April 1, 2009
Tribal Air News
US EPA OAQPS
Volume 7, Issue 2
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act
How can it stimulate tribal economies?
1 he American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is the first crucial step
in a concerted effort to create and save 3 to 4 million jobs, jumpstart our economy, and
begin the process of transforming it for the 21st century with $787.2 billion in economic
recovery, tax cuts and carefully targeted priority investments.
The investments emphasize clean, efficient and American energy, which can also
translate into green jobs that cannot be sent overseas, energy cost savings for families and
businesses, cleaner air and a smaller greenhouse gas footprint. Energy investments
include:
• Investment in a reliable, efficient electricity grid;
• energy efficiency (EE) and renewable
energy (RE) research;
• Local government EE grants;
• EE housing retrofits and
weatherization; and
• Green j ob training.
Other key investment areas will
benefit the environment and the economy
in tandem. Funds will support expanding
employment opportunities in cutting-edge
science and engineering to meet
environmental challenges and to improve
global economic competitiveness. Also,
monies will be spent modernizing
infrastructure, such as wastewater
treatment plants, flood control and water
supply, and public transit and rail. All
these provide societal, economic and
environmental benefits.
(Continued on page
Inside this issue:
Ozone Implementation 3
Proposal
Diesel Grant 4
Opportunities
Radon Award for East 5
Shawnee
Penobscot Hybrids 6
Asthma Awareness Month 7
Cherokee Mercury
Monitors
Calendar
10
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2)
(Continued from page 7)
Tribes can benefit from these investments by applying for the grants, which
will be available on an expedited schedule to stimulate the economy quickly. Some of
these energy/environment-specific investments for which tribes are targeted or
eligible include:
Dept of Energy: Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy: $16.8 B (including
$3.2B for energy efficiency and conservation block grants and $5B for weatherization
assistance)
EPA : State and Tribal Assistance Grants: $6.4B (including $300M for Diesel
Emissions Reduction Act, or DERA, grants)
Dept of Labor: Training and Employment Services: $3.95B (including $750M for
worker training and placement in high growth and emerging industry sectors and
$500M for research, labor exchange and job training projects for careers in energy
efficiency and renewable energy)
Dept of Housing and Urban Development: Native American Housing Block Grants:
$510M (including $255M for new construction, acquisition, rehabilitation including
energy efficiency and conservation, and infrastructure development)
Dept of Commerce: Tribal Economic Development Bonds
Dept of the Treasury: Community Development Financial Institutions Fund: up to
ARRA
The process for using
these funds is just
beginning. You can get
up-to-date information
from this central
website:
www.recoverv.gov
Grant announcements
will be on this site.
Department-specific
pages are also accessible
from that main page,
and should have grants
information when
available.
Mark your calendar!
National Native Commercial Tobacco Abuse Prevention Network - Regional Conference, April 21-22, 2009
(Rapid City, SD)
National Tribal Forum on Air Quality, June 2-4, 2009 (Milwaukee, WI)
EPA's National Asthma Forum - Tribal Session, June 4-5, 2009 (Washington, DC)
EPA's Community Involvement Conference, August 17-23, 2009 (Seattle, WA)
Page 2
Tribal Air News
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August Target for 8-hour Ozone NAAQS Implementation Rule Proposal
Ozone Rules Timetable
3/09: State recommendations
for designations
8/09: Implementation
Proposal
3/10: Designations Final
5/10: Implementation Final
In 2008, EPA significantly strengthened its
national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS)
for ground-level ozone, the primary component of
smog, in order to protect both public health and
sensitive vegetation and ecosystems. This revision
reflected the results of more than 1,700 new
scientific studies.
Specifically, EPA set an 8-hour average
level of 0.075 parts per million (ppm) for both the
primary (public health) and the secondary (public
welfare, including ecosystems) standards. New
standards require new rules for implementation,
and EPA plans to propose those rules later this
year. The target date for publishing the proposed
rule is August 2009, with a final rule in May 2010.
