2022-23 Statewide Community Air Monitoring Initiative

The statewide Community Air Monitoring (CAM) Initiative worked with a mobile monitoring contractor Aclima, Inc. to collect air quality data in 10 disadvantaged communities for one year ending in August 2023, expanding on the four communities required by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act). Air quality monitoring focused on disadvantaged communities (DACs) with high air pollution burdens. The results will help DEC target strategies to reduce air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change. 

What's New?

DEC releases Phase 1 Community Story Maps! The collection of story maps presents mobile monitoring results for each of the 10 communities with interactive maps which can be used to explore the data. DEC, community members, and other stakeholders will use these mapping tools, results, and other information to identify sources and prioritize areas for air pollution reductions. The collection of story maps also includes a survey tool for valuable input on community air quality concerns. DEC wants to ensure community members and stakeholders are meaningfully informed about the CAM mobile monitoring results and have opportunity to provide valuable input to effectively guide the critical mitigation phase of the CAM process.

DEC held a Community Air Monitoring Results webinar to explain the Community Story Maps. 

Community Air Monitoring Results (8/15/2024) (Webex Recording)

DEC will be holding public meetings to explore the Story Maps, discuss the results, and gather feedback.

Registration: Not required. Please email [email protected] if you have questions.

DEC will hold a virtual meeting for all communities on October 23rd from 6:00 to 8:00 pm for those of you who are unable to attend the public meetings in person. Register for this meeting.

Office Hours

Office hours have ended but staff are available to answer questions and help with the mapping tool. Please email [email protected] or call 518-402-8402.

What’s Next?

Phase 2 – Develop Air Pollution Mitigation Strategies (Winter 2024 – Spring 2025)

Following DEC’s meetings, Community Advisory Committees (CACs) established in study areas across the state are encouraged to hold their own meetings with community members to discuss results and help clarify air quality concerns, priority sources, sensitive sites, and goals for improving air quality in disadvantaged communities.

The CACs are invited to come together as one group to collaborate with DEC, the Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG), and other state agencies and entities to work on potential strategies to meet air pollution mitigation goals.

Final Report of Recommended Air Pollution Reduction Strategies

A final report, expected to be released in 2025, will include the prioritized recommendations to mitigate air pollution and the entities with authority to implement actions.    

Communities Selected

Community Involvement

To stay involved, join DEC for the community meetings.

For air monitoring or study questions, contact: [email protected] or 518-402-8402.

For questions related to the Office of Environmental Justice grant program, contact [email protected] or 518-402-8556.

To receive updates or if you have questions about sources, contact your local resource:

• Bronx: [email protected] or 718-482-4900
• Brooklyn: [email protected] or 718-482-4900
• Buffalo/Tonawanda/Niagara Falls: [email protected] or 716-851-7201
• Capital District: [email protected] or 518-357-2075
• Hempstead: [email protected] or 631-444-0200
• Manhattan: [email protected] or 718-482-4900
• Mount Vernon/Yonkers: [email protected] or 845-256-3154
• Queens: [email protected] or 718-482-4900
• Rochester: [email protected] or 585-226-5363
• Syracuse: [email protected] or 315-426-7400

Fact Sheets

This series of downloadable PDF fact sheets highlights important information about the Community Air Monitoring (CAM) Initiative.

• Community Air Monitoring - provides an overview of the air monitoring initiative and its goals, community selection, mobile monitoring and the pollutants measured, the process for reporting preliminary data to the communities, and the importance of community input. Also available in Bengali, Chinese, Spanish.
• Mobile Monitoring - provides more information about the mobile monitoring method and how mobile monitoring compares to stationary monitoring. Also available in Bengali, Chinese, Spanish.
• Sensors - provides more information about the sensors used to measure the pollutants and how the sensor data are processed and reported as final results at the end of the yearlong monitoring initiative. Also available in Bengali, Chinese, Spanish.
• CAM FAQ - provides a list of frequently asked questions and answers (FAQ) for the CAM Initiative.
• CAM Glossary - provides a list of terms and their meanings found in the CAM story maps and fact sheets.
• Black Carbon and Nitrogen Oxides - provides more information about the pollutants black carbon and nitrogen oxides because they are markers for diesel pollution.
• Methane - provides more information about the pollutant methane which was measured to look for natural gas leaks and biogenic sources.
• Particulate Matter - provides more information about fine particulate matter or PM_2.5 which is a commonly found air pollutant regulated by EPA and measured for this Initiative.
• Air Quality Assurance Technical Addendum - provides more technical information for air sensor quality assurance.
• Aclima Introduction - a high-level, overview of Aclima’s mobile monitoring methodology and a general approach to their quality assurance system.
• Aclima Methodology – plain language document describing Aclima's mobile monitoring methodology, how the results can be used, data limitations and uncertainties, and FAQs.
• Aclima Quality Assurance - explains in more detail how Aclima conducts the quality assurance processes for their devices, measurement, and sampling.
• Aclima Model – more detailed information about Aclima's data processing, modeling, and data validation used to produce averaged annual pollutant levels.