Bill Details
S.147 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-01-17 - Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Introduced Date
2025-01-17
Policy Area
Environmental Protection
Committees
View committees (1)
Sponsors
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would create a federal grant program to help states, local air pollution agencies, and at least one Tribal agency build “clean air” spaces and give out air filters to people most at risk from wildfire smoke. The goal is to help low-income households, especially those with older adults, people with disabilities, or people with health problems, protect themselves during smoke events. Agencies would have to work with community groups, set up at least one clean air center in a smoke-prone area, give out free eligible air filters and replacement filters, share public information, and report back on how well the program works. The bill would also let the Environmental Protection Agency study the results and suggest whether the program should grow.
- Agencies could apply for grants of up to $3 million each to run a cleaner air space program.
- At least one grant must go to a Tribal agency that has air quality authority.
- Each program must partner with at least one community-based organization and open at least one clean air center that is available during wildfire smoke events.
- Programs must give at least 1,000 eligible air filtration units at no cost to covered households, provide one replacement filter for each unit, and send EPA data and survey results. The bill authorizes $30 million for fiscal years 2026 through 2028, with no more than 10% for administration.
Official Summaries
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 units 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.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 147 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 147
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 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.
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 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.
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