UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
 

REGION IX
 

75 Hawthorne Street
 

San Francisco, CA 94105-3901
 

JUN 3 0 2011 OFFICE OFTliE

REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR 

The Honorable Lee Choe 

Acting Chairman of the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe Of Arizona 

P. O. Box 882 

Tonalea, Arizona 86044 

Dear Acting Chairman Choe: 

In August 2009, the U.S Environmental Protection Agency put forth an Advanced Notice of Proposed 

Rulemaking requesting comment on our analysis related to the implementation of the Best Available 

Retrofit Technology requirement of the Regional Haze Rule on the Four Comers Power Plant and the 

Navajo Oenerating Station. During the public comment period for the ANPR, the Acting Regional 

Administrator of EPA Region IX sent a letter dated November 13,2009 to potentially affected Tribes 

requesting comment on the ANPR and inviting government-to-government consultation on NOS. From 

the resulting discussions in 2009 and 20 I0, I understand that many Tribes in Arizona are concerned 

about the potential effects of our rulemaking on Tribal water settlement agreements. 

The EPA is currently conducting an economic analysis to inform our determination of the appropriate 

control technology as BART for NOS. Because of the potential impact of our rulemaking, in accordance 

with the Federal trust obligation to Indian Tribes and EPA's May 4, 2011 consultation policy, I invite 

the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe to engage in government-to-government consultation prior to our 

proposed rulemaking for NOS. Consultation between the leaders of the Tribe and senior management at 

the EPA is critical for the EPA to fully understand the unique impact this rulemaking may have on 

Tribes. Because the EPA Region IX is developing the Federal Implementation Plan to implement the 

BART requirement for NOS, Administrator Jackson has determined that consultation should occur 

within the region. 

If you wish to engage in government-to-government consultation on NOS, please have your staff contact 

Ms. Laura Mayo at (415) 947-3561. Ms. Mayo will work with your office to schedule a meeting for me 

with you and your advisors to initiate consultation. The EPA has received requests for consultation from 

other Tribes in Arizona, and my goal is for initial consultation meetings with Tribes to occur during my 

visit to Phoenix in August. At your request, my staff will also invite representatives from the 

Department of Interior to participate in any or all of our consultation meetings. 

I am aware of the important role NOS serves to the Central Arizona Project, and my staff is working to 

more fully understand the relationship between CAP and the water settlement agreements that are 

unique to each Tribe in Arizona. lfthe San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe currently or in the future will 

receive water from CAP, I am enclosing a spreadsheet that requests information on the Tribe's water 

sources, as well as projected volume and cost estimates from 2009 - 2035 for each water source. 

Participation is entirely voluntary and this information will help us document and assess the potential 

additional impacts of our rulemaking options on all Tribes receiving water from CAP. If you choose to 

engage in consultation with the EPA and elect to provide this information, I respectfully request to 

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receive this information early in the consultation process. I am committed to consulting with all affected 

Tribes that request government-to-government consultation prior to our proposed rulemaking. 

I look forward to meeting with you should you choose to engage in consultation on NOS. In the 

meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at (415) 947-8702, 

or have your staff contact Ms. Colleen McKaughan, Associate Director for the Air Division, at (520) 

498-0118, or Mr. Nate Lau, Associate Director for the Communities and Ecosystems Division, at (415) 

972-3839. 

Sincerely, 

Enclosure