,,ii  #aaith ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #eade  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,july #bh1     
#bjbf,ms4 ,rosen 7for herself1 ,mr4     
,bennet1 ,ms4 ,klobuchar1 and ,mr4      
,merkley7 introduced the following bill2
 which was read twice and referred to   
the ,committee on ,environment and      
,public ,works  ,a ,,bill  ,to clarify  
the use of certain existing grants under
 the ,clean ,air ,act to purchase air   
sensors1 and for other purposes4  #a4   
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,wildfire ,air ,quality ,sensor     
,expansion ,act of #bjbf4  #b4 ,findings
 ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 wildfire   
smoke contains air pollutants that have 
been associated with a range of negative
 health outcomes1 from upper respiratory
 tract irritation to the exacerbation of
 cardiac1 respiratory1 and other chronic
 conditions2  7#b7 the negative health  
outcomes described in paragraph 7#a7    
can-- 7,a7 lead to increased morbidity  
and mortality2 and  7,b7 present an     

additional economic burden for affected 
populations2  7#c7 standard public      
health strategies for mitigating        
negative health outcomes from wildfire  
smoke largely focus on risk assessment  
and communication that is informed by   
available air quality data2  7#d7       
wildfires tend to occur in rural areas  
where-- 7,a7 air quality monitoring may 
be absent or scarce2 and  7,b7 access to
 the internet and traditional media may 
be limited1 which curtails the reach of 
risk communication and educational      
outreach2  7#e7 given the limitations   
described in paragraph 7#d7 and other   
possible limitations1 there is a        
critical need to understand how rural   
communities can increase wildfire smoke 
risk mitigation as wildfire activity    
continues to grow1 particularly in the  
western ,united ,states2 and  7#f7 air  
sensors are-- 7,a7 an important tool in 
providing relatively quick or instant   
concentrations of air pollutants for air
 quality monitoring purposes2 and  7,b7 

often lower in cost1 more portable1 and 
generally easier to operate than air    
monitors4  #c4 ,definitions ,in this    
,act3 7#a7 ,administrator ,the term     
,administrator means the ,administrator 
of the ,environmental ,protection       
,agency4  7#b7 ,air monitor ,the term   
air monitor has the meaning given the   
term monitor in section #eh4a of title  
#dj1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations 7as 
in existence on the date of enactment of
 this ,act74  7#c7 ,air pollution       
control agency ,the term air pollution  
control agency has the meaning given the
 term in section #cjb of the ,clean ,air
 ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gfjb74  7#d7 ,air 
sensor ,the term air sensor means a     
non-regulatory device that-- 7,a7 is not
 a monitor 7as defined in section #eh4a 
of title #dj1 ,code of ,federal         
,regulations 7as in effect on the date  
of enactment of this ,act772 and  7,b7  
uses #a or more sensing elements to     
measure the concentration of-- 7i7      
particulate matter with a diameter of   

#b4e micrometers or less 7commonly      
referred to as ,,pm#b4e72  7ii7         
ground-level ozone2 or  7iii7 other     
smoke pollutants originating from       
wildfire burning natural or human-made  
fuel sources4  7#e7 ,indian tribe ,the  
term ,indian tribe has the meaning given
 the term in section #cjb of the ,clean 
,air ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gfjb74  7#f7  
,wildfire ,the term wildfire has the    
meaning given the term in section #ej4a 
of title #dj1 ,code of ,federal         
,regulations 7as in effect on the date  
of enactment of this ,act74  #d4        
,clarification on the use of existing   
funding for air sensors ,an air         
pollution control agency that receives a
 grant under section #ajc or #aje of the
 ,clean ,air ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gdjc1 
#gdje7 may use those grant funds to     
purchase and operate portable air       
sensors and related equipment necessary 
for the placement and operation of those
 air sensors4  #e4 ,air sensor grant and
 loan programs  7a7 ,portable air sensor

 grants  7#a7 ,in general ,subject to   
the availability of appropriations1 the 
,administrator shall1 on a competitive  
basis1 award grants to air pollution    
control agencies to purchase and operate
 portable air sensors and related       
equipment necessary for the placement   
and operation of those air sensors4     
7#b7 ,requirement ,an air pollution     
control agency that receives a grant    
under paragraph 7#a7 shall coordinate   
with the ,administrator with respect    
to-- 7,a7 the sharing of data from      
portable air sensors purchased or       
operated using grant funds2 and  7,b7   
the adjustment of data from portable air
 sensors described in subparagraph 7,a7 
for use in publicly available mapping of
 air quality1 including those operated  
by the ,administrator1 such as the      
,air,now ,fire and ,smoke ,map tool4    
7#c7 ,prioritization ,in selecting      
recipients of grants under paragraph    
7#a71 the ,administrator shall give     
priority to air pollution control       

agencies that would use grant funds to  
purchase and operate portable air       
sensors in-- 7,a7 remote or rural       
locations that lack air monitors and air
 sensors2  7,b7 areas in which air      
quality monitoring or air quality data  
is absent or scarce2 or  7,c7           
communities that are affected1 or are   
expected to be affected1 by wildfire and
 wildfire smoke during the fiscal year  
within which the grant is made4  7#d7   
,air monitors ,portable air sensors     
purchased and operated using grants     
under paragraph 7#a7 shall complement1  
but not replace1 air monitors that are  
otherwise eligible to be purchased or   
operated using grants awarded under     
sections #ajc and #aje of the ,clean    
,air ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gdjc1 #gdje74 
7#e7 ,authorization of appropriations   
,there is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this subsection #aj1jjj1jjj
 for each of fiscal years #bjbg through 
#bjcb4  7b7 ,air sensor loan programs   
7#a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator    

shall expand the existing air sensor    
loan programs of the ,environmental     
,protection ,agency1 including the      
regional air sensor loan programs and   
the ,wildfire ,smoke ,air ,monitoring   
,response ,technology program1 into     
regions1 ,states1 and land under the    
jurisdiction of ,indian tribes that do  
not currently participate in those      
programs1 with a focus on providing     
funding under those programs for        
portable air sensors in areas that are  
most severely impacted by wildfires and 
wildfire smoke4  7#b7 ,authorization of 
appropriations ,there are authorized to 
be appropriated to the ,administrator to
 carry out this subsection such sums as 
are necessary for each of fiscal years  
#bjbg through #bjcb4  #f4 ,access to    
technical assistance  7a7 ,in general   
,subject to the availability of         
appropriations1 the ,administrator shall
 provide technical assistance for the   
purchase and operation of portable air  
sensors and related equipment necessary 

for the placement and operation of those
 portable air sensors to recipients of  
assistance under the programs described 
in section #e and the grant programs    
under sections #ajc and #aje of the     
,clean ,air ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #gdjc1  
#gdje74  7b7 ,technical assistance      
described ,technical assistance provided
 pursuant to subsection 7a7 shall       
include assistance with respect to--    
7#a7 air sensor placement2  7#b7 air    
sensor type selection2  7#c7 air sensor 
maintenance and care2  7#d7 maintenance 
and care of equipment necessary for air 
sensor operation2  7#e7 air sensor data 
management2 and  7#f7 quality assurance 
project plan development4  7c7          
,prioritization ,in selecting recipients
 of technical assistance provided       
pursuant to subsection 7a71 the         
,administrator shall give priority to   
recipients of assistance for the        
purchase of air sensors-- 7#a7 in remote
 or rural locations that lack air       
monitors and air sensors2  7#b7 in areas

 in which air quality monitoring or air 
quality data is absent or scarce2 or    
7#c7 that serve communities that are    
affected1 or are expected to be         
affected1 by wildfire and wildfire smoke
 during the fiscal year in which the    
assistance for the purchase of air      
sensors is provided4  7d7 ,authorization
 of appropriations ,there are authorized
 to be appropriated to the              
,administrator to carry out this section
 such sums as are necessary for each of 
fiscal years #bjbg through #bjcb4  #g4  
,quality assurance project plan         
templates for air sensor programs ,not  
later than #ahj days after the date of  
enactment of this ,act1 the             
,administrator shall develop1 in        
consultation with the regional offices  
of the ,environmental ,protection       
,agency and relevant stakeholders1 and  
make publicly available quality         
assurance project plan templates for the
 programs of the ,administrator         
described in section #e that-- 7#a7 are 

nationally consistent2 and  7#b7 meet   
the requirements of section #aejj4ab of 
title #b1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations
 7as in effect on the date of enactment 
of this ,act74