1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Air and Health Quality Empowerment Zone Designation Act of 2018 . 2. Purpose The purpose of this Act is to establish criteria through the use of which specific geographical areas— (1) shall be designated as air and health quality empowerment zones; and (2) may apply for grants authorized for the purpose of replacing or retrofitting polluting vehicles or engines (or both vehicles and engines) in order to improve the health of the population living in the zones. 3. Findings Congress finds that— (1) the San Joaquin Valley faces serious air quality challenges that impact the development, health, and economy of the Valley; (2) the Valley emits approximately 624 tons of nitrogen oxides per day, and attainment of the 1997 federally mandated 8-hour ozone standard under the Clean Air Act requires emissions of not more than 160 tons of oxides of nitrogen per day; (3) the Valley does not attain the federally mandated standard for PM 2.5 ; (4) the children of the Valley miss 188,000 school days per year, which translates to 1 in 4 of those children experiencing a day of absence each year due to elevated ozone levels; (5) approximately 460 residents of the Valley die earlier than they otherwise would due to elevated ozone levels, and Valley residents experience 23,300 asthma attacks per year, a rate that equals 3 times the State average and 5 times the national average; (6) 1 in 5 children residing in the Valley have been diagnosed with asthma; (7) nonattainment of Federal air quality standards costs the Valley $3,200,000,000 annually; (8) the Valley experiences chronic double-digit unemployment rates