THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

The Honorable Reggie Lewis Cha irperson of Picayune Ran cheria 46575 Road 417 Coarsego ld, California 93614 Dear Chairp erson Lewi s: WASHINGTON , D . C . 20460

I would like to summarize the U.S . Environmental Prot ection Agency's recent action to address finepartic le pollution on your reservatio n. As required by the Clean A ir Act, th e EPA has determ ined wh ich areas are meeting the national ambient- air-quality standa rds for fmc -p article pollution and which areas must take steps to redu ce emissions that contribute to v iolations of the standard. Th e E PA on December 14 , 2012, strengthened th e annual, health-based fine-partic le standard from 15.0 micrograms per cubic meter (f..tg/m 3 ) to 1 2.0 f..t g/m3

. Thousands of scientific s tudi es have li nked exposure to these tiny particles - approximately 1/ 30th the size of a human hair- with ser ious health problem s including premature d eath in people w ith heart and lung disease, nonfata l h eart attacks and increased h

ospital admission s and doctor and emergency-room v isits for respiratory and card iovascular disease. I app re ciate the information you and yo ur staff have shared with the E PA throughout this proce ss to assess fine -p article-pollution leve ls in communities across yo ur reservation and the impact of emission sourc es that could be contributing to unhealthy air. After reviewing the m os t recent certified fineparticle air-qual ity data for th e state of California and evalu ating factors to assess co ntribution to nearby level s of fine particle pollution, I have determined that some areas in California do not meet th e 2012 annual fine particle standard or they contribute to a nearby violation of the standard. The EPA is designating those areas "nonattainment." Some of these areas also include areas oflndian country , including the reservation of the Picayune Rancheria. Nonattainment areas will be required to take action to reduce fine -p article pollution and meet the standard no later than 202 1 . As required by the Clean Air Act, those actions may include stri cter controls on industrial facilities and additional planning requirements for transportation-related source s. While tribes are not required to take actions, the EPA will work with tribe s to d evelop plans as neces sary or appropriate to ensure tribal areas meet the s t

andard no later than 202 1. Because air-quality monito rin g for 2014 is nearl y com pl ete, the EPA , at a tribe 's request, will evaluate the s tatu s of an area based on its annual fine-particl e-monitoring data for 2012-14. lfyou would like the EPA to re-evaluate any areas wi thin yo ur reservation, please s ubmit complete, qua lity-ass ured and certified a ir-qualit y data for 20 14 to the EPA by February 27,20 15. I recognize that the E PA sha re s responsibility with the s tates and tribes for man aging particle-pollution levels. Efforts by states and tribes to attain th e 1 997 and 2006 fine-particl e-po llution standards are already working to reduce unhealthy levels of fin e-particl e pollution. In addition, current and upcoming

Th1s paper is printed with vegetable·oil·based inks and is 100-percent postconsumer recycled material . chlorine-free-processed and recyclable .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. Togethe r we have made considerab l e 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 for particles of this size. I am confident this progress will continue as we work toward our shared goal of clean air.

For additional informati on about these designations , please visi t www.epa. gov / pmdesignations. Sincerely,