2013 Tribal Air Quality PrioritiesNational Tribal Air Association Executive Committee

NTF 2013

Introduction• NTAA founded in 2002• 75 Principal Member Tribes• Mission: ‘to advance air quality management,

policies and programs, consistent with the needs, interests and unique legal status of American Indian Tribes and Alaskan Natives’

www.ntaatribalair.org

Principles

• Sovereignty/ Self-Determination

• Tribes have the right to know the quality of their air

• Tribes are leaders, strong partners, and co-regulators

Principles

• Tribes have the legal authority to regulate under the Tribal Authority Rule(TAR)

• Tribal Population Exposure to Air Pollution• Transport from off Reservation sources

NTAA Trials and Tribulations

• Transition period

• New Fiduciary to be identified soon

• New funding cycle October 2013• Weekly updates will resume• White papers, policy updates, draft comment

letters will resume• Monthly calls will continue

Process Used to Determine Priorities

• Regional calls/emails by NTAA Executive Committee Regional Representatives

• Face-to-face discussions and/or meetings with Tribes and NTAA Executive Committee Regional Representatives

• Documents identifying regional Tribal priorities utilized • NTAA EC Representatives complied results

2013 National Priorities

• Oil and Gas development issues on and around Tribal lands

• Tribal mNSR issues• Registration• Permits • Implementation• Delegation• Enforcement• Permit Review

2013 National Priorities

• Indoor Air Quality and Asthma

• Consultation – Early and Often• Communication and coordination with Tribes early

in process and well before public comment periods

• Designation processes and the implementation of new and revised rules

2013 National Priorities

• Climate Change Adaptation and Planning

• Mining Issues – hard rock, uranium, coal

• Increase and stabilize funding for new and existing Tribal Air Programs• Both Indoor and Ambient Air Quality Programs

Alaska• Capacity building and funding• To conduct indoor/outdoor air quality

assessments vs. emission inventories• Needs support from EPA

• Fugitive dust from large scale mining

• Road dust (PM)• Rural road system is gravel• majority of vehicles are ATVs

Alaska• Climate change impacts on Villages

• Open burning in rural Alaska• Outreach to Tribal leaders on effects

• Lead monitoring at Alaskan rural airports

• Funding language• Alaskan Villages vs. “Reservations”

• Japan radiation concerns

Region 10• Ambient Air Quality – NAAQS & Toxics• Atmospheric Deposition• Coal Train Transport

• Regulatory• FARR Revision Process• Regional Haze Rule Implementation• Tribal NSR Implementation• Accelerate Operating Permit Reviews

• Smoke Management Coordination (Wildfires & Prescribed Burning)

Region 10• Increase Overall Funding• Separate IAQ and Climate Change• Tribal Capability & Capacity Increasing,

Success Limited by Funding• Enforcement – No OECA Funds for

Inspectors• Radon Funding Cut

• Indoor Air Quality (Moisture, Woodstoves, Radon)

Region 9• Funding

• Air programs for all Tribes who request them

• Streamline designation process

• Consistent relationships between Tribes, EPA R9 Air Division, and Headquarters

• Recognition of the Tribal Authority Rule

Region 9• Realization that the majority of bad

air is from off-reservation sources

• Emphasis Tribal indoor air within a broader scope

• Training, tools, and resources for Tribes

• Advocate for Climate Change as its own media

Region 8• QAPP concerns• Conditional approval for QAPPs?• EPA R8 clarification on Radon QAPPs

• Annual Project Officers visit each Tribe

• EPA post schedule Technical Systems Audit?

Region 8• EPA post schedule Through-The-

Probe Audit?

• Grant flexibility to perform other environmental responsibilities

• Increased communication from Montana Office

Region 7• Tribal NSR Implementation

• Mercury Deposition Monitoring Network

• Proposed Hyperion Energy Center and Keystone XL Pipeline

• Impacts of Coal Fired EGU’s

Region 7• Impacts of Climate Change

• Tribal Concern of the Possibility of Shifting focus from Ambient Air Programs to IAQ Programs

• Trainings/Conferences – NETWORKING

Region 6• Regional Haze

• Ozone

• Pesticides

• Technical support – rulings

• Rulings breakdown – Tribal Leaders

• Retro Fit Diesel Program

Region 5• Unique Mining Impacts to R5• Iron Ore, Sulfides

• Tribal mNSR ~ 1,000 letters• Sequestration impacts to training

• Monitoring and Data Analysis• Air Toxics, PM, O3, Mercury

• Mercury• Production, Deposition, Impacts and

Regulation

Region 5• Air Modeling and Risk Assessment

• Alternative Energy and Energy Efficiency – ties in to Air Programs

• Lack of resources for new Tribal Air Programs – growing Region

• Impacts of non-attainment in ceded territories

• IAQ – Funding and Support• Mold, Radon, Outreach

Region 4• Air Program Development

• Indoor Air Quality

• Climate Change research/ adaptation planning incorporating Tribal Knowledge (TEK)

• Mercury

• Increase Tribal Participation with Region 4 EPA

Region 2• Climate Change Adaptation and

Planning• Hydro-fracking of Marcellus Shale• Alcoa and other industries with

effects on Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe at Akwesasne

• Mobile Sources• Emissions from the international

shipping industry; on-road/non-road• IAQ

Region 1 • Landfill gas/ energy production

• East-west highway to split Maine through Tribal lands

•Oil Sands

•Unmet need in program personnel

For more information

www.ntaatribalair.com