THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The Honorable Stephanie Bryan Chairwoman of Poarch Band of Creek Indians 5811 Jack Springs Road Atmore, Alabama 36502 Dear Chairwoman Bryan: WASHINGTON , D
. C
. 20460



## .DEC 1 8

## ~·**14**

I would like to summarize the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's recent action to address fineparticle pollution on your reservation. As required by the Clean Air Act, the EPA has determined which areas are meeting the national ambient-a ir-quality standards for fine-particle pollution and which areas must take steps to reduce emissions that contribute to violations of the standard. The EPA on December 14 ,20 12, strengthened the annual, health-based fine-particle standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (flg/m3) to 12.0 11g/m3

. Thousands of scientific studies have linked exposure to these tiny particles

- approximately 1/30th the size of a human hair

- with serious health problems including premature death in people with heart and lung disease, nonfatal heart attacks and increased hospital admissions and doctor and emergency-room visits for respiratory and cardiovascular disease. I appreciate the information you and your staff have shared with the EPA throughout this process to assess fine-particle-pollution levels in communities across your reservation and the impact of emission sources that could be contributing to unhealthy air. After considering your recommendations, reviewing the most recent certified fine-particle air-quality data for your reservation and evaluating factors to assess contribution to nearby levels of fine-particle pollution, I have determined that no area within the Poarch Band of Creek Indians reservation violates the 2012 standard or contributes to a nearby violation of the standard. As a result, the EPA is designating all of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians reservation "unclassifiabl e/attainment. " Because air-quality monitoring for 2014 is nearly complete, the EPA, at a tribes request, will evaluate the status of an area based on its annual fine-particle-monitoring data for 2012-14. If you would like the EPA to re- evalua te any areas within your reservation, please submit complete , quality-assured and certified air-quality data for 2014 to the EPA by February 27 , 2015. I recognize that the EPA shares responsibility with the states and tribes for managing particle-pollution levels. Effmts by states and tribes to attain the 1997 and 2006 fine-particle-pollution standards are already working to reduce unhealthy levels of fine-particle pollution. In addition, current and upcoming federal standards and safeguards, including pollution-reduction rules for power plants, vehicles and fuels will ensure steady reductions of fine

-particle pollution and will protect public health in communities across the nation
.

This paper i s pri nted wit h vegetab l e -oi l -based i nks and is 1 00 -perce nt postconsumer recycled material , chlor i ne-free - processed and recyclable
.To gether we have made considerab l e progre ss in reducin g fine-part icl e pollut i on. Nation wide monitored levels of fine-particle pollution have fallen 34 perce nt since 2 000 when we first began suc h monitoring for particles of this s i ze. I am confide n t this p r ogress will continue as we work toward our shared goal of clean air.

For additio nal information about these de signatio ns , pl ease visit www.epa.gov/ pmd es i g na t ion s. Sincerely , **~**