DEC TO HOLD COMMUNITY MEETINGS ON PROGRESS OF COMMUNITY AIR MONITORING INITIATIVE

 

Opportunities for Public Input and Review of Work Underway in the Bronx and Manhattan

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) today announced two meetings to provide progress updates for communities participating in the Statewide Community Air Monitoring Initiative. The Manhattan meeting on July 10, and the Bronx meeting on July 12, will provide information to help DEC target strategies to reduce air pollution in these communities, including the greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change, to help achieve the goals of the State's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

Mobile air monitoring began in July 2022 in the Bronx and Manhattan, as well as in the Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Tonawanda area and the Capital Region, and update meetings were held for each of these communities in December 2022 and March 2023. This next round of meetings will continue DEC’s efforts to gather community input in targeting emission sources and future strategies to reduce air pollution in these communities. Update meetings for the Buffalo/Niagara Falls/Tonawanda area and the Capital Region will be announced soon. 

 

At these meetings, DEC staff will provide an overview of the initiative and present a preliminary overview of the third quarter of air monitoring results specific to each community. Information presented will include how and where the air monitoring is conducted on the street level and how DEC will compile and analyze the data to identify potential contributors of emissions for each pollutant being monitored. Preliminary data collection is now underway and results will be provided once additional information is compiled. 

 

DEC will also provide an update on the progress of establishing community advisory committees to engage with local stakeholders throughout this initiative. DEC will continue to hold regular meetings throughout the year to update the communities on the progress of the air monitoring and provide a forum for input. Staff from DEC's Division of Air Resources and Office of Environmental Justice will be available to answer questions. 

 

The next round of meetings for the other six communities that are part of this initiative – Brooklyn, Queens, Hempstead/New Cassel/Roosevelt/Uniondale/Westbury, Mount Vernon/Younkers/New Rochelle, Rochester, and Syracuse – are being planned for August and early September. Additional update meetings for all communities that are part of this initiative are planned for later in the year. 

Manhattan 

• When: Monday, July 10, at 2 p.m.
• Link to join meeting: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/j.php?MTID=m7ab3ee5862269a3065f7957df5b86fac
• Meeting Number: 1613 25 7292 
• Meeting Password: WbCcRT2Uw27 
• Call In Number to join by phone only: 518-549-0500 

Bronx 

• When: Wednesday, July 12, at 2 p.m. 
• Link to join meeting: https://meetny.webex.com/meetny/j.php?MTID=ma95cf7d92742851c89b8a9de3670b429
• Meeting Number: 1615 57 5987 
• Meeting Password: J9JiQZMZq83 
• Call In Number to join by phone only: 518-549-0500 

For more information about the Community Air Monitoring Initiative, visit the DEC website at https://www.dec.ny.gov/chemical/125320.html.  

Interpreter services shall be made available to deaf persons, and translator services shall be made available to persons with limited English proficiency, at no charge for either service, upon written request. Requests should be received 10 calendar days before each meeting, but DEC will make every effort to fulfill requests received closer to the meeting date. Requests can be directed to the NYSDEC Office of Communication Services, either by mail to NYSDEC, Office of Communication Services, 625 Broadway, Albany, New York 12233-4500, by telephone (518) 402-8044, or by e-mail to language@dec.ny.gov.