Sen. Carper Applauds EPA Call For More Air Toxics Monitoring

WASHINGTON – As chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Clean Air and Nuclear Safety, Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) announcement today that across the country, the agency will monitor 62 elementary and middle schools in 22 states for air toxic pollution.

The new toxic air monitoring program will be directed and funded by the EPA, and conducted primarily by state and local governments. The first at-risk schools to be monitored were chosen using factors such as location, computer modeling analysis, and determinations by state and local air agencies.

“EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has taken a leadership role to protect our children from deadly air toxics,” said Sen. Carper. “Federal, state and local governments will use this new monitoring data to make smarter policy decisions to better protect our children from the negative health effects of breathing dirty air.

“I applaud this new EPA effort, but I also believe we need greater air quality monitoring across the country for all air pollutants. I look forward to working with Administrator Jackson and my colleagues to make additional air quality monitoring a reality.”