Chicago Launches Air Quality Reform Agenda to Promote Equitable Economic Growth

The City of Chicago has taken a major step towards improving its air quality and promoting equitable economic growth with the launch of its new air quality reform agenda. The initiative, announced by Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot, is rooted in data from the Air Quality and Health Report, which highlighted the unequal burden of pollution faced by communities of color on the city's South and West Sides. The new agenda includes a number of key reforms, including the establishment of an Environmental Equity Working Group, the overhaul of existing rules relating to industrial operations that produce air pollution, and the strengthening of air pollution enforcement and inspection.

Key Takeaways:

The air quality reform agenda is based on data from the Air Quality and Health Report, which highlighted the unequal burden of pollution faced by communities of color on the city's South and West Sides.
The agenda includes the establishment of an Environmental Equity Working Group, which will serve as a platform for community representatives, environmental leaders, and other local stakeholders to advise the Chief Sustainability Officer and the administration.
The City will overhaul existing rules relating to industrial operations that produce air pollution, with a focus on mitigating the impact of pollution on historically underserved communities.
The administration will analyze the cumulative burden of polluting uses through a new regulatory process, and strengthen how air pollution enforcement and inspection operates.
The City will also revise its Zoning Code to amend where manufacturing and other polluting sites may be located throughout the city, with a focus on ensuring that industrial activity is sufficiently separated from residences and small businesses.
The ordinance that changes the City's Zoning Code will be introduced at the September City Council meeting and will be voted upon in October.
The administration's air quality agenda will also overhaul existing rules relating to industrial operations that produce air pollution, analyze the cumulative burden of polluting uses through a new regulatory process, and strengthen air pollution enforcement and inspection operations.
The Lightfoot Administration already overhauled the large recycling rules that regulate facilities like General Iron, which went into effect on June 5, 2020 and require recyclers to mitigate dust and pollution and to monitor air and noise produced at the facility.
The City will create an Environmental Equity Working Group, which will serve as a platform of community representatives, environmental leaders, and other local stakeholders who will advise the Chief Sustainability Officer and the administration in pursuit of its environmental reform agenda.
The changes come as the City continues working with stakeholders and community members to create a more equitable and environmentally friendly Chicago.

Statistics:

The Air Quality and Health Report found that air quality issues like ozone and particulate matter remain a challenge citywide.
Communities facing inequities like poverty and unemployment are more likely to experience poor health outcomes, making efforts to mitigate air pollution, which can increase risk for or exacerbate chronic conditions, especially important.
The data from the report helped to inform improvements in the City's environmental inspection and enforcement, prioritizing impacted communities and strengthening requirements for permitting and operation of polluting industries.
The City will use data-measured over time-to determine where and how to ensure an appropriate balance of industrial economic growth, environmental quality, and good jobs.

Sources:

Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot
Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH)
Alderman George Cardenas (12th Ward)
Chief Sustainability Officer Angela Tovar
Martha Torres Allen, Southside Coalition to Ban Petcoke
Air Quality and Health Report
City of Chicago website