The proposed implementation rule will
address the classification system for designated
nonattainment areas, as well as a number of
implementation requirements under the Clean Air
Act (CAA). These will include requirements for:
• State/tribal implementation plan (SIP/
TIP) elements (attainment
demonstration, reasonable further
progress (RFP), reasonably available
control technology (RACT)
• reasonably available control measures
(RACM), nonattainment new source
review (NSR) and others)
• timing (SIP submissions, compliance,
attainment dates), and other topics.
As with all implementation rules, issues
and guidance specific to tribes will be included in
the proposal, as will the opportunity to provide
comments.
States and tribes were to have made
recommendations to EPA for area designations as
attainment or non-attainment for the new standard
by March 12, 2009 (1 year after the NAAQS was
issued), and the designations will take place in a
separate rulemaking.
After EPA designates areas attainment or
nonattainment for the new standard, states will be
required to submit SIPs to address the CAA re-
quirements for nonattainment areas. Tribes can
submit TIPs, but are not required to meet the same
deadlines as states.
Contact: John J. Silvasi at silvasi. john(a),epa. sov
Designations
Designation of
attainment and
nonattainment
areas will be done
separately from the
ozone NAAQS
implementation
rule.
Volume 7, Issue 2
Page 3
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Diesel Grant Opportunities for Tribal Nations
t/PA recognizes the health risks associated
with diesel emissions and has classified diesel exhaust
as a likely carcinogen at existing ambient concentra-
tions. Many scientific studies link diesel exhaust, and
its components, such as particulate matter (PM or soot),
ground-level ozone (smog) and other air
toxics, to serious respiratory and cardiac
health damage, heart and lung disease,
chronic bronchitis, exacerbations of asthma
symptoms, and premature mortality.
As a means to reduce diesel exhaust
and its harmful impacts, EPA has set more
stringent heavy-duty highway and nonroad
engine standards. However, these standards
only apply to new engines. The full benefits
of these new standards will not be realized for
another 20 to 30 years, as the existing fleet is
replaced. Meanwhile, older diesel engines
will continue to emit high levels of emissions.
Emission Reduction Strategies
emission reducing programs. CDFAP grants must be
used to support technologies and engines that are on the
verified or certified technologies lists of the EPA or the
California Air Resources Board (respectively,
www.epa.aov/otaq/retrofit/verif-list.htm or
DERA is the
Diesel Emissions
Reduction Act,
which authorized
funding for the
National Diesel
Emissions
Reduction Program
-partofEPA's
National Clean
Diesel Campaign.
www.arb.ca.gov/diesel/verdev/verdev.htm).
EPA established the National Clean Diesel
Campaign (NCDC) to promote diesel emission
reduction strategies for the nation's existing diesel
fleet. NCDC includes regulatory programs to address
new diesel engines, as well as innovative programs to
address the millions of diesel engines already in use.
One of NCDC's successful programs is the
National Diesel Emissions Reduction Program
(referred to as DERA). This authorization enables
EPA to offer awards to eligible organizations
and entities to create clean diesel programs
that achieve significant reductions in
diesel emissions to improve air quality
and protect public health.
Last year was the first year that
Congress appropriated funds for DERA
grants. This appropriation of almost $50
million enabled EPA to retrofit, repower,
or replace approximately 14,000 diesel
vehicles. During their lifespan, these projects will
reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions by 46,000 tons
and diesel particulate matter (PM) emissions by 2,220
tons.
NCDC manages this funding via four DERA
grant programs. The Clean Diesel Funding Assistance
Program (CDFAP) receives the majority of the allotted
funding and provides a great opportunity for tribal
governments to apply for funding and implement diesel
Fiscal Year 2009 Funding
This year, NCDC has two separate
funding sources to support diesel emission-
reducing grants. The American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act or
ARRA) included an appropriation of $300
million to support clean diesel activities, of
which CDFAP received $156 million. The
Recovery Act-funded grants will be offered
this year, in addition to any DERA
appropriations. There will be separate
competitive announcements issued for the two
"pots" of funding.
The DERA grants funded by the Recovery Act
must focus on stimulating the American economy and
retaining or creating jobs, as well as meet Energy
Policy Act of 2005 project eligibility requirements.
