Area Representative Josh Harder recently introduced the Better Data for Cleaner Air Act to tackle the Central Valley’s air pollution crisis by improving tracking and reporting of air quality in at-risk communities nationwide. The bill will place 1,000 air sensors in high-risk areas across the country, aiding the EPA in collecting actionable data on air quality issues that lead to asthma, cancer, and other health ailments common in the Central Valley.
San Joaquin County recently received an ‘F’ grade from the American Lung Association in every category, including an ‘F’ for Ozone, an ‘F’ for particle pollution in a 24-hour period, and a failing grade for particle pollution annually. This bill continues Representative Harder’s on-going work to combat air pollution and the rising asthma rate in the Valley.
“Families in the Valley have to live with some of the worst air quality and some of the highest rates of asthma in the country. It’s unacceptable.” said Harder. “I grew up with childhood asthma, so I know first-hand how difficult it is. No kid should have to worry more about their inhaler than their homework. If we’re going to stop this cycle and make sure our kids, including my own daughter, aren’t forced to breathe worse air than we did, we need to track the source of the problem. This bill is the first step.”
Vulnerable communities have historically been subject to unsafe air quality from industrial production and other sources leading to high asthma and cancer rates without the means to monitor the causes of the problem. Without the resources to monitor air quality in places such as Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, the number of people affected will likely only increase.
Specifically, the bill directs the EPA Administrator to create a report on communities with degraded air quality with attention to areas with high asthma rates, implement monitoring of toxic air pollutants at facilities contributing to high local cancer rates or other health threats, place 1,000 air sensors at industrial sites across the country, and make all data publicly accessible.
