Project Grant 95315101

DESCRIPTION:THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMPETITIVELY SELECTED GRANT IS TO PROVIDE FUNDING TO THE RECIPIENT TO CONDUCT AMBIENT AIR MONITORING OF POLLUTANTS OF GREATEST CONCERN IN COMMUNITIES WITH ENVIRONMENTAL AND HEALTH OUTCOME DISPARITIES STEMMING FROM POLLUTION AND THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL IS TO ENGAGE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY IN SOUTHWESTERN PA, WHO ARE IMPACTED BY ONGOING, CHRONIC POLLUTION LEVELS AND WHO WILL BE IMPACTED BY FUTURE ACUTE, EPISODIC POLLUTION LEVELS FROM A REGIONAL PETROCHEMICAL BUILDOUT, IN COMMUNITY AIR MONITORING ACTIVITIES. THE PROJECT WILL INVOLVE COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE DESIGN OF MONITORING PLANS, DEPLOYMENT OF MONITORING EQUIPMENT, DATA COLLECTION, ENGAGEMENT IN COMMUNITY DATA SENSEMAKING, AND COORDINATION OF COMMUNICATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY CAMPAIGNS SO THAT AIR POLLUTION CONDITIONS AND COMMUNITY WARNING AND PROTECTION CAPABILITIES ADVANCE IN THE UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY. THE PROJECT WILL ALSO LINK TO A RECENTLY FUNDED ASTHMA REGISTRY AND ENHANCE THE ASSESSMENT OF THE IMPACT OF SHORT-TERM AND LONG-TERM POLLUTION CHANGES ON ASTHMA OUTCOMES IN THESE COMMUNITIES. ACTIVITIES:THESE FUNDS 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. SPECIFICALLY, THE RECIPIENT'S ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE: AIR MONITORING INSTALLATION; DATA AGGREGATION; DISSEMINATION OF DATA; COMMUNICATING AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATION TO THE IMPACTED COMMUNITIES; AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH, EDUCATION, AND ENGAGEMENT. THE RECIPIENT WILL DO THIS BY CONNECTING WITH RESIDENTS THROUGH EXISTING RELATIONSHIPS, COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS AND PREEXISTING MONITORING NETWORKS TO CONDUCT LISTENING SESSIONS WITH THE LARGER COMMUNITY ON AIR QUALITY AND HEALTH CONCERNS. THE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RESIDENTS WILL HELP IDENTIFY THE MONITOR PLACEMENTS AND LATER TO GATHER FEEDBACK ABOUT THE MONITORS. THE RECIPIENT ALSO PLANS TO COMPARE THE MONITORING DATA WITH ASTHMA AND OTHER HEALTH OUTCOMES AND COMMUNITY THE RESULTS WITH PA - DEP, EPA, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. SUBRECIPIENT:THE ASTHMA REGISTRY ITEM IS FOR COMMUNICATIONS COSTS AND FOR RENT FOR THE IN-COMMUNITY OFFICE SPACE. AIRVIEW IS THE DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS TOOL FOR ANALYZING DATA GENERATED BY CONTINUOUS MONITORS. THE RECIPIENT INTENDS TO ISSUE SUBAWARD AGREEMENTS TO ITS PARTNERS IN COMPLIANCE WITH APPENDIX A OF EPA'S SUBAWARD POLICY.OUTCOMES:THE ANTICIPATED DELIVERABLES INCLUDE: AN INCREASE OF AIR MONITORS IN THE PROJECT AREA; A ROBUST COMMUNITY INFORMED PLAN FOR DEPLOYING MONITORS; INCREASED ENGAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS SURROUNDING AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH; A CREATION OF COMMUNICATION METHODS AND PROCEDURES FOR NOTIFICATION OF EPISODIC POLLUTION EVENTS; AND AN ASTHMA ANALYSIS WHICH WILL BE SHARED WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS, PA DEP, AND EPA. THE EXPECTED OUTCOMES INCLUDE: INCREASED PARTICIPATION, AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE AND ONGOING ENGAGEMENT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY INVOLVING AIR QUALITY; MEANINGFUL CONVERSATIONS AND DATA BRIDGE COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN IMPACTED RESIDENTS AND REGULATORY AGENCIES, SUCH AS PA DEP AND EPA; INCREASED CAPABILITIES FOR UPPER OHIO RIVER VALLEY COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO RESPOND TO ACUTE, APERIODIC POLLUTION EVENTS SO THAT PROTECTIVE ACTIONS CAN BE TAKEN; INFORMED AWARENESS ABOUT AQ DATA AND HEALTH OUTCOMES (ASTHMA) IN IMPACTED COMMUNITIES; INFORMED ADVOCACY FOR ACCOUNTABILITY CAMPAIGN EFFORTS; AND INFORMED PUBLIC INPUT TO AIR QUALITY STANDARDS AND PUBLIC HEALTH STANDARDS ADV