Cárdenas, Schweikert Introduce Bipartisan Crowdsourcing of Environmental Data Act of 2021
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Congressmen Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) and David Schweikert (R-AZ) re-introduced the Crowdsourcing of Environmental Data Act, legislation to incorporate mobile air quality monitoring devices to increase the size, scope, and density of data collected for a cleaner environment.
“I am pleased to re-introduce this bipartisan legislation, aimed to advance technology solutions to monitor the air we breathe,” said Congressman David Schweikert (R-AZ). By advancing this technology, our communities will have the ability to easily and efficiently monitor air quality, at the hands of a device, all designed to keep our loved ones safe for many years to come. I hope to see this bipartisan bill pass on the House Floor, as everyone all over the country will benefit from a cleaner environment.”
“Growing up in Pacoima, a working-class neighborhood in Los Angeles, I remember when the air quality was so poor due to smog that we were forced to stay indoors,” Congressman Tony Cárdenas (D-CA) said. “While we have come a long way since then, there are still many communities across America that are hurting because of hazardous air pollutants. I am proud to introduce this bipartisan bill with my colleagues to monitor air quality and help keep our children healthy. Everyone deserves to breathe clean air regardless of zip code.”
Background:
The Crowd Sourcing of Environmental Data Act of 2021 would provide a city, county or state with optionality, not a mandate for air quality monitoring. Under this legislation, states would annually produce the information gathered from their own crowdsourced environmental data for submission to the state’s EPA for technical review. Upon review, and if the data is found to be as good or better than the current data collected by the EPA, it is then submitted to the federal EPA Administrator for final verification. Upon successful review, the state is granted a year of authority to monitor and act upon its own data faster and more effectively. All the while, the current EPA monitoring stations are running in the background to ensure that a failure in the state’s monitoring would not result in a lack of environmental data collection.
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