Community Air Monitoring

HB 3112, titled "Community Air Monitoring," requires the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to support air quality monitoring in communities downwind of industrial pollution sources. The bill mandates that the DEP provide technical assistance and, if funding is available, financial support to residents and organizations setting up local air quality monitors. Individuals can submit their collected air quality data to the DEP for evaluation, using specific quality standards like proper equipment calibration and location documentation. The DEP must review this data and may initiate follow-up monitoring by state agencies or permitted facilities if concerns arise. This directly affects West Virginians living near industrial sites by giving them tools to track pollution in their neighborhoods.