Local air quality monitoring program to be used statewide
State officials want to use a local air quality monitoring program as a model to be used statewide in the fight against air contamination.
Senator Ben Hueso and Assembly Member Eduardo Garcia announced a half-million dollar grant for Comite Civico del Valle’s air monitoring program which warns people daily of air quality that goes from good through dangerous through a countywide system of monitors that feed information to the website www.ivan-imperial.org. Schools can use this information to protect kids, especially those with asthma, by rescheduling outdoor activities. The grant will also help setup methane monitors, increase community participation and expand monitors to the Salton Sea and Coachella Valley.
State officials said doing nothing about air contamination would put thousands of lives at risk.
Senator Ben Hueso described the grant as “an effort where we’re combining localized initiative with the power of government to make change.”
Garcia said, “The air quality monitoring systems that we’re talking about here today are going to be mirrored up and down the state of California.”
California Air Resources Board Official Veronica Eady praised Comite Civico del Valle for their environmental justice work.
“Not only are they a beacon here for the valley but they really have set the standards for the environmental justice community and air quality,” Eady said.
Comite Civico del Valle Director Jose Luis Olmedo described some of the many activities they do to keep the public informed on air quality.
“We do the installations. We do the operations. We do the data communications to the public,” Olmedo said.
The data gathered from this enhanced monitoring system will help state officials determine where more millions of dollars will go to in the fight against air contamination.