Since the Recovery Act funds aim to help stimulate the
current economy, these grants will be processed
expeditiously. EPA headquarters released the
competitive grant requests for applications (RFA)
March 19th. Please visit
www.epa.gov/otaq/eparecovery for more
program information and the latest news.
With FY 2009 Appropriations,
EPA expects to receive similar levels of
funding as last year, which will be released
in late summer of 2009. Please visit
www.epa.gov/cleandiesel for information.
Tribal Participation
EPA encourages tribal governments to
consider participating in the DERA program. This
year's funding provides an opportunity for tribal
governments to reduce diesel emissions and help
protect the health of their communities. Please visit the
NCDC website at www.epa.gov/cleandiesel to find out
how to participate and to learn more about the program
and schedule updates.
(Contact:Rosalva Tapia at tapia. rosalva(a),epa. gov)
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Tribal Air News
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Radon Award for the East Shawnee
Ivadon is an odorless, tasteless, colorless,
naturally-occurring gas which causes 20,000 lung
cancer deaths per year. It is the second leading
cause of fatal lung cancer; only smoking causes
more deaths.
EPA has an active Radon Program. The
program encourages people to test their homes and
other buildings to determine if dangerous levels of
radon are present. If radon levels are high,
property owners should take action.
January is National Radon Action Month,
when EPA and our State/Local/Tribal partners
make a special effort to raise awareness of the risks
posed by radon, including announcing the winners
of the annual EPA- National Safety Council Radon
Poster contest.
Since 1990, a poster contest has been held
each fall for students aged 9-12 to encourage
testing of homes for radon. This year the contest
included, for the first time, a category for tribal
entries. The winning tribal poster was a student
from the East Shawnee Tribe in Oklahoma. It
emphasized the need to test for radon, since radon
is colorless, odorless and tasteless.
All the winning entries were recognized at the
National Radon Action Month Awards Ceremony at the
National Press Club in Washington, DC. Bob Haskins,
Air Quality Officer for the East Shawnee Tribe, accepted
the award on behalf of the young artist.
The contest is an annual event and we anticipate
even more tribal participation next year.
For more information about National Radon Action
Month, including the poster contest information, visit:
http://www.epa.gov/radon/nram/public.html.
I - y.
The winning poster
Bob Haskins, accepting the award for the
East Shawnee Tribe from Janet Froetscher
President and CEO of the National Safety
Radon Facts
Radon is a radioactive gas. It comes
from the natural decay of uranium that is found
in nearly all soils. It typically moves through
the soil and into the air above, and into your
home through cracks or holes in the foundation.
Your home can trap radon inside, where it can
build up. Any home — old or new, well-sealed
or drafty, with or without a basement — can
have a radon problem.
Radon is the number one cause of lung
cancer among non-smokers, according to EPA
estimates. Overall, radon is the second leading
cause of lung cancer.
Source: www.epa.gov/radon/
Volume 7, Issue 2
Page 5
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Tribe to Tribe
Penobscot Nation Sees Hybrid Purchases as an Expression of Tenets
Indian Island, ME -
In February, Penobscot Nation announced a new
component in their ongoing work as leaders in
environmental consciousness, as well as efforts to reduce
their carbon footprint, in line with ancient tribal tenets and
beliefs. After four months of exploring the technology, the
Penobscot Nation Police Department, working with the
tribe's Department of Natural Resources Air Quality
Program, purchased three new hybrid vehicles as police
cruisers and one hybrid for Air Program field work.
The hybrid vehicles can run as electric vehicles, or
along with the small gasoline engine when extra power is
needed. There is no need to plug in these vehicles, because
braking action of the wheels charges the batteries whenever
the brake pedal is used.
Bill Thompson, Penobscot Air Quality Program
manager and Penobscot Vice Chief, stated, "We've cut our
fuel expenditure by two thirds, and, of course, contribute
much less GHG [greenhouse gases] to the atmosphere."
These new police vehicles each sport a newly
designed departmental logo on the side and rear panels, as
seen in the photos . The new design does not replace the
tribe's Governmental Seal.
