UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION IX 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105·3901

OFFICE OF THE REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR 

## JUN 14 2011

TheHonorableMelvin R. Joseph Chairperson Lone Pine Paiute-ShoshoneReservation P.O. Box 747 LonePine, California 

### 93545
DearChairperson Joseph: Thank you for your Tribe's recommendation regarding the airquality designation for the revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards for lead, submitted by Chairman Richard Button on behalfof the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone. This letter is to notify you ofthe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) preliminary decision to designate the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone reservation as unclassifiable/attainment, and to inform you ofour approach for completingthe designations for the revised lead standard. Reducing levels oflead pollution is an important part ofthe EPA's commitmentto a clean, healthy environment. Lead exposure can cause a range ofadversehealth effects, most notably in children. Exposures to low levels oflead early in life havebeen linked to effects on IQ, learning, memory, and behavior.
On October 

### 15, 2008, the EPA substantially strengthened the health-based or "primary" National Ambient Air Quality Standard for lead by lowering it from 

### 1.5 microgramspercubic meter (llg/m3)

- a level set in 

### 1978

- to a level of

### 0.15 Ilg/m3. This stronger standard provides increased protection against adverse health effects associated with exposure to lead in at-risk groups, including children. To provide increased protection against lead-related environmental and other welfare effects, the EPA revised the secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standard to be identical in all respects to the revised primary standards. The EPA also determined that the pre-existing ambient lead monitoring network was inadequate for determining whether many areas are meeting therevised lead standards and established new criteriafor siting ambient lead monitors and new data collection requirements. Monitors meeting thenew network sitingrequirements were to begin operation January 

### 1,201O. Within two years ofpromulgatingnew or revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the Clean Air Act requires the EPA to completethe initial process ofidentifying or designating areas that meet or do not meet an air quality standard. Ifthe Administratorhas insufficient information to make these designations, the EPA has the authorityto extend the designation process by up to one year. In light of the new monitoring network, the EPA is completingthe lead designations in two rounds. In the first round, completed on November 

### 16,2010,the EPA designated as "nonattainment" 

### 16 areas as violating

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### the 2008 Lead National AmbientAir Quality Standards based on data from the pre-2010 monitoring network. For all other areas, the EPA extended the deadline for designations byup to one year so that data from the newly deployed monitors can be considered in making appropriate designation decisions. Tribes were given an opportunityto update their recommendation letters for those remaining areas for ourconsideration in the second round ofdesignations by December 15,2010. The EPA intends to completethe second round oflead designations no laterthan October 14,2011. Consistent with the Clean AirAct, and after carefully considering the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Indians' October 8, 2009 recommendation letter and all the associated technical infonnation for the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards, includingthe mostrecent air quality data from 2008-2010, the EPA is proposingto designate the Lone PinePaiute-Shoshone reservation as unclassifiable/attairunent. The EPA uses this designation for initial designations to identify areas that havedata indicating attainment, orwherethere is no evidence ofa violation. Ifyou have additional information that the EPA should consider with respect to ourproposed modification to your designation recommendation, please submit it to us byAugust 15,2011. The EPA's preliminary designation decisions and supportingdocumentation wil1 be made available to the general public for review. We will be accepting comments through August 15, 2011. We will review any information we receive from the Lone Pine Paiute-Shoshone Indians, the State ofCalifornia, and the general public bythis date, and we plan to promulgatethe second round offinal designationsby October 14,2011.
We look forward to a continued dialogue with you and your staffas we work togetherto implement the 2008 Lead National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me, orhave your staffcontact Associate AirDivision Director Colleen McKaughan at 520-498-0118.

cc: Mel O. Joseph LPPSR Environmental Director