Air Pollution Control Achievement Awards

The Air Pollution Control Board of the City of Huntsville is currently soliciting nominations for 2025 Air Pollution Control Achievement Awards. Recipients of the awards will receive a plaque at a presentation ceremony to be held at Huntsville City Hall in the fall of 2026.

The Awards Program was established by the Board in 1997, and enhanced in 1999, to recognize the voluntary efforts of industrial, commercial, institutional, and educational businesses to improve air quality in Huntsville. Award recipients are considered and selected by the Board based on letters of nomination.

Qualifying projects in the Huntsville, Alabama, area must demonstrate a positive impact on local or regional air quality – having reduced (or that will reduce) air pollution in one or more of the categories below.

Category 1

Category 1 Awards recognize facilities that have implemented a project that reduces pollutant emissions to the ambient air. Some examples of activities within this category are voluntary installation or upgrading of emission control equipment, the use of less polluting raw materials in manufacturing processes or facility maintenance, the installation of more efficient process equipment that reduces raw material or fuel usage, measures to reduce energy consumption, or the purchase of low-emission fleet vehicles. Actions required by air pollution control regulations or those implemented in response to enforcement action (i.e., actions which are not voluntary) are not eligible for recognition.

Category 2

Category 2 Awards recognize current or planned projects in line with the types of projects described in Category 1 which are still in the planning, testing, or early implementation stages. Since the results of the project are not yet known, a Category 2 winner would not actually receive an award until 2026. Thus, Category 2 recognition provides pre-approval of a project as being deserving of recognition and assures that an award will be conferred if the project is successfully implemented.

Category 3

Category 3 Awards were added by the Board in 1999 as a means of recognizing efforts to educate the public and promote citizen actions to reduce pollutant emissions to the ambient air. Examples of activities within this category include effective promotion of carpooling and/or proper car care, conducting seminars or workshops or sponsoring displays at exhibitions to educate the public on practices to reduce air pollution, and use of other methods for public dissemination of information describing actions individuals can take to reduce air pollution.

Nominations

Nominations should be made for projects or activities which have been implemented or initiated, or for which continued progress toward implementation has been made, during calendar year 2025. Although all eligible nominations will be given careful consideration, the Board particularly welcomes submittals that describe on-site emissions reductions with a direct local effect or where other metrics show the positive impact of the project or activity on local air pollution.

To receive consideration for an award, please SUBMIT A NOMINATION describing the project or activity, including detailed information on emissions reductions, energy savings, outreach, impact, etc., as applicable, by July 1, 2026. The Board will select the entities to be recognized during their following quarterly meeting in 2026.

For questions or additional information,  email the awards committee at APCBawards@huntsvilleal.gov.