I 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 6759 

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to 

establish a pilot program for hyperlocal air quality monitoring projects 

in environmental justice communities, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 18, 2022 

Ms. CASTOR of Florida (for herself, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. TORRES of 

New York, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. VEASEY, Ms. 

CLARKE of New York, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. CARSON, Mr. TAKANO, Ms. 

ESCOBAR, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. GRIJALVA, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. RUSH, Mr. 

LOWENTHAL, Mr. BOWMAN, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Ms. BROWNLEY, 

Mr. SARBANES, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. NEGUSE, and Mr. LEVIN of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a pilot program for hyperlocal 

air quality monitoring projects in environmental justice 

communities, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Environmental Justice 

5 Air Quality Monitoring Act of 2022’’. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 6759 IH

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

2 Congress finds that— 

3 (1) air pollution inflicts disproportionate harm 

4 on Black people, Indigenous people, and people of 

5 color; 

6 (2) air quality can vary up to 800 percent from 

7 block to block within a single neighborhood; 

8 (3) it is possible to identify and attribute 

9 sources of pollution based on fingerprint analysis of 

10 multiple pollutants; 

11 (4) existing methods that are prescribed for 

12 basin-wide air quality monitoring— 

13 (A) are cost-prohibitive for monitoring 

14 community-scale air quality; and 

15 (B) do not, as of the date of enactment of 

16 this Act, measure the intrinsic variability of 

17 persistently poor air quality in environmental 

18 justice communities at the neighborhood block 

19 level; and 

20 (5) the Environmental Protection Agency has 

21 existing authority under the Clean Air Act to ad22 dress air pollutants, including greenhouse gases. 

23 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

24 In this Act: 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 6759 IH

1 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis2 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ3 mental Protection Agency. 

4 (2) AIR POLLUTANT.—The term ‘‘air pollutant’’ 

5 has the meaning given such term in section 302(g) 

6 of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7602(g)). 

7 (3) ELIGIBLE HYPERLOCAL AIR QUALITY DATA

8 PROVIDER.—The term ‘‘eligible hyperlocal air qual9 ity data provider’’ means an organization with the 

10 demonstrated ability to deploy hyperlocal air quality 

11 monitoring systems in support of State, local, or 

12 Tribal air agencies. 

13 (4) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.—The term ‘‘en14 vironmental justice’’ means the fair treatment and 

15 meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of 

16 race, color, culture, natural origin, or income, in the 

17 development, implementation, and enforcement of 

18 environmental laws (including regulations) and poli19 cies to ensure that each person enjoys— 

20 (A) the same degree of protection from en21 vironmental and health hazards; and 

22 (B) equal access to any Federal agency ac23 tion relating to the development, implementa24 tion, and enforcement of environmental laws 

25 (including regulations) and policies for the purVerDate Sep 11 2014 15:38 Feb 24, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6759.IH H6759

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 6759 IH

1 pose of having a healthy environment in which 

2 to live, learn, work, and recreate. 

3 (5) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY.— 

4 The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 

5 a community with significant representation of com6 munities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal 

7 and Indigenous communities that experiences, or is 

8 at risk of experiencing, higher or more adverse 

9 human health or environmental effects, as compared 

10 to other communities. 

11 (6) HYPERLOCAL AIR QUALITY MONITORING

12 SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘hyperlocal air quality moni13 toring system’’ means a method of monitoring ambi14 ent air quality and detecting the presence of air pol15 lutants that— 

16 (A) yields frequently repeated, ongoing 

17 measurements of air pollutants at a block-level 

18 resolution; and 

19 (B) identifies hotspots of persistent ele20 vated levels of air pollutants localized to, and 

21 caused by the characteristics of, a specific geo22 graphic location. 

23 (7) NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION.—The term 

24 ‘‘nonprofit organization’’ means an organization de25 scribed in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 6759 IH

1 Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation under sec2 tion 501(a) of that Code. 

3 (8) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot pro4 gram’’ means the pilot program established under 

5 section 4(a). 

