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Tribal Air Quality Programs

Tribal Air Quality Programs. Joy Wiecks Fond du Lac Air Quality Technician EPA’s “Working Effectively with Tribal Governments” training June 19, 2014. Location, Fond du Lac Reservation. Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa.

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Tribal Air Quality Programs

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  1. Tribal Air Quality Programs Joy Wiecks Fond du Lac Air Quality Technician EPA’s “Working Effectively with Tribal Governments” training June 19, 2014

  2. Location, Fond du Lac Reservation

  3. Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Roughly 4,400 Band members, with 1,500 living on the Reservation Reservation is 100,000 contiguous acres - heavily wooded, with many wetlands. Has 108 water bodies, including 843 acres of wild rice waters 5-member Tribal Council elected to staggered four-year terms Band has two casinos, a hotel complex with a golf course, various enterprises

  4. FdL (Continued) Resource Mgmt Division: Forestry, Wildlife, Natural Resources, Environmental Ceded Territories covers another 8 million acres Local industry includes: taconite (iron ore) mines; pulp and paper facilities; shipping and rail; natural gas and oil pipelines; EGU’s; refinery; traffic from major highway; unpaved roads

  5. Resource Management Building

  6. Netting

  7. Sturgeon Study

  8. Sturgeon Release

  9. Baby Sturgeon

  10. Wild Rice Harvest

  11. Winter Moose Survey

  12. Moose, Ceded Territories

  13. Water Quality Studies

  14. Stream Shocking

  15. What Tribes Do Under AQ Programs Complete emission inventories Monitor ambient air Review and comment on local permits and Environmental Impact Statements Review proposed regulatory actions Perform educational outreach Serve on committees and workgroups

  16. Continued, Tribal AQ Programs Perform on-Reservation special studies Expand authorities on-Reservation (permitting, TIPs, etc) Designate attainment/non-attainment on Reservations Do on-Reservation Indoor Air Quality work Work on climate change adaptation plans

  17. Why Do Tribes Pursue Environmental Quality? Protect on- and off-Reservation resources for cultural, religious, and substance purposes To build Self-determination Expand authorities and build capacity To supplement tribal economic development plans

  18. FdL AQ Program We have two staff members, sharing 1.8 FTE Have completed an emission inventory Monitoring Program: currently monitor mercury deposition and ozone. In the past, PM2.5, NADP, NOx, dioxin Doing a short-term monitoring study on emissions from bus idling Active in: permit review, EIS review, regulatory review, regional haze, greenhouse gas mitigation, mercury issues Work on state, local, regional, national workgroups Have experience in indoor air quality (lead, radon, mold, secondhand smoke, asthma triggers)

  19. Tribal Air Programs Today There are 117 tribal air programs receiving support from EPA There are 78 tribes performing monitoring with 52 of them reporting to AQS Twenty-two tribes are performing toxics programs in their communities Fifty-seven tribes have completed Reservation emission inventories, with 13 more underway Thirty-two TAS’s and 2 Tribal TIP’s have been approved Tribes have visible involvement in some RPO’s and on the CAAAC National Tribal Air Association

  20. Challenges Facing Tribal Air Programs Stagnant funding or loss of “project” funding Some tribes have jurisdictional and/or political issues with surrounding states In rural areas it can be hard to attract/keep technically trained staff Small staff trying to do everything Training is available, but limited

  21. Communicating with Tribal Air Staff We like to cast a broad net Sometimes we don’t know what we want to be notified about til we hear about it Technically, important communication should go the Tribal Chair, but… Please carbon copy environmental staff Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals/National Tribal Air Assoc. are great contacts OAQPS/Regions/Tribal Contacts also very good at this

  22. Continued… For many tribes, air staff qualified to do “information” calls, not “consultation” Often we are more concerned with effects on the environment than economics or mandates But economics are a concern, too We would rather be informed about too many items than too few

  23. For More Information www.ntaatribalair.org www4.nau.edu/itep www.epa/gov/air/tribal/backgrnd.html www.epa.gov/indian/ www.epa/gov/aieo/

  24. Conclusions Consult early and often Be respectful Understand our resource limitations Remember unique legal status Remember what we want to protect

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