From the Tribal Coordinator:

by Laura McKelvey Welcome to the Office of Air and Radiation’s (OAR) first

edition of Tribal Air News. My name is Laura McKelvey and I am the

Tribal Program Coordinator for EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning

and Standards (OAQPS). Our office is responsible for national programs to control air pollutants including ozone, particulate matter, sulfur

dioxide, lead, carbon monoxide, oxides of nitrogen, and air toxics. We

provide technical support in many areas including data collection and

analysis, information transfer, and permit programs. We have worked

for years with State and local air pollution control agencies in the

development and implementation of these air programs. Following the

1998 promulgation of the Tribal Authority Rule, we began to work with

the tribes to address air quality issues in Indian Country. My job is to

help the Air Office work more effectively with EPA Regions and the

tribes on their air programs and to integrate tribal issues into our work.

This newsletter was born from conversations between EPA and

the Tribes. In these discussions, Tribal leaders and environmental

professionals made the point that EPA was not notifying the Tribes early enough about plans for new air technical policies

and regulations. It is clear that we need to improve our communications with you. Our goal is to use this quarterly newsletter as one of our tools to make Tribal air professionals aware of our air pollution control activities early enough to allow

you and your tribe to participate in their development. This newsletter will provide information on upcoming activities, as

well as, be a place to report progress. EPA does not intend this newsletter to be the only forum for notification. We will

Tribal Air News

United States Environmental Protection Agency

Office of Air & Radiation

Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards

April 2001

Volume 1, Issue 1

An Inside Look...

Status Reports

Part 71

Wildland Fires

Air/Water Interface Workplan

Emission Inventory

Professional Development

Taking Toxics Out of the Air

Tools

Online Resources

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Help us name this newsletter and send us any meetings, visits

to Indian Country, and other suggestions for improvement.

Send your suggestions to Jan Cortelyou Lee via e-mail at

cortelyoulee.jan@epa.gov. Please let us know the names of

others who would like to receive this

newsletter.

also use the Internet, workgroups, conference calls and

other mechanisms to build better working relations with the

Regional Offices and you. We hope that this newsletter can

give a quick view of new activities and progress in air

quality programs. We would also like to showcase activities

that are underway in Indian country to help you see how

other tribes are addressing the air quality issues they face.

We currently envision that each edition of the

newsletter will highlight activities relating to setting National

Ambient Air Quality Standards, toxics air pollutants, data

collection and analysis, permits, and training programs. We

will also include schedules for upcoming activities, meetings

and events, and updates on rules, policy and guidance

development. We would also like to hear from you about

issues and other types of information you would like us to

provide in this newsletter. If you have comments or suggestions please contact me by phone at 919-541-5497 or by

email at mckelvey.laura@epa.gov.

Laura McKelvey (left) is the OAQPS Tribal Program

Coordinator
Status Reports

 Part 71 Permits

Under the part 71 operating permits program, EPA has the

responsibility to issue permits to major sources in Indian country.

The program went into effect on March 22, 1999. There are 89

major sources, with the majority located in two Regions -- Region

8 (40) and Region 9 (24). So far, those two Regions have permitted

28 sources and the remainder of sources are required to get their

permits this year. For more information contact Scott Voorhees at

919-541-5348 or voorhees.scott@epa.gov

 Wildland Fires

EPA has been working with the USDA Forest Service, the

Department of the Interior (DOI), other Federal agencies, and State

forestry and air pollution control agencies on wildland fire issues

for several years. The EPA issued an Interim Air Quality Policy

on Wildland and Prescribed Fires (http://www.epa.gov/ttn/

oarpg/t1pgm.html) in May 1998. The policy accepts the principle

that fire has a natural role to play in wildland ecosystems, but

encourages States and Tribes to adopt smoke management

programs to regulate the way prescribed burns are conducted. If

you have questions regarding EPA’s policy, contact Ken

Woodard at 919-541-5697 or woodard.ken@epa.gov

Air/Water Interface Workplan

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of

Air and Radiation (OAR) and Office of Water (OW) developed the

Air-Water Interface Work Plan. The purpose of this work plan is

to outline a schedule of specific activities that we are committing

to undertake using the authorities of both the Clean Air Act and

the Clean Water Act. This combined effort helps to coordinate

our Offices’ programs and to track EPA’s progress in reducing air

deposition of toxic air pollutants and nitrogen to all water bodies

in the United States. The EPA will review and update the work

plan every two years. For more information contact Peter Murchie

at 919-541-1051 or at murchie.peter@epa.gov.

