LINCOLN — The Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska will be able to monitor its air quality and help reduce air pollution with the help of a $266,064 federal grant.

The grant is part of $53.4 million being distributed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to fund 132 air monitoring projects across 37 states. The goal of the projects is for underserved and historically marginalized communities to enhance their air quality as part of President Joe Biden’s Justice40 Initiative. The initiative and executive order direct 40% of the overall benefits of certain federal investments to flow to overburdened communities with disproportionately high and adverse health and environmental impacts.

The Winnebago Tribe plans to use the grant to install equipment that will monitor meteorological conditions and air pollution at various locations throughout the Winnebago Tribal Nation. The data collected will be used to update emissions inventories to understand air quality issues within the Tribal Nation.

“Funding for this air monitoring project for the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska will give the Winnebago people the data they need to monitor their local air quality and make the improvements needed to reduce air pollution in and around their communities,” said EPA Region 7 Administrator Meg McCollister. “Investing in communities such as the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska demonstrates the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to addressing pollution in disproportionately impacted communities across our region.”

The air pollution monitoring projects are made possible by over $30 million in Inflation Reduction Act funds, which supplemented $20 million from the American Rescue Plan Act and enabled EPA to support 77 additional projects, more than twice the number of projects initially selected for funding.

Grant recipients must spend the funds within three years once received from the EPA.

This story was originally published by Nebraska Examiner, an editorially independent newsroom providing a hard-hitting, daily flow of news. It is part of the national nonprofit States Newsroom. Find more at nebraskaexaminer.com.