NEW ROCHELLE, NY (Dec 7, 2025) — The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation announced $1 million in grant funding Friday to two community organizations for projects aimed at cutting air pollution in environmental justice communities.
DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said the awards, made through the agency’s Air Pollution Mitigation grant program, support the statewide Community Air Monitoring initiative.
“Reducing the impacts of air pollution and vehicle emissions is vital to the long-term health and well-being of New Yorkers living in disadvantaged and environmental justice communities,” Lefton said.
One $500,000 grant went to the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center to support Clean Air New Rochelle. The project will monitor air quality in disadvantaged communities near The LINC, a $45 million city-proposed infrastructure project in a high-traffic corridor. The work will evaluate the effectiveness of traffic rerouting, tree planting and vegetative barriers near busy roadways.
“This grant allows us to pair cutting edge air-monitoring with community leadership,” said Raya Salter, founder and executive director of the Energy Justice Law and Policy Center. “By tracking the real impacts of mitigation projects in New Rochelle’s frontline communities, we’re building a model for municipal, community-driven air-pollution solutions and, with the DEC, advancing the Climate Act.”
The projects target areas with higher air pollution levels and negative quality-of-life impacts from noise and odors due to an inequitable distribution of pollution sources.
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.
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