THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The H o no rable E laine Jud y F ink Cha irper so n ofNorth Fork Rancheria P.O. B ox 929 North Fork , California 93643 D ear C hairperson Fink: WASHINGTON , D

. C

. 20460


## lDEC 1 

## 8 2014

I would like to summarize the U.S. E nvironmental Protection Agency's recent ac ti on to address finep article pollution on you r rese rvatio n. As requir ed by the Cle an Air Act , th e EPA has determine d whic h a

r eas are meetin g the natio n al ambi e nt-air-qu ality s tandards for fine-particle pollution and whic h areas must take steps to reduce emiss ions t hat contribute to v iol at ions of the s tand ard. The E PA on De cember 14 , 20 12 , st rengthened th e annual , health-bas e d fin e- particle standard from 15.0 mi c ro g rams per cubic meter (f..Lg/ m 3 ) to 12.0 f,lglm 3

. Thou sa nds of scientific s tudie s have linked exposure to these tiny particle s - approximately l/3 0th th e s ize of a human hair- with se ri o us health problem s including premature d eath in people with he art and lu ng di se ase, nonfatal heart atta c ks and i ncreased ho s pital adm ission s and doctor and emergency-room v is i ts for re spi rat ory and card iovascular d isease. I ap preciate the inf ormation y ou and y our s taff have s hared w ith the E P A throughout this process to assess fine -p article-pollution levels in communities ac ross your reserv ati on and the impact of emission so u rces that could be contr ibuting to unheal thy a ir. After reviewing the m ost recent certified [mep art icle air-quality data for the s tate of California a nd evaluating factors to assess cont ribu ti on to nea rby l evels of fine particle pollution, I have determin e d th at some areas in California do not meet the 2012 annual fine particle s tandard or they contribute to a nea rby violation of the s tandard
. The EPA is des ig nating those areas " n onattainm ent." Some of these areas also includ e areas oflndian country , includin g the re servat ion of the North Fork Ran cheria. Nonattainment areas will be required to tak e actio n to reduce fine-particle pollution and meet the standard no late r than 2021. As required by the Clean Ai r Act , tho se actions may include str icter co ntr ol s o n industrial faci liti es and additional pl ann in g requirements for transportation-related sources. While tribes are no t required to take actions, the E P A will work w ith tribes to develop plans as necessary or appropriate to e n s ure tribal areas meet the standard no later than 202 1. B ecau se air-qual it y m on it or ing for 2014 is n earl y comp lete , the E PA , at a t rib e's request, w ill evaluate the s tatus of an area bas ed on its a nnual fin e-part ic le- mon ito ring data for 2012- 14. lfyou would lik e the EPA to re - evaluate any a reas wi thin you r reservation , please submit complete , quality-assured and cert i fied ai r-quality data for 2014 t o the E PA by February 27,2015
. I recognize tha t the EPA shares resp onsibili ty with the states and tribes for managing particle-polluti o n levels. Efforts by states and tribes to attain the 1 997 a n d 20 06 fine-particle- p ollution standards are a lready working to reduce unhealthy level s of fine-particle pollution. In a dditi on, current and upcoming

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.federal standards and safeguards, includ in g pollution-reduction rules for power plants, ve hicle s and fuels will ensure stea dy reductions of fine-pa rticle pollution and will protect public health in communities across the nation. Together we have made considerable progress in reducing fine-particle pollution. Nationwide monitored levels of fine-particle pollution have fallen 34 percent since 2000 when we first began such monitoring fo r particles of this size. I am confident this progress will continue as we work toward our shared goal of clean air.

For additional information about these designations , please visit www.epa.gov / pmdesignations. **~** ' Gina 731?