRIVEN PROCESSES, A COMPREHENSIVE AIR MONITORING PLAN THAT SPECIFIES TARGETED POLLUTANTS, AND INCLUDES A PLAN/STRATEGIES FOR PROJECT MONITORING, DISSEMINATION, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT; (3) TRAIN THE CITIZEN ACTION TEAMS, BASED ON THE COMMUNITY-DESIGNED PLAN, IN THE SKILLS THEY WILL NEED TO CARRY OUT THE ASSOCIATED ACTIVITIES (AND IN SOME CASES, ENHANCE EXISTING EFFORTS) IN THEIR COMMUNITY (IN PHASES - THAT IS, MONITORING/DATA SKILLS MAY BE TAUGHT FIRST, WHILE DISSEMINATION STRATEGIES MAY COME LATER); (4) INSTALL MONITORING EQUIPMENT AND IMPLEMENT PLANNED CIVIC ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES OVER THE ENSUING ~18 MONTHS (MONITORING, DATA COLLECTION, REPORT-WRITING, DISSEMINATION OF FINDINGS, MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, ADVOCACY, ET CETERA.). ACTIVITIES:THE ACTIVITIES WILL BE USED TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY AND LOCAL EFFORTS TO MONITOR THEIR OWN AIR QUALITY AND TO PROMOTE AIR QUALITY MONITORING PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN COMMUNITIES AND TRIBAL, STATE, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS THAT: LEVERAGE EXISTING AIR QUALITY EXPERTISE, EXPAND USE OF COMMUNITY MONITORING GROUPS AND OTHER APPROACHES THAT GIVE THE COMMUNITY A VOICE IN THE MONITORING OF THE AIR QUALITY, AND BUILD A FOUNDATION OF TRUSTING RELATIONSHIPS AND ENHANCED UNDERSTANDING FROM WHICH SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO COMMUNITY AIR POLLUTION PROBLEMS CAN BE FOUND. EXPECTED PROJECT OUTPUTS AND OUTCOMES. OUR PROJECT WILL INVOLVE BOTH PROCESS-ORIENTED OUTPUTS ASSOCIATED WITH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND FULFILLMENT OF ACTIVITIES RELATED TO COMMUNITY MOBILIZATION AND AIR QUALITY MONITORING, AS WELL AS OUTCOMES RELATED TO BEHAVIORAL CHANGE. WHILE IT IS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF OUR PROJECT TO MEASURE LONG-TERM