Penobscot Nation Police Chief Robert Bryant,
works to incorporate a community policing approach that
enhances the quality of life for the citizens of the tribe. One
of his priorities was to connect with the community by
including the cultural beliefs of the Penobscot Nation in the
decision making process. To do this, he has converted
vehicles over to "green technology". This not only reduces
the strain on the fuel cost, but reduces the department's
carbon footprint as well. It helps show the tribal citizens
that the police department cares for them in areas other than
keeping peace and preventing crime.
Like the police hybrid, the new Air Program
vehicle sports a clean and simple new logo design. The
vehicle provides a visible message to the general public
off-reservation, as the program manager makes his
weekly sample collection rounds, including the weekly
six-hour round-trip into the mountains to collect
mercury and acid rain deposition samples. "This BK
vehicle and its logo show the off-rez world when
Penobscot Nation is at work protecting the
environment," says Thompson. "The idea behind
purchasing hybrid vehicles is that we can hopefully
inspire other departments, both on- and off-reservation,
to consider the impact they have on the environment
with their purchasing decisions. It fits nicely into our
tenets as stewards of the environment ~ to reduce our
impact upon Mother Earth with each decision we
make."
Battery
Power Split
Device
Electric
Motor
Internal
Combustion
Engine
For information on how hybrids work, see the
Department of Energy website:
www.fueleconomv.gov/Feg/hybridtech.shtml
Page 6
Tribal Air News
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May is Asthma Awareness Month!
Asthma affects 9.2 percent of people living in
tribal communities. When not well managed, asthma
can lead to missed school days for children, decreased
quality of life, and even emergency room visits and
hospitalizations. Asthma Awareness Month is your
opportunity to stand up to asthma and fight for your
tribe's health.
Communities across the nation will join
together for Asthma Awareness Month in May to
educate people about asthma and improve the quality
of asthma care. Be a leader for your tribe in this
nationwide effort to deliver the best asthma care to
everyone who needs it.
The US Environmental Protection Agency can
help you take action. EPA has excellent outreach and
planning materials, some specifically designed for
tribes, that you can use to plan Asthma Awareness
Month activities and events. Visit www.epa.gov/
asthma/awm.html to access these materials and
ensure that you have a positive impact on tribal
health this May!
Don't miss this year's Communities in Action
for Asthma-Friendly Environments National
Asthma Forum, June 4-5, 2009, in Washington,
DC! Participate in a dialogue to bring asthma under
control nationwide. Register today at https://
www.epaasthmaforum.com/index.aspx
Editor's note:
You can also see the last issue's article about the tribal-
targeted asthma education program and materials
developed by the Tulalip Tribe.
4 Steps for Asthma Action
Step I: Download EPA's Event
Planning Kit to find ideas,
materials, and examples to
support your Asthma
Awareness Month success.
Step 2: Take advantage of great tools
for tribal outreach. Access
Native American radio public
service announcements in
Anishinaabe, Lakota, and
Navajo and other highly
effective, no-cost asthma
outreach materials.
Step 3: Share your plans and see what
others are doing with EPA's
Asthma Event National Map.
Step 4: Keep the momentum going to
improve asthma care in every
tribe and every community by
joining the Communities in
Action for Asthma-Friendly
Environments Online Network.
You can search for tribal
asthma programs and make
sure yours is listed on the
Community Program Profiles
page. Click on 'Tribal
Organization' in the drop-down
menu.
Volume 7, Issue 2
Page 7
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Tribe to Tribe
Cherokee Tribe Adds Third Mercury Monitor
By Jami Custer, Staff Writer, Cherokee Phoenix
PRYOR, Okla.
1 he Cherokee Nation Environmental Programs
(CNEP) recently added a mercury monitor at its Pryor air
quality observation station. The monitoring site is
approximately 3.8 miles from a coal-fired power plant, 1.5
miles from a gas-fired power plant and less than a mile
from a sewage lagoon in the Mid-America Industrial Park.
The CNEP began
assessing air quality in
Oklahoma in 1999 and began the
mercury monitoring program in
2003 after the tribe realized there
was no data on mercury levels
for Oklahoma.
The Pryor air quality site
was established in 2003 and
started yielding samples from
ambient air in 2004. The
mercury monitoring system was
added in November 2008 and
rainfall mercury sampling began
March 4 .
