Las Vegas, Nev. – Today, U.S. Senator Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) announced that $1,456,913 in federal grants will go to local governments, Tribes, and nonprofits for air quality monitoring in Nevada. Senator Cortez Masto secured this funding in the Inflation Reduction Act. The funds have been awarded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to support communities that are facing disparities in environmental and health outcomes because of pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Communities all over Nevada are coping with poor air quality each year, and I’m glad to have worked to help secure these funds to help Nevada families,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “Thanks to these grants, Nevadans will be able monitor air quality, come up with strategies to address pollution, and improve health outcomes for kids, seniors, and families all over the Silver State.”
The awards will be distributed as follows:
- $499,922 to the Hispanic Access Foundation to establish El Aire Que Respiramos (the Air We Breathe) Latino Citizen Science Project to measure air pollutants at 12 heavily populated sites across the country, including in Nevada. The project will raise awareness and improve understanding of air pollution in these communities, as well as empowering them to advocate for change.
- $493,802 to the Fort McDermitt Paiute-Shoshone Tribe to establish air quality monitoring for the Reservation to address air pollutants.
- $213,204 to Washoe County to establish new state and local air monitoring systems in the western portion of Reno, Nevada to fill a gap in the existing monitoring network.
- $150,000 to the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe to monitor for multiple air pollutants and track the severity of the air quality problems from wildfire smoke.
- $99,985 to the Shoshone Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley to create the first ever air quality monitoring system on the Reservation, which will begin to provide the data the Tribes need to develop policies and practices to enhance air quality.
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