Request for Information  -  Funding to Address Air Pollution

Docket 4: Funding to Address Air Pollution [60105, 60106] 


EPA received over $300 million in funding to support the agency's air quality mission by investing in a range of activities that will increase monitoring in and by communities, expand and strengthen national monitoring methods, improve monitoring methods and capacity, make monitoring data more available and useful for communities, and improve air quality in our nation's schools. Six of these programs are authorized under Section 60105. This section establishes a wide range of eligible applicants that includes individuals, state, local and tribal Air pollution control agencies, and other public or nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations. EPA also received $50 million in Section 60106 to address air pollution at schools with $12.5 million dedicated to providing technical assistance and the remainder for grants and other activities to monitor and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) at schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities. Eligible applicants for this funding include individuals, air pollution control agencies, and other public nonprofit private agencies, institutions, and organizations. 

QUESTIONS: 

Crosscutting Questions 
 How can EPA design these programs to most effectively benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities that face disproportionate impacts from air pollution? 
 How can EPA (or the federal government generally) incentivize/facilitate cooperation/coordination across state agencies to implement the IRA (to facilitate communication between a states or tribe's Department of Environmental Protection/Quality, utilities commission, and Department of Transportation and promote coordination among them)?  
 What metrics should this program use for measuring success and ensuring accountability? 
 What EPA technical assistance (training, tools) or other support is needed by low-income and disadvantaged communities especially for successful application for and implementation of the IRA programs? 
 
Funding to Address Air Pollution  -  Fenceline Monitoring [60105(a)]  
Funds ($117.5 million) can be used to deploy, integrate, support, and maintain fenceline air monitoring, screening air monitoring, national air toxics trend stations, and other air toxics and community monitoring. 

QUESTIONS: 
 
What are the needs for additional national air toxics trends stations and other air toxics monitoring? 
          What are the most important needs for monitoring air pollution in communities near the fenceline? 
          How can data systems be improved to help support the management of the additional monitoring data? 
          How should EPA determine which communities or locations should receive priority for new monitoring? 
 
Funding to Address Air Pollution  -  Multipollutant Monitoring [60105(b)]  
Funds ($50 million) can be used to expand the national ambient air quality monitoring network with new multipollutant monitoring stations, and to replace, repair, operate, and maintain existing monitoring stations. 
 
QUESTIONS: 

          What are the most important considerations and needs for expanding the national ambient air quality network with new multipollutant monitoring stations? 
          What should EPA consider when thinking about the existing and future needs for replacing, repairing, operating, and maintaining the national air quality monitoring network through September 30, 2031? 
          How should EPA use these funds to support national multipollutatnt air quality monitoring networks (e.g. the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET)) in underserved rural communities where gaps in air monitoring data frequently exist? 
          How can ambient monitoring enhancements in disadvantaged communities be best used to prioritize and accelerate improvements in air quality?  
          What training and technical assistance would best help communities engage in multi-pollutant air quality planning processes to achieve community benefits of multi-pollutant emission reductions? 
          To what extent has your organization/community integrated a multi-pollutant reduction approach into your air quality planning process or conversations with local stakeholders? Should EPA conduct additional analysis to help refine current plans, or should EPA first provide foundational information on how to approach this topic in your area? 
    
Funding to Address Air Pollution  -  Air Quality Sensors [60105(c)]  
Funds ($3 million) can be used for the deployment, integration, and operation of air quality sensors in low-income and disadvantaged communities. 
 
QUESTIONS: 

          What are the existing and future needs for air quality sensors in low-income and disadvantaged communities? 
          How can EPA best support the deployment, integration, and operation of air quality sensors?  
 
Funding to Address Air Pollution  -  Emissions from Wood Heaters [60105(d)]  
Funds ($15 million) can be used for testing and other agency activities to address emissions from wood heaters, EPA research, development, etc., and contracts with outside organizations. 

QUESTIONS: 
 
          Beyond measuring for particle emissions from these appliances, what other air pollutants are essential to measure from residential wood heating appliances? 
          What benefits to public health and air quality management are gained by improving the testing methods EPA uses to address emissions from wood heaters? 
          What value do you place on data and emissions information related to cord wood fuel species burned in your area(s)? 
          Do you feel that it is important for EPA to research the impact of flue draft on particulate matter emissions in relation to residential wood heating?  
          Are there other technological advances that EPA should be considering to address air emissions from wood heaters? 
          
Funding to Address Air Pollution  -  Methane Monitoring [60105(e)] 
Funds ($20 million) can be used for methane emissions monitoring.   

QUESTIONS: 

          What methane sources might need to be addressed with measurement technology? 
          What way of presenting methane data (frequency, resolution, site specificity, etc.) would be most beneficial to addressing methane measurements? Does this vary by geography? 
          What are the existing knowledge gaps in methane measurement, and how can training help address these gaps? 
          For methane monitoring, why do bottom-up sensor estimates differ so much from broader scale (e.g., satellite) estimates.  Can this funding help address this fundamental mismatch? 
 
Funding to Address Air Pollution  -  Clean Air Act Grants [60105(f)]  
General funding ($25 million) for Clean Air Act's research, development, and grants program. 
 
QUESTIONS: 

          How could EPA funding best support multi-pollutant air quality planning and analysis for municipalities, States, regional planning organizations, and Tribal governments, particularly toward targeting/prioritizing action in overburdened communities? 
    
Funding to Address Air Pollution at Schools [60106] 
Funding includes $37.5 million for grants and other activities to monitor and reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions at schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities, and $12.5 million for technical assistance to address environmental issues, develop school environmental quality plans, identify, and mitigate ongoing air pollution hazards. 

QUESTIONS: 

 
          What barriers might eligible applicants face in applying for these grants? What kind of support would organizations need to apply? 
          What specific approaches do you recommend to promote the successful award of these grants to low income and disadvantaged communities most in need of such support? What energy efficiency/greenhouse gas emission reduction technologies or approaches do you think would be the most successful in school buildings? 
          What are the obstacles to integrating indoor air quality improvements with energy efficiency upgrades in school buildings, and what ideas do you have to address those challenges? 
          What technical assistance, guidance and other non-financial support is most needed to help schools in low-income and disadvantaged communities implement effective and sustainable IAQ and energy efficiency programs? 
 
      Responses must be received by 11:59 PM ET on January 18, 2023:: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0876, to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: www.regulations.gov.

Follow the instructions on the website for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments cannot be edited or removed from the docket. You do not need to address every question and should focus on those where you have relevant expertise or experience. Please identify the question(s) you are responding to by question number when submitting your comments. The EPA may publish any comment received to its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and should include discussion of all points you wish to make. In all cases, to the extent possible, please cite any public data related to or that support your responses. If data are available, but non-public, describe such data to the extent permissible. The EPA will generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing system). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: IRAOARdocket@epa.gov




