PHILADELPHIA (July 10, 2023) – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator Adam Ortiz joined the Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe, at their Tribal Center in King William, Virginia, today to highlight a $449,988 grant the Tribe will use for a community air monitoring project.  This is the first air grant that EPA has awarded to an Indian Tribe in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

“Recent experiences with poor air quality resulting from wildfires and ozone alert days underscores the importance of community air monitoring, especially when vulnerable communities are being hit the worst,” said Ortiz. “This funding will give the Upper Mattaponi Tribe the data they need to better protect the health of their community.”   

The Upper Mattaponi Tribe will use the funding to build the Tribal government’s capacity to establish and manage their own air quality program. The project will include training Tribal citizens in air quality knowledge and skills, developing a community advisory board, and installing and maintaining an air quality monitoring station.

The project is among 132 air monitoring projects in 37 states receiving a total of $53.4 million from President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and American Rescue Plan to enhance air quality monitoring in communities across the United States.