6 SEC. 4. PILOT PROGRAM FOR HYPERLOCAL AIR QUALITY 

7 MONITORING PROJECTS IN ENVIRONMENTAL 

8 JUSTICE COMMUNITIES. 

9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Subject to the availability of 

10 appropriations, the Administrator shall carry out a pilot 

11 program to award, on a competitive basis, grants or con12 tracts to State, local, and Tribal air agencies, in partner13 ship with local nonprofit organizations or eligible 

14 hyperlocal air quality data providers, to carry out projects 

15 described in subsection (b) for hyperlocal air quality moni16 toring systems in environmental justice communities. 

17 (b) PROJECTS.—A State, local, or Tribal air agency 

18 that receives a grant or contract under the pilot program 

19 shall use amounts received under the grant or contract 

20 to carry out an air quality monitoring project within a geo21 graphical region specified by the State, local, or Tribal air 

22 agency— 

23 (1) to monitor air quality at a level of discrete24 ness capable of monitoring an area that is the small25 er of— 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 6759 IH

1 (A) a block; and 

2 (B) a 100-meter radius; 

3 (2) to identify areas of persistent elevated air 

4 pollution levels above a relevant background level; 

5 (3) to regularly monitor air quality using moni6 toring technology that meets the data quality objec7 tives of the Environmental Protection Agency, which 

8 may, in the determination of the Administrator, in9 clude a requirement that the technology qualify as a 

10 Federal Reference Method or a Federal Equivalent 

11 Method; 

12 (4) to determine changes in ambient levels of 

13 relevant air pollutants; 

14 (5) to generate equity maps by geographical 

15 area, including generating maps using such variables 

16 as demographic data relating to race, ethnicity, and 

17 income level; and 

18 (6) to report hyperlocal air quality data and 

19 mapping tools to— 

20 (A) community residents through an online 

21 platform to increase public awareness and en22 gagement; and 

23 (B) relevant local, State, Tribal, and Fed24 eral air pollution managers to inform manage25 ment decisions, such as the placement or relocaVerDate Sep 11 2014 15:38 Feb 24, 2022 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H6759.IH H6759

pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 6759 IH

1 tion of stationary air pollution monitors, trans2 portation or land use planning, investments in 

3 mitigating air pollution sources, and other plan4 ning decisions. 

5 (c) PROJECT SELECTION.— 

6 (1) APPLICATIONS.—A State, local, or Tribal 

7 air agency seeking a grant or contract under the 

8 pilot program shall submit to the Administrator an 

9 application at such time, in such manner, and con10 taining such information as the Administrator may 

11 require. 

12 (2) PRIORITIZATION.—In selecting projects to 

13 receive grants or contracts under the pilot program, 

14 the Administrator shall give priority to projects 

15 that— 

16 (A) would be carried out in areas with high 

17 rates of illness associated with exposure to air 

18 pollution, as determined by the Administrator, 

19 including childhood asthma, adult asthma, 

20 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart 

21 disease, chronic bronchitis, and cancer; 

22 (B) seek to identify pollution sources 

23 through multipollutant analysis when relevant; 

24 (C) would be able to assess pollution bur25 dens on sensitive individuals who may be at 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 6759 IH

1 greater risk of adverse health effects from expo2 sure to the air pollutants to be monitored as 

3 compared to the general population; and 

4 (D) would promote— 

5 (i) public access and transparency of 

6 data; and 

7 (ii) proactive outreach for community 

8 engagement and awareness. 

9 (3) EQUITABLE FUNDING DISTRIBUTION.—A 

10 State, local, or Tribal air agency that receives a 

11 grant or contract under the pilot program shall en12 sure that air quality monitoring projects deployed 

13 using amounts from the grant or contract— 

14 (A) provide full-time, salaried employment 

15 opportunities, with benefits, to local residents of 

16 environmental justice communities, which may 

17 include employment or training for positions 

18 such as— 

19 (i) air quality monitoring device in20 stallation, maintenance, and calibration 

21 technicians; 

22 (ii) data scientists, atmospheric sci23 entists, chemists, epidemiologists, and so24 cial scientists; 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 6759 IH

1 (iii) software developers, engineers, 

2 and interface designers; 

3 (iv) community engagement and com4 munications and outreach specialists; 

5 (v) air quality monitor operators; 

6 (vi) environmental justice organizer; 

7 and 

8 (vii) environmental health advocate; 

9 and 

10 (B) direct not less than 40 percent of the 

11 amount received from the grant or contract to12 ward the employment opportunities described in 

13 subparagraph (A). 

14 (d) WAGE RATE REQUIREMENT.—Not withstanding 

15 any other provision of law, all laborers employed under 

16 projects funded directly by a grant or contract provided 

17 to a State, local, or Tribal air agency under the pilot pro18 gram shall be paid wages at rates not less than those pre19 vailing on projects of a similar character in the locality, 

20 as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance 

21 with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States 

22 Code (commonly referred to as the ‘‘Davis-Bacon Act’’). 

23 (e) DURATION.—A project carried out using a grant 

24 or contract awarded under the pilot program may not ex25 ceed 5 years in duration. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 6759 IH

1 (f) EVALUATION METRICS.—To evaluate the effec2 tiveness of the pilot program, the Administrator shall es3 tablish, based on the project requirements described in 

4 paragraphs (1) through (6) of subsection (b), metrics and 

5 reporting requirements for grant recipients. 

6 (g) REPORTS.— 

7 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 180 

8 days after the end of each fiscal year in which the 

9 Administrator carries out the pilot program, the Ad10 ministrator shall submit to Congress a report on the 

11 results of the pilot program for the previous fiscal 

12 year, which shall include, with respect to the fiscal 

13 year covered by the report— 

14 (A) a description of each project awarded 

15 a grant or contract under the pilot program; 

16 (B) a description of the evaluation metrics 

17 established under subsection (f); 

18 (C) the results of and the insights devel19 oped from the monitoring carried out under 

20 projects for which grants or contracts were 

21 awarded under the pilot program; and 

22 (D) whether the Administrator proposes to 

23 continue air quality monitoring at the locations 

24 monitored by projects for which those grants or 

25 contracts were awarded. 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 6759 IH

1 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

2 after the date on which the final project carried out 

3 using a grant or contract awarded under the pilot 

4 program is completed, the Administrator shall sub5 mit to Congress a report that describes the results 

6 of the pilot program, which shall include— 

7 (A) a description of the pilot program; 

8 (B) a description of the air quality moni9 toring data collected under projects that re10 ceived grants or contracts under the pilot pro11 gram; 

12 (C) an assessment of the effectiveness of 

13 the pilot program using the evaluation metrics 

14 established under subsection (f) and informa15 tion received from the reporting requirements 

16 established under that subsection; 

17 (D) a description of the benefits and costs 

18 of the pilot program, including an estimate of 

19 the benefits and costs of making the pilot pro20 gram permanent; 

21 (E) an estimate of the cost of expanding 

22 the pilot program to monitor air quality in air 

23 basins that are adjacent to air basins for which 

24 air quality was monitored under projects that 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 6759 IH

1 received grants or contracts under the pilot pro2 gram; and 

3 (F) such recommendations for legislation, 

4 regulation, or administrative action as the Ad5 ministrator considers appropriate, including rec6 ommendations for— 

7 (i) reducing air pollution burdens in 

8 identified hotspots; and 

9 (ii) extending the pilot program or 

10 making the pilot program permanent. 

11 (h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

13 appropriated to the Administrator $100,000,000 for 

14 each of fiscal years 2022 through 2027 to carry out 

15 the pilot program. 

16 (2) SUPPLEMENT, NOT SUPPLANT.—Amounts 

17 made available under paragraph (1) shall supple18 ment, and not supplant, other amounts made avail19 able to address harms resulting from air pollution. 

20 SEC. 5. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 

21 Nothing in this Act shall be construed as altering, 

22 limiting, revising, or weakening existing Federal law to 

23 protect public health or welfare from air pollution. 

Æ 


pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS