EPA releases new state fact sheets on climate change
EPA published a series of fact sheets, “What Climate Change Means for Your State,” that focus on the impacts of climate change in each of the 50 states and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico. These 52 fact sheets compile information from previously published synthesis and assessment reports to provide a handy reference for state and local policymakers, businesses, and individuals who are looking to communicate impacts of climate change in a given state. Fact sheets on the Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia will be coming soon.
EPA offers up to $80,000 to communities to develop air sensor data best practices
EPA is challenging communities across the country to collect data using hundreds of air quality sensors as part of the Smart City Air Challenge. The agency is offering up to $40,000 apiece to two communities to work with their residents to crowdsource air quality data and share it with the public online. The projects will give individuals a role in collecting the data and an understanding of how environmental conditions affect their health and their community.
Air quality sensors are becoming less expensive and people are beginning to use them to measure pollution levels in their neighborhoods and homes. They are developing rapidly, but most sensors are not ready for regulatory use. However, by networking these devices, communities can better understand what is happening at the local level. Communities will figure out where to place the sensors and how to maintain the devices. It is up to each community to decide what pollutants they want to measure.
What does EPA get out of this? We’ll learn how communities collect, store, and manage large amounts of data. We’ll also get a better understanding of the quality of data that communities collect using sensors for non-regulatory purposes. We’ll see how communities transfer data from sensors to databases and visualize the results. Finally, the sensors will produce as much as 150 gigabytes of open data a year—data anyone can use.
Smart City Air Challenge Information
- Announcement of Winners: Around December 1, 2016
- Initial award: Up to $40,000 each to two communities to deploy air sensors, share data with the public, and develop data management best practices from sensors
- Additional funding: Up to $10,000 each to the winning communities in 2017 based on their accomplishments and collaboration
For more information go to the Smart City Air Challenge website or EPA Connect, the official blog of the EPA Leadership.
DOE announces availability of up to $3 million to initiate clean energy development on tribal lands
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Conduct energy options analyses
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Establish baseline energy use and efficiency options
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Develop energy organizations
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Conduct climate resiliency planning
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Establish policy, regulations, and codes to reduce energy use or promote energy development
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Obtain skills and training related to energy use and development