2 days ago
Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative launched to help guide air quality improvement
( — California Governor Gavin Newsom announced the launch of the Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative program, created to guide air quality improvement efforts in California.
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'While the federal government threatens to take us back to the days of smoggy skies and clogged lungs, California continues to lead the way,' Newsom said. 'We're deploying first-of-their-kind vehicles to monitor pollution levels at a block-by-block level, delivering critical air quality information to communities across the state.'
The program delivers hyper-local air pollution data by deploying mobile air monitoring equipment to 64 communities that have been facing environmental disparities in the state.
The deployment of the monitoring equipment will begin in June, with the use of sensor-equipped vehicles from Aclima and mobile laboratories operated by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Riverside and Aerodyne. The organizations involved plan on collecting and analyzing data on local pollution levels.
The initiative comes along with the statewide effort, California Climate Investments, that puts billions of Cap-and-Invest dollars into reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment.
Priority populations, such as low-income communities and communities facing disproportionate pollution burdens, will be more than 60% of the areas monitored, the office of Newsom said.
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'By meeting communities where they are and listening to their concerns, we're building an air quality monitoring system that integrates the lived experiences of the people most impacted by air pollution,' said CARB Executive Director Dr. Steven Cliff. 'The Statewide Mobile Monitoring Initiative represents an unprecedented opportunity to gather the detailed information we need to better protect public health in neighborhoods that have historically borne the brunt of environmental injustice.'
The project is expected to be completed by June of 2026, along with the public availability of the collected data.
The data will then be used by CARB, local air districts, stakeholders and community stakeholders to properly address emerging pollution concerns.
'The data is also expected to inform future regulatory programs, academic research, and applications for grants such as the Community Air Grants Program,' said the office.
The state's clean air efforts have also saved $250 billion in health costs through reduced illness and reduced diesel-related cancer risk by almost 80 percent, according to the office.
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