Emission Inventory

EPA is beginning work on a 1999 National Emission

Inventory (NEI). We encourage tribes to review the draft NEI

which will be available in the Fall of 2001 to ensure accurate

characterization of sources on Indian lands. Also, we encourage

tribes with emission inventories to provide us their data prior to

June 1, 2001, so that we can incorporate them into the NEI data

base. This data base will be used as the basis for EPA and

Regional Planning Organizations’ modeling efforts, human

exposure modeling, and tracking of air pollutant trends. Emission

Inventory guidance is available at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/chief.

For more information, contact David Misenheimer at (919) 541-

5473 or misenheimer.david@epa.gov

Air Pollution Training Institute

 EPA’s Air Pollution Training Institute (APTI) offers a

variety of training opportunities for air pollution professionals.

There are four types of courses available: classroom, telecourse, self-instructional courses and web-based. These

courses are offered free of charge to Tribal environmental

professionals. For a schedule of upcoming classroom courses

and a listing of self-instructional courses, please visit the APTI

Course Catalog website at http://www.epa.gov/oar/oaqps/eog/

apticat.html. For more information about the catalog, please

contact Jan Cortelyou Lee at 919-541-5393 or

cortelyoulee.jan@epa.gov.

Professional Internships

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP)

at Northern Arizona University has developed the Professional

Internship program to help meet the training needs of tribal air

quality professionals. EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning

and Standards is looking forward to hosting interns interested

in: writing a Tribal Implementation Plan, air toxics rule development and rule implementation, Title V and New Source Review

permitting, emission inventory, dispersion modeling, and

community education and outreach. Contact Fonda Swimmer

at ITEP 520-523-8785 for information and application materials.

Professional Development

Toxic Air Pollutants

Integrated Air Toxics State/Local/Tribal Program Structure

The State, Local and Tribal Program Structure

Workgroup met February through August 2000 to address risks

from toxic air pollutants. In September 2000, the workgroup

completed a report that contains a suggested structure for a

program to address air toxics risk. Next, EPA will develop a

workplan to identify issues/questions to be addressed as EPA

develops a risk-based air toxics program over the next 2 to 3 years.

A website will be developed to share the draft workplan with

Tribal representatives and other stakeholders prior to issuance in

early 2001. For more information contact Chris Stoneman at 919-

541-0823 at stoneman.chris@epa.gov

NATA

During the past two years, EPA developed the National-Scale

Air Toxics Assessment (NATA). NATA provides a snapshot of

the air toxics situation as of 1996, focusing on 32 air toxics and

diesel particulate matter. EPA previously identified these compounds as posing the greatest concern in urban areas. NATA

only looks at inhalation risks from outdoor sources and does not

include risks associated with dioxin or over 150 other toxic air

pollutants.

NATA consists of four components: 1) estimated emissions

of toxics into the air; 2) estimated outdoor concentrations; 3)
AirNOW

The AirNOW website http://www.epa.gov/airnow/ is

about to begin its fourth season of operation. The website

provides real-time air pollution data in a visual format;

information about the public health and environmental effects

of air pollution; information about ways individuals can

protect their health; and actions they can take to reduce

pollution. The website currently focuses on ground-level

ozone and is starting to focus on particulate matter. We

encourage Tribes to participate in this data visualization

project. Please contact Chet Wayland at 919-541-4603 or

wayland.richard@epa.gov for more information.

Air Quality Trends

EPA produces an annual report documenting air

pollution trends in the United States. The report highlights

the EPA’s most recent assessment of the nation’s air quality

featuring criteria and hazardous air pollutants, as well as

information for visibility impairment and acid deposition.

