Community Air Action Planning Program

Collaboratively Problem Solving with Oregon Communities

Neighbors for Clean Air and The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality have worked together to create the Community Air Action Planning (CAAP) Program, a pilot project focused on improving air quality in Oregon communities that have historically faced higher levels of pollution.

While DEQ has targeted programs that try to reduce air emissions from one source of pollution at a time, research has shown that many vulnerable communities - especially low-income and minority populations - are exposed to air pollution from multiple sources at once, some of which fall outside the reach of current regulatory scope.

CAAP is all about community-led action, working directly with area residents to share knowledge and data about local air quality while collaborating with DEQ and NCA to shape solutions. Through this process, we aim to empower Oregon communities to enable them to rise beyond existing regulatory framework and have a voice in deciding how to make the air they breathe cleaner.

Oregonians Face Health Risks from Air Pollution

CAAP focuses on monitoring for air pollutants PM2.5, PM10 and Black Carbon. ‘PM’ stands for ‘particulate matter’, with the following number referencing the size of particulate - for example, PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that’s 2.5 micrometers or smaller in diameter, about 30 times smaller than the width of a human hair! Black carbon is a harmful pollutant stemming from incomplete fuel burning. Primary sources of PM10, PM2.5 and Black Carbon pollution in Oregon include diesel exhaust, industrial process emissions, and wildfire smoke.

These air toxics put Oregon residents at higher risk of developing cancer, heart attack, stroke, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disorders, with low-income and minority communities being disproportionately impacted. Communities of color are most affected, facing up to three times more diesel pollution than other local areas.

Participating Communities

CHILOQUIN

Chiloquin is a small, high-desert town in Klamath County with roughly 770 residents as of 2025. Historically, Chiloquin had limited local air quality monitoring, with PM10 and PM2.5 pollution stemming from wildfire smoke and use of wood-burning stoves for heat in the winter.

View Local Air Quality Data →

MCMINVILLE

McMinnville is home to around 34,300 people in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Wildfire season, dust particulate from agriculture, and local industrial pollution both present significant concerns for the community’s air quality.

View Local Air Quality Data →

ROCKWOOD + WILKES EAST

Rockwood and Wilkes East, nestled in northwest Gresham, is one of the city’s most diverse and densely populated neighborhoods. Home to roughly 10,000 to 15,000 people living in a tight-knit community where over 85 languages are spoken, this pocket of east Multnomah County is working towards cleaner air and greater climate resilience.

View Local Air Quality Data →

MEDFORD

Medford, located in the Rogue Valley, is the eighth-most populous city in Oregon. According to the American Lung Association, the Medford–Grants Pass metro area ranks among the worst in the U.S. for particle pollution, with industrial emissions and wildfire smoke being a significant local concern.

View Local Air Quality Data →

Creating Lasting Change Together

Through CAAP, each participating community will generate a Community Air Report with a multi-source data gathering approach. CAAP will collect data from a network of low-cost air monitoring instruments placed throughout the region, such as PurpleAir monitors to measure PM2.5, aethalometers to track black carbon from sources like diesel engines and other fossil fuel burning, and a weather station to collect weather data. This data will focus on PM10, PM2.5 and black carbon and won’t include other pollutants.

In addition to data collection through air monitoring instruments, CAAP will gather community knowledge through a series of workshops with area residents. Community members might avoid certain areas because of poor air quality or have concerns about pollution that isn’t captured by data from air monitoring equipment – this community knowledge will add depth and nuance to measured data.

Once the Community Air Report is finalized, a Community Air Action Plan to improve air quality will be made by community members, DEQ, and NCA in partnership and will be made widely available.

Get Involved

Contact Neighbors for Clean Air

CAAP is only possible through collaboration with community members – people just like you! If you are a member of a participating community and would like to schedule a meeting, join a specific community mailing list, obtain an air quality monitor or having questions about how to join the CAAP project, please contact:

NCA Co-Executive Director Nakisha Nathan at nakisha@neighborsforcleanair.org

NCA Advocacy Manager Oscar Edwards-Hughes at oscar@neighborsforcleanair.org

Review Existing Information

Rockwood/Wilkes East:

McMinnville:

Chiloquin:

Medford: