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Environment & Science

Pa. DEP gets $499,870 to monitor air quality in and around Allentown

Smoke and smog
Rachel McDevitt
/
StateImpact
Smoke and smog

ALLENTOWN, Pa - The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was awarded $499,870 to partner with Lehigh University and Allentown communities for a project on air pollution.

  • The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection was awarded $499,870 for an air pollution project
  • It will partner with Lehigh University and Allentown communities to monitor and track air quality in the region
  • The projects are focused on communities that are underserved, historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution

According to a press release, the projects are focused on communities that are historically marginalized and overburdened by pollution.

“Our region has long struggled with dangerous air quality and the negative health impacts associated with it, including high rates of cancer and childhood asthma"
U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Chester)

“Our region has long struggled with dangerous air quality and the negative health impacts associated with it, including high rates of cancer and childhood asthma," said U.S. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Chester).

She hopes the new funding will make a difference in underserved communities that "often bear the brunt of the negative health impacts associated with poor air quality. ”

In total, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) selected 11 projects in Pennsylvania, totaling $4.27 million in funding.

It's part of $53.4 million carved out to enhance air quality monitoring in communities across the United States, from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan.