Air quality is subject of DEQ pilot program

A new initiative to identify community-level air quality and pollutants will have its first meeting in McMinnville Tuesday at the Community Center.

Community Action Air Planning is a pilot program of the Department of Environmental Quality aimed at improving air quality in historically overburdened areas.

“CAAP is intended to be a pathway for empowering communities to engage with the complexity of their air pollution challenges and enable them to rise beyond the existing regulatory framework that might not be fully meeting their needs,” according to DEQ.

Funded through an Environmental Protection Agency grant, the CAAP program will locate areas affected by multiple sources of air pollution and will focus on underserved members of the community. The grant funds will be used to purchase air quality monitoring devices, according to DEQ.

In the first phase of the program, DEQ will work with local communities and governments to develop guiding principles for the program, and then choose four areas to participate in “community monitoring efforts.”

The kick-off meeting will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesday in room 203 of the community center, 600 N. Evans St.