Across several states, industries in the chemical and manufacturing sectors are quietly working to make it harder for communities to hold polluters responsible. Federal funding for public air monitoring has decreased over recent decades, resulting in fewer monitors and outdated equipment, often located far from major sources of pollution. With the Trump administration delaying and reversing regulations that would have held companies accountable for emissions, many communities have turned to low-cost air sensors as an alternative to track air quality. Since 2024, lawmakers in Louisiana, Ohio, and Kentucky have introduced similar bills, often supported by chemical or manufacturing trade groups, that limit the use of community-collected air data in enforcement actions. These laws block regulators from using air-quality data for legal action unless it meets standards approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Similar legislation in West Virginia has not yet passed, but industry groups have pushed for it. Supporters of these laws argue that community monitoring is not reliable enough for use in regulatory decisions. However, when lawmakers in West Virginia proposed a bill aimed at ensuring data accuracy, the chemical industry resisted. An internal email from Chemours, a chemical company, stated the bill "essentially codifies what we are trying to prevent." Meanwhile, the nation's air monitoring system, created under the 1963 Clean Air Act, has seen a significant decline. Adjusted for inflation, federal funding for the network has dropped more than 35 percent over the past two decades, and the number of government air monitors has nearly halved. Networks monitoring toxic chemicals like vinyl chloride, a known carcinogen, have also shrunk significantly. A recent investigation found that 71 of the 100 largest industrial sources of air pollution in Kentucky, Louisiana, Ohio, and West Virginia release chemicals not measured by any government monitor in their state. Toxic substances such as hydrochloric acid and methanol are among those not tracked by current EPA reporting systems. Research from 2025 shows that nearly six in 10 U.S. counties have no public air monitors at all. These gaps are most severe in communities already at higher risk. According to the EPA, Black and low-income populations face a disproportionate share of cancer risks from air pollutants. In Louisiana, public air monitors are often located far from major industrial polluters and fail to test for some of the most dangerous chemicals. Community groups have tried to fill this gap, but the Trump administration canceled a $500,000 grant awarded under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. Louisiana was the first state to restrict the use of community air monitoring data in 2024. The Louisiana Chemistry Association helped draft the Community Air Monitoring Reliability Act (CAMRA), which bars the use of air pollution data in enforcement actions unless it comes from EPA-approved monitors. The American Chemistry Council, the national counterpart of the LCA, spent over $22 million lobbying in 2024 and successfully opposed federal rules requiring chemical plants to monitor emissions of ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen. In Kentucky, lawmakers passed House Bill 137 in March 2025, which limits how air-monitoring data can be used in enforcement actions. The language of the bill mirrors a 2023 blog post from the American Chemistry Council. The ACC, the American Petroleum Institute, Dow Chemical, and Chemours supported the bill. Ohio’s new air monitoring rule, included in last year’s budget bill, prevents regulators from acting on air-monitoring data collected by community groups. Environmental groups have sued the state over the new rules, challenging another provision that removes Ohio’s “air nuisance rule,” which allowed citizens to take legal action against companies whose emissions endangered public health. In West Virginia, a state bill backed by the West Virginia Manufacturers Association would have prevented community air monitoring data from being used in regulation, enforcement, or lawsuits. It passed the House but failed in the Senate, partly due to disagreements within the industry. A compromise version was drafted, but industry groups did not support it. Evidence suggests that improved monitoring can reduce pollution and save lives. In 2018, the EPA required refineries to monitor benzene along their fencelines, and within five years, the number of refineries exceeding benzene limits dropped by half. States like California and Colorado have taken proactive steps to fund community air monitoring and require real-time monitoring at industrial plants. However, in much of the U.S., people living near industrial plants still lack clear information about the air they are breathing.