Deep Dive into New Rochelle section of 2022-23 Statewide Community Air Monitoring Initiative (see below)
ALBANY, NY (May 11, 2025) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is celebrating Air Quality Awareness Week from May 5 to May 9, promoting initiatives to educate residents on protecting air quality across the state. The event, coordinated with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s nationwide campaign, carries the theme “Stay Air Aware.”
“Nothing is more precious than the air we breathe, and the Department of Environmental Conservation has worked tirelessly to protect clean air for New Yorkers,” said Acting DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton. “New York State’s air quality experts at the Department of Environmental Conservation and Department of Health have a proven track record of reducing harmful emissions to protect public health and the environment.”
The DEC reported significant reductions in statewide pollutant emissions from major facilities between 2000 and 2023. Hazardous air pollutants decreased by 72 percent, while monitored ambient levels of particulate matter less than 2.5 microns (PM 2.5) dropped by 42 percent. These achievements stem from New York’s stringent air quality regulations and the efforts of DEC’s air quality staff.
The agency encourages New Yorkers to take action by reducing vehicle idling, using public transportation, and conserving energy at home to further decrease emissions. The DEC’s Division of Air Resources monitors air quality through a network of over 50 sites statewide, providing data for public health advisories issued with the New York State Department of Health.
“Air Quality Awareness Week helps the public take action to ‘Stay Air Aware’ by learning about the pollutants that could impact your health, signing up for air quality alerts and newsletters, and reading the air quality resources on DEC’s website and social media to stay informed and be safe,” Lefton said.
For more information on air quality initiatives and tips to reduce pollution, visit dec.ny.gov.
2022-23 Statewide Community Air Monitoring Initiative
The statewide Community Air Monitoring (CAM) Initiativeworked with a mobile monitoring contractor Aclima, Inc. to collect air quality data in 10 disadvantaged communities for one year ending in August 2023, expanding on the four communities required by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act). Air quality monitoring focused on disadvantaged communities (DACs) with high air pollution burdens. The results will help DEC target strategies to reduce air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions contributing to climate change.
The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (Climate Act) requires meaningful changes to benefit New York State’s climate and economy. Climate change is a threat multiplier which can worsen existing vulnerabilities and stressors and further increase community burdens. As required by the Climate Act, the Climate Justice Working Group (CJWG), comprised of representatives from Environmental Justice communities statewide, identified disadvantaged communities (DACs), using criteria which includes environmental burdens, climate change risk, and population and health vulnerability indicators.
In consultation with CJWG, and after weighing community feedback, DEC selected DACs for air monitoring in the communities of Mount Vernon, Yonkers, and New Rochelle based on 12 environmental burden indicators directly associated with air pollution.
The community profile for Mount Vernon, Yonkers, and New Rochelle provides the following:
- A brief overview of historical background and relevant information that may contribute to some of the environmental justice concerns experienced today including industrial development and examples of injustices faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color such as redlining, displacement, segregation by the construction of highways, and other land use decisions;
- Descriptions of potential air pollution sources;
- Community concerns regarding air quality;
- Initial results, which links to mapping tools where readers can review maps of the mobile air monitoring data, air pollution sources, sensitive receptor locations (schools, parks, playgrounds, childcare and healthcare facilities, nursing homes, and public housing), and traffic data;
- Community survey;
- Next steps; and
- Strategies to reduce air pollution
Community Description/History
The full report with maps is here. I excerpted a few sections that were relevant to New Rochelle:
The cities of Mt. Vernon, Yonkers, and New Rochelle are in southern Westchester County, just north of the Bronx, and are a mix of residential areas with some manufacturing and technology industries. Indigenous peoples lived in this area until European settlers took the land for farming, contributing to the displacement of Indigenous peoples.
New Rochelle’s location along Long Island Sound helped transform the community from one with trading and agricultural industries into a resort and summer home destination. During the nineteenth century, many immigrant families also left New York City and moved to the community.
New Rochelle experienced its greatest growth between 1900 to 1930 as a suburban community, with attractive neighborhoods and residential parks, nine miles of waterfront, a strong school system, efficient rail services, and the convenience of getting out of town quickly by car after the Hutchinson River Parkway was built. In the mid-1950s, the construction of the New England Thruway (I-95) under the direction of NYC Park Commissioner Robert Moses’ disrupted the African Amercian neighborhoods of New Rochelle, leading to the displacement of families, many of whom had roots in the community for several generations, and the closure of many businesses within the Lincoln Avenue corridor.
Commercial and retail developments followed after development of the highways which led to the removal of numerous homes, some businesses, a cemetery, and a church. The mall’s construction also damaged thriving Black neighborhoods and businesses. After a slow decline in mall business that stretched from the 1970s through the 1990s, it was demolished in 1998. The large tract of vacant land was filled with an entertainment complex, a hotel, and apartments.
In 2018, New Rochelle began a massive revitalization of its downtown to provide pedestrian safety, new accessible public spaces, economic development, and multi-modal access to employment and cultural and recreational resources.
In March 2024, New Rochelle received $16 million in federal funds to support the Lincoln neighborhood, a historically African American neighborhood that had been severed and partially bulldozed by the six-lane Memorial Highway, built in the 1950s. The plan’s purpose is to transform the highway into a local street that will create easy connections between the city’s downtown, its train station, and Lincoln Avenue.
During community meetings with DEC representatives and stakeholders, New Rochelle residents shared their concerns about air pollution from I-95, heavy traffic, and its proximity to housing in New Rochelle. They were also troubled about the construction of multistoried parking lots for New York City commuters that were built adjacent to apartment buildings as well as air pollution produced by nearby commercial and industrial activities.
We heard community concerns about I-95, traffic and proximity to housing in New Rochelle. Also in New Rochelle, concern was expressed about the construction of tall parking lots, adjacent to apartment buildings, for New York City commuters, and concerns about air toxics from commercial and industrial activities.
https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/b39806cbc7ea4b139b79713720dab25f?item=8
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.