S. 147

119 S147 IS: Cleaner Air Spaces Act of 2025
 U.S. Senate
 2025-01-16
 text/xml
 EN
 Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
 II  119th CONGRESS  1st Session  S. 147  IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES   January 17, 2025   Mr. Bennet  (for himself,  Mr. Blumenthal ,  Ms. Cortez Masto ,  Mrs. Gillibrand ,  Mr. Merkley ,  Ms. Rosen ,  Mr. Padilla , and  Mr. Wyden ) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the  Committee on Environment and Public Works    A BILL
To direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants to air pollution control agencies to implement a cleaner air space program, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the   Cleaner Air Spaces Act of 2025  .
2.
Cleaner air space program grants
(a)
Definitions
In this section:
(1)
Administrator
The term  Administrator  means the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(2)
Air pollution control agency
The term  air pollution control agency  has the meaning the term given in section 302 of the Clean Air Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7602 ).
(3)
Clean air center
The term  clean air center  means 1 or more clean air rooms in a publicly accessible building.
(4)
Clean air room
The term  clean air room  means a room that is designed to keep levels of harmful air pollutants as low as possible during wildland fire smoke events.
(5)
Covered household
The term  covered household  means a household that—
(A)
is located in a low-income community; and
(B)
includes a person who—
(i)
is at high risk of experiencing a wildland fire smoke event; and
(ii)
is vulnerable to negative health effects caused by wildland fire smoke due to factors such as an underlying health condition, a disability, or age.
(6)
Eligible air filtration unit
The term  eligible air filtration unit  means an air filtration unit that—
(A)
is certified by the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers to have a Clean Air Delivery Rate of at least 97 for smoke;
(B)
is certified under the Energy Star program established by section 324A of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 6294a );
(C)
does not emit ozone; and
(D)
uses a true high-efficiency particulate air filter rated to remove 99.97 percent of particles measuring 0.3 micrometers or greater.
(7)
Low-income community
The term  low-income community  has the meaning given the term in section 45D(e) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(b)
Grants authorized
Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Administrator shall provide grants to air pollution control agencies to implement a cleaner air space program in accordance with this section.
(c)
Grant requirements
(1)
Amounts
Under this section, the Administrator may not provide a grant to an air pollution control agency in an amount that exceeds $3,000,000.
(2)
Grants for Tribes
The Administrator shall provide at least 1 grant under this section to a Tribal agency that has jurisdiction over air quality.
(d)
Application
(1)
In general
To apply for a grant under this section, an air pollution control agency shall submit to the Administrator an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Administrator determines appropriate, including a proposal for the implementation of a cleaner air space program.
(2)
Proposal for cleaner air space program requirements
A proposal for the implementation of a cleaner air space program of an air pollution control agency under paragraph (1) shall include the following:
(A)
Certification of partnering with a community-based organization.
(B)
Details on the responsibilities of all parties involved with the cleaner air space program, including the responsibilities of—
(i)
the air pollution control agency; and
(ii)
any community-based organizations with which the air pollution control agency is partnering under subparagraph (A).
(C)
Information with respect to which geographic population or community of covered households may be receiving eligible air filtration units under the cleaner air space program.
(D)
Information on how the air pollution control agency plans—
(i)
to distribute educational materials related to eligible air filtration units; and
(ii)
to advertise the availability of clean air centers.
(E)
Information on how the air pollution control agency plans to establish a clean air center, including—
(i)
the facility in which a clean air center may be established; and
(ii)
the capacity and ventilation characteristics of that facility.
(F)
A description of the costs that may be associated with the cleaner air space program, including any administrative costs.
(e)
Cleaner air space program requirements
Subject to satisfaction of the partnership requirement described in subsection (f), an air pollution control agency implementing a cleaner air space program pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (b) shall—
(1)
establish at least 1 clean air center that is—
(A)
located in an area at risk of being exposed to wildland fire smoke;
(B)
accessible to individuals that reside in covered households;
(C)
open, accessible, and staffed during wildland fire smoke events with the option of being open, accessible, and staffed before or after wildland fire smoke events;
(2)
advertise to the public—
(A)
during a wildland fire smoke event, the availability of a clean air center; and
(B)
the cleaner air space program that the air pollution control agency is implementing, including information about the cleaner air space program, the availability of free air filtration units (if applicable), eligibility requirements to receive those free air filtration units, and information on who to contact for more information with respect to the cleaner air space program;
(3)
at no cost to covered households—
(A)
distribute not less than 1,000 eligible air filtration units to those covered households; and
(B)
provide 1 air filter replacement for each eligible air filtration unit distributed under subparagraph (A);
(4)
distribute educational materials that include information with respect to how to best utilize an eligible air filtration unit to create a clean air room in a home;
(5)
collect, and provide to the Administrator, information on—
(A)
each type of eligible air filtration unit distributed under the cleaner air space program;
(B)
the number of eligible air filtration units so distributed; and
(C)
the cost of each type of eligible air filtration unit so distributed; and
(6)
not later than 6 months after providing an eligible air filtration unit to a covered household, conduct an anonymous survey of an individual of the covered household that received the eligible air filtration unit through the cleaner air space program with respect to—
(A)
whether the individual understood how to properly set up a clean air room and how to utilize the air filtration unit;
(B)
how often the individual utilized the air filtration unit;
(C)
the largest barriers to properly utilizing the air filtration unit or creating a clean air room;
(D)
whether the individual reported better air conditions in the clean air room compared to other parts of the home of that individual; and
(E)
how the implementation of the cleaner air space program could improve.
(f)
Partnership
In implementing a cleaner air space program pursuant to a grant provided under subsection (b), an air pollution control agency shall partner with at least 1 community-based organization to carry out the requirements of the cleaner air space program described in subsection (e).
(g)
Report
Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall submit to Congress a report that includes—
(1)
information on each cleaner air space program implemented using a grant provided under subsection (b), including—
(A)
the name of the air pollution control agency that received the grant; and
(B)
the information described in subsection (e)(5) collected by the air pollution control agency;
(2)
responses from the surveys described in subsection (e)(6); and
(3)
recommendations with respect to—
(A)
whether the grant program under this section should be expanded; and
(B)
how the grant program under this section can be improved.
(h)
Authorization of appropriations
(1)
In general
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry out this section $30,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2026 through 2028.
(2)
Administrative expenses
Of the funds made available under paragraph (1), the Administrator may use not more than 10 percent for expenses relating to administering the grant program under this section.