The TVAQCA is pleased to announce that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District recently funded our project, “Ensuring Future Air Quality in the Tri-Valley,” for the next three years (2022- 2024) at $100,000 per year. See our website for our findings from our first two years under Our Reports. Our webmaster, Lauren Chang, will be updating our site as we finalize our Work Plan with Aneesh Rana who continues as our Air District contact.
We are excited to have this opportunity to continue our work to build awareness of the air quality issues in the Tri-Valley and to develop local solutions.
We continue with goals to:
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Evolve our understanding of Tri-Valley emissions, air quality issues, and health effects.
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Communicate air quality issues to and obtain feedback from the Tri-Valley Community.
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Inform local stakeholders and governments on decisions that involve air quality.
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Reduce local emissions with a focus on gas-powered landscaping operations.
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Increase awareness and scientific knowledge of our student population with outreach and internships.
To reduce local emissions from combustion sources, we will continue offering grants up to $5,000 to local landscaping companies as a part of our successful Commercial Landscaping Equipment Incentive Program. This program accelerates the goals or the recent AB-1346 Air pollution: small off- road engines. (ca.gov).
To prepare low-income residents for the inevitable wildfire smoke episodes, we will pursue the Alameda County Supervisor Haubert’s suggestion to Jennifer Yeamans that we fund high-efficiency home air filtration systems.
We will look for opportunities to inform local governments of our findings – we offer to collaborate with city Climate Action Plan groups on common goals as well as city planning departments.
We greatly appreciate the dedication and inspiration that Bruce Daggy brought to our team the last two years. Bruce moved back east to join his family but continues to assist from afar. Ron Baskett now Chairs our Oversight Committee. Jennifer Yeamans, who has been on our Oversight Committee and provided continuity to our team this last fall, has moved off to our Advisory Group.
We are looking for additional community organizers and organizations who wish to collaborate. If you are interested in assisting, please see our website at www.tvaqca.org, or email us at tvaqca1@gmail.com or contact Ron directly at rlbaskett74@gmail.com for more information.
We are also currently in the process of hiring a part-time paid Project Coordinator to handle project communications, track our tasks, manage our incentive programs, and prepare our reports. If you know of someone who might be interested, please forward this email and point to our website for the position announcement.
Looking forward to working together in 2022, Ron