The mercury monitor
will pull a weekly sample, which
will be sent to a Seattle lab for
testing. About six weeks later,
the National Atmospheric
Deposition Program (NADP) will get the data, analyze it,
and make it available to the public on its Web site (http://
nadp.sws.uiuc.edu/). The CNEP plans to use the mercury
data to identify trends of high mercury levels in rainfall.
"Something that is unique to the CN Air Quality Program is
mercury monitoring," said Ryan Callison, manager of the
tribe's Air Quality Programs. "The tribe now has three
mercury monitoring sites within its jurisdictional
boundaries, located at Stilwell, Newkirk, and Pryor, OK.
It's a project we have had an interest in and worked on
since 1999 ~ to set up and deploy these sites to evaluate
mercury trends."
The first CNEP mercury rainfall sample was taken
at the Stilwell site in 2004. A year later CNEP officials
learned the startling fact that Stilwell rainfall had the
second-highest depositional value of mercury in the U.S.,
Kent Curtis, environmental
specialist III describes how
the rain sampling is done.
(Photo by Jami Custer)
second only to a site in New Mexico.
"That was an interesting fact that surprised
a lot of folks, but we want to ensure the public that
these are seasonal changes," Callison said. "These
are yearly changes that the public should not be
overly alarmed about. We are going to see these
changes. We are going to see spikes in weather
patterns, and we are going to see changes in global
weather patterns. A lot of the local sources, such as
power plants and industry aren't a direct impact to
localized sites. We are talking about pollution
concerns and mercury transport from a global level,
not necessarily local levels." He said the mercury
monitoring effort is long-term and that the CNEP
sees trends get better and worse due to seasonal
variations.
David Gay, NADP program coordinator,
said there was a lot of mercury in the environment
in the Stilwell area at the time. He said there had
been high concentrations of mercury in the
southwest and he has seen that year after year. The
problem with mercury, Gay said, is that it has so
many natural and man-made sources ~ mercury has
to enter the atmosphere somehow and burning is
one way.
"When I was a kid, every time we went out
to the trash dump it was on fire. I don't think they
are doing that anymore, but if you burn something
with mercury in it, it is going to put that mercury
into the atmosphere," Gay said. He said the tribe's
landfill in Stilwell could have some effect on the
mercury levels if mercury-containing trash is
burned.
Coal is another source
of large amounts of mercury
and Oklahoma has coal-fired
power plants, Gay also said.
"So when you burn coal you
are going to be putting mer-
cury into the environment."
(Reprinted with Kind
Permission of the Cherokee
Phoenix)
PageS
Tribal Air News
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Fossil 1uel burning
&
waste incinerators,
• Elements!
mercury vapor
Natural sources
Elsmcnlaf Inorganic ^ Organic
mercury mercury t mercury
.. '.'.. •. '.',••. ••••••'
Mercury Movement in the Environment
From: www.niercuryinschools.uwex.edu/curriculuni/hs in env.htm, Univ of Wisconsin Extension
Mercury Dangers
Almost all people have at least trace amounts of methylmercury, the most
dangerous form of mercury, in their bodies. This reflects the widespread presence
of organic methylmercury in the environment, people's exposure through the
consumption offish and shellfish, and the ability of this form of mercury to
accumulate in tissues and concentrate up the food chain. People may be exposed to
various mercury forms under different circumstances.
Various factors affect the severity of mercury health impacts, including:
chemical form; dose; age of the person exposed (the developing fetus and child is
most vulnerable); duration of exposure; route of exposure (such as inhalation,
ingestion or dermal contact); and health of the person exposed.
The Environment Health and Safety Online Web site
(http://www.ehso.com/cssepa/mercuryspills.htm) states that exposure to mercury
may result in severe damage to the nervous and reproductive systems and may
ultimately be fatal. Common symptoms of mercury poisoning are poor coordination
and altered sensory perception.
If exposed, either dial 911 or the National Poison Control Center at
1-800-222-1222.
(Reprinted with Kind Permission of the Cherokee Phoenixj
Volume 7, Issue 2
Page 9
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US EPA
Tribal Air News is produced by the Environmental Protection Agency's
Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, Outreach and Information
Division, Community and Tribal Programs Group.