Electronic copies of the recent trends reports and trends

brochure can be found at http://www.epa.gov/airtrends/.

Tools

Guidance for Developing

Tribal Implementation Plans

The Explanation of Tribal Authority to

Develop a Tribal Implementation Plan is due to be finalized in

a few weeks and will be available on the Tribal website: http://

www.epa.gov/oar/tribal/airprogs. For more information contact

Julie McClintock at 919-541-5339 or mcclintock.julie@epa.gov

In addition to the draft Explanation of Tribal Authority to Develop a Tribal Implementation Plan, the EPA is

drafting a more detailed guidance document titled Developing a

Tribal Implementation Plan (TIP). The guidance document will

discuss why and, in broad terms, how to develop the individual

elements of a TIP. Beginning this spring, EPA will make the

draft guidance document available to Tribes for review, and will

discuss the document at appropriate meetings. Contact Ken

Woodard at 919-541-5697 or woodard.ken@epa.gov if you have

questions about this document.

Economic Incentive Guidance

On January 19, 2001, EPA issued final guidance

designed for states and tribes that want to incorporate economic incentive programs (EIPs) into their implementation plans

to improve air quality and visibility. EIPs allow for innovation,

flexibility and efficiency in air quality management, while

maintaining accountability and enforceability of traditional air

quality management programs. The guidance discusses four

estimated population exposure; and 4) risk characterization. The

exposure step (3), factors in estimated levels of air toxics that

people breathe. In the risk characterization step (4), EPA compares population exposure estimates to specific risk and hazard

levels associated with each toxic air pollutant and provides

estimates of the potential for cancer risk as well as other health

problems.

EPA posted the results of the first two components of the

national-scale assessment (1996 emissions and estimated outdoor

concentrations) at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/uatw/nata and expects

to post the second two components on this same Internet website

in the summer of 2001 following a scientific peer review of the

entire assessment.

Instead the national-scale assessment provides the most

comprehensive information available to date on the national air

toxics problem. However, the results are most meaningful when

viewed at the state or national level; for smaller areas, the assessment becomes less certain. EPA plans to improve future nationalscale assessments by enhancing data quality (e.g., more complete

emissions data) as well as scope (e.g., may include ingestion

exposure and exposure to indoor air pollutants). For more information, please call Ellen Wildermann at (919) 541-5408 or

wildermann.ellen@epa.gov.

Visit the Tribal

Air Website

http://www.epa.gov/air/tribal

types of EIPs and provides advice on choosing an appropriate

type of incentive program, what emission sources to include in

that program, and how to make a program successful. The final

guidance is available now at http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/

new.html.
United States Environmental Protection Agency

Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

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Mark your Calendar...

 Northern Arizona University’s Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) American Indian Air Quality

Training Program: Advanced PM2.5 Instrument Operation,

April 18-20, 2001, Las Vegas, Nevada

 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA) Air

Pollution Distance Learning Network: Inspection Safety

Procedures, April 23, 24, & 25, 12:30 - 4:30 PM EDT

 US EPA, Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP)

and State of Colorado: One Atmosphere, One Inventory,

Many Challenges, April 30 - May 3, 2001, Denver Colorado

 ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program:

Introduction to Air Quality Management, May 8-11, 2001,

Fairbanks, Alaska

 ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program:

Emissions Inventory, May 15-18, 2001, Flagstaff, Arizona

 U.S. EPA’s Air Pollution Distance Learning Network:

Tribal Air Update, May 23, 1:00 - 4:00 PM EDT

 ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program:

Air Monitoring Network & Design, June 5-8, 2001,

Flagstaff, Arizona

 ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program:

Air Quality Program Administration June 12-15, 2001,

Salish-Kootenai, Montana

 ITEP’s National Tribal Forum (3 of 3): June 27 & 28,

2001, Washington, DC

 ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program:

Developing a Tribal Implementation Plan (TIP) July 10-12,

2001, Fond du Lac, Minnesota