Clean Air Excellence Awards
2020 Clean Air Excellence Awards Program
The Clean Air Excellence Awards Program, established at the recommendation of the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, periodically recognizes and honors outstanding innovative efforts to help make progress in achieving cleaner air.
Award-winning entries must directly or indirectly reduce pollutant emissions, demonstrate innovation, offer sustainable outcomes, and provide a model for others to follow.
- Clean Air Technology
- Community Action
- Education Outreach
- State/Tribal/Local Air Quality Policy
- Transportation Efficiency
- Gregg Cooke Visionary Program Award
- Thomas W. Zosel Outstanding Individual Achievement Award
2020 Clean Air Excellence Awards Recipients
Clean Air Technology
2020 Recipient: Caterpillar Inc.-Changing the Dynamic in Dual Fuel: Cat 3512E Tier 4 DGB (Deerfield, Ill.)
The first and only Dynamic Gas Blending (DGB) engine in the industry certified to U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final emission standards, the Cat 3512E enables operations to reduce diesel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while maintaining power, performance, and reliability.
Community Action
2020 Recipient: Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality – TLC Ambient Air Monitoring Program (Baton Rouge, La.)
The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) has been working to promote environmental justice in Louisiana for almost 30 years. The LDEQ began fostering relationships with under-served communities by bringing in assistance via the Temporary Located Community (TLC) Air Monitoring Program. TLC Air Monitors collect ambient air quality data in neighborhoods, and data is relayed to LDEQ’s website, providing real-time data on the extent of outdoor pollution and air quality pollution trends of certain regulated pollutants.
Education/Outreach
2020 Recipient: South Coast Air Quality Management District – South Coast AQMD Mobile App (Diamond Bar, Calif.)
The South Coast AQMD Mobile App is the official air quality app for residents of the South Coast Air Basin. Using a blend of data from regulatory monitoring stations, low-cost sensors and an air quality model run by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the app is now the most advanced in the region. With over 1,200 distinct locations, residents can get real-time air quality information for multiple cities right down to their neighborhood.
State/Tribal/Local Air Quality Policy
2020 Recipient: National Tribal Air Association, administered by Northern Arizona University's (NAU) Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (Flagstaff, Ariz.)
National Tribal Air Association (NTAA) is the nation's second largest Tribal membership organization with 151 federally recognized member Tribes. Led by an Executive Committee (EC) made up of Tribal air leaders across the country, the NTAA's mission is to advance air quality management policies and programs consistent with the needs, interests, and unique legal status of American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives.
Transportation Efficiency Innovations Award
2020 Recipient: Aperia Technologies – Halo Tire Inflator (Burlingame, Calif.)
Aperia Technologies is on a mission to increase transportation sustainability through clean technology innovation. The Halo Tire Inflator provides the greatest sustainability benefit per dollar invested for trucking fleets than any other retrofittable efficiency technology currently on the market. By actively combating tire underinflation, Halo not only helps commercial vehicle trucking fleets tackle their sustainability objectives, but also delivers a rapid return on investment by mitigating the impact of tire underinflation.
Gregg Cooke Visionary Program Award
Port of Long Beach – Community Grants Program (Long Beach, Calif.)
The Port of Long Beach Community Grants Program is a voluntary seaport mitigation program, investing in community-based projects to reduce environmental and public health impacts from Port operations on surrounding communities. The Grants Program funds projects that are scientifically proven to reduce air, noise, traffic, and water pollution.
Thomas W. Zosel Outstanding Individual Achievement Award
Lucinda Smith (Fort Collins, Co.)
Lucinda Smith, City of Fort Collins Environmental Services Department Director, has dedicated her career to working on environmental programs at the municipal level. Lucinda Smith’s work has involved leading updates to the City’s Air Quality Plan. During her tenure, she also has led climate action planning efforts including adoption of greenhouse gas emission reduction goals.
