To amend the Clean Air Act to establish a grant program for supporting local communities in detecting, preparing for, communicating about, or mitigating the environmental and public health impacts of wildfire smoke and extreme heat, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · July 21, 2023
Referred to the Subcommittee on Environment, Manufacturing, and Critical Materials.
The Smoke and Heat Ready Communities Act of 2023 establishes a federal grant program to help local communities prepare for and respond to the health threats from wildfire smoke and extreme heat events. The EPA would distribute grants to air pollution control agencies and eligible entities including states, local governments, Indian Tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations to support activities like deploying air quality monitoring equipment, installing air filtration systems in public buildings, distributing protective masks and respirators, and conducting community outreach about air quality risks. The bill also creates four research centers at universities to study the health impacts of wildfire smoke and extreme heat, and establishes a competitive grant program to help communities develop comprehensive mitigation plans in collaboration with academic institutions. The legislation authorizes $10 million annually for the research centers, $20 million annually for health research, and $50 million annually for community planning grants, with no specified endpoint for these appropriations. The EPA must establish funding formulas and begin implementation within 180 days of the bill's enactment.
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