News Releases from Region 09

U.S. EPA announces $136,913 to Washoe County Health District to improve air quality

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an additional $136,913 in Clean Air Act grant funds to the Washoe County Health District to improve air quality county-wide through locally run monitoring and planning activities. Since March, EPA has awarded $684,564 to the county for this work.

“It is crucial to protect public health from poor air quality,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “We applaud Washoe County for helping community members to make smart choices when dealing with wildfire smoke.”

“This EPA funding provides essential support for many air quality programs the Health District provides to protect the health of our community,” said Washoe County District Health Officer Kevin Dick. “Of particular importance now are our Be Smoke Smart efforts, to inform citizens to take personal steps to prevent the harmful effects of wildfire smoke, and our Ozone Advance Program with governmental entities and development partners to minimize increases in air pollution through smart regional planning.”

“This is great news and we congratulate Washoe County Health District on these efforts,” said Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Air Quality Planning Chief Danilo Dragoni. “Air pollution, such as smoke from wildfires, does not follow political boundaries. Initiatives like this benefit everyone, regardless of where they live or work, and strengthen our collaborative efforts to improve and protect Nevada’s air quality.”

Funds will be used by the county for a variety of important air quality activities. These funds support Washoe County’s “Be Smoke Smart” outreach campaign during wildfire season. This campaign protects public health by informing the community of ways to reduce exposure and minimize the impacts of smoke from wildfires. It also provides links to useful information about current fires, smoke, and air pollution levels based on the data collected at seven air monitoring sites located in Washoe County.

Washoe County will also use this grant to conduct inspections of stationary sources, ensure compliance and enforce air pollution control laws, monitor air quality and inform the public and businesses about air quality in Washoe County.

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