Cleaner Air Spaces Act of 2025
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to provide grants to air pollution control agencies, including at least one tribal agency with jurisdiction over air quality, to implement cleaner air space programs (i.e., programs to provide clean air to the public during wildland fire smoke events). Generally, such programs must be located in areas at risk of exposure to wildland fire smoke and must help provide educational materials, clean air centers (i.e., one or more clean air rooms in a publicly accessible building), and air filtration systems to certain households. Clean air rooms are rooms designed to keep levels of harmful air pollutants as low as possible during wildland fire smoke events.
Under the bill, air pollution control agencies must partner with at least one community-based organization in implementing such programs.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 566 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 566
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 20, 2025
Mr. Peters (for himself, Ms. Jacobs, Ms. Titus, Mr. Moulton, Mr.
Khanna, Mr. Panetta, Mr. Costa, Mr. Neguse, Ms. Pettersen, Mr. Mullin,
Mr. Garamendi, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. DeGette, and Ms. Schrier) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
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.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cleaner Air Spaces Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. CLEANER AIR SPACE PROGRAM GRANT.
(a) In General.--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.
(b) 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 one grant to a Tribal agency that has jurisdiction over
air quality.
(c) Application.--
(1) In general.--To apply for a grant provided 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
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 for
which the air pollution control agency is
partnering with under subparagraph (A).
(C) Information regarding which geographic
population or community of covered households may be
receiving eligible air filtration units under such
cleaner air space program.
(D) Information on how the air pollution control
agency plans to--
(i) distribute educational materials
related to eligible air filtration units; and
(ii) advertise the availability of clean
air centers.
(E) Information on how such 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 such facility.
(F) A description of the costs that may be
associated with the program, including any
administrative costs.
(d) Cleaner Air Space Program Requirements.--Subject to partnership
requirement under subsection (e), an air pollution control agency
implementing a cleaner air space program pursuant to subsection (a)
shall--
(1) establish at least one 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; and
(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 local cleaner air space program that such
air pollution control agency is implementing, including
information about such local cleaner air space program,
the availability of free air filtration units (if
applicable), eligibility requirements to receive such
free air filtration unit, and information on who to
contact for more information with respect to such local
cleaner air space program;
(3) at no cost to covered households--
(A) distribute a minimum of 1,000 eligible air
filtration units to such covered households; and
(B) provide one air filter replacement for each
eligible air filtration unit distributed under
subparagraph (A);
(4) distribute educational materials that include
information on 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 such cleaner air space program;
(B) the number of eligible air filtration unit 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 such covered household that received
the eligible air filtration unit through the cleaner air space
program on--
(A) whether such individual understood how to
properly set up a clean air room and how to utilize the
air filtration unit;
(B) how often such 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 such individual reported better air
conditions in the clean air room of such individual
compared to other parts of the home of such individual;
and
(E) how the implementation of the cleaner air space
program could improve.
(e) Partnership.--In implementing a cleaner air space program under
subsection (a), an air pollution control agency shall partner with at
least one community-based organization to carry out the requirements of
such cleaner air space program under subsection (d).
(f) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the date of the 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 (a),
including--
(A) the name of the air pollution control agency
that received such grant; and
(B) the information described in subsection (d)(5)
collected by such air pollution control agency;
(2) responses from the survey described in subsection
(d)(6); and
(3) recommendations on--
(A) whether the cleaner air space program should be
expanded; and
(B) how the cleaner air space program can be
improved.
(g) 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 given such term in section 302
of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7602).
(3) Clean air center.--The term ``clean air center'' means
one 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 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 such term in section 45D of
the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. 45D).
(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 of such funds on expenses relating to administering the
cleaner air space program.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
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