For two years, FreshWater Accountability Project has been working through the American Geophysical Union’s Thriving Earth Exchange to use low-cost monitors in the mid-Ohio River Valley to determine the actual levels of harmful contaminants. Through new technology recently developed, FreshWater and its community science lead, Dr. Yuri Gorby, have installed and tracked the air pollution results, which have identified very high spikes in emissions from legacy polluters and Unconventional Oil and Gas Development (UOGD, also called fracking). Because of the rapid build-out of oil and gas pollutants in the air that were identified, the opportunity to apply for a large US EPA ambient air monitoring grant was taken. The TEX team united with FracTracker to apply for the grant, which was recently awarded: Click Here for the Release.
With this additional funding, the team hopes to be able to install more monitors and do the additional sampling needed to justify better air quality regulations. It is vitally important that our legislators heed the growing body of science that shows that existing EPA monitors and regulations are inadequate to be protective of public health in the Valley.