Energy Justice Center summarizes state pilot air‑monitoring data, urges New Rochelle to press for mitigation

Bridal Salter, founder of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center, briefed the New Rochelle City Council’s committee of the whole on May 6 about findings from New York State’s community air monitoring pilot and local outreach the center is running under its “Air of Truth” program.

Salter said the monitoring—vehicle-mounted sensors that drove block-by-block in 2022–2023 in 10 communities across the state including New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and Yonkers—shows that Westchester County’s air quality is poor overall and that pollution is concentrated near Interstate 95 and certain industrial sources. “The American Lung Association gives all of Westchester an F grade for air quality,” Salter told council members.

Salter said the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (the Climate Act) required the state to identify “disadvantaged” communities and to pilot air monitoring in some of those communities. The law also requires that 40% of certain state climate investments benefit those communities. The state’s pilot maps, she said, overlay pollution hot spots with community assets—public housing, child‑care centers and hospitals—creating priority areas for mitigation planning.

Why it matters

Salter framed the presentation as both a climate…