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Southwest Detroit Entrepreneur Hopes for Cleaner Air with the Inflation Reduction Act
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Southwest Detroit Entrepreneur Hopes for Cleaner Air with the Inflation Reduction Act

A clean air entrepreneur shares how provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act will benefit his community.

Building an Economy for All, Inflation Reduction Act, Public Health

Darren Riley, co-founder and CEO of JustAir
Southwest Detroit, Michigan

Southwest Detroit is situated near heavy industrial zones and as a result contains some of the most polluted ZIP codes in the country. When Darren Riley moved to the community and developed asthma, his struggle inspired him to create air-quality monitoring systems to help community members identify poor air quality. With investments from the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce air pollution in environmental justice communities, Darren imagines a future filled with clean air for his community.

Darren Riley

Darren Riley pictured in September 2022. (Photo credit: Bryan Lewis)

You never forget struggling for air to breathe; it opens your eyes to know that’s the only thing that matters, getting your next breath. It’s really frightening. The Inflation Reduction Act investment to reduce emissions in industrial zones near neighborhoods like mine is so important. The sizable investment aligns with JustAir’s mission to improve air quality for everyone within our community. It's a future of hope and a future I am excited to be a part of. Darren Riley

The Inflation Reduction Act could prevent 4,500 premature deaths from air pollution. By centering environmental justice communities in federal legislation, it ensures that the most overburdened communities are prioritized. Although much more still must be done to address the decades of environmental harm in environmental justice communities, the Inflation Reduction Act takes a critical step forward.

Read more about the benefits of the Inflation Reduction Act

Americans celebrate how the Inflation Reduction Act has benefited their lives in the year since its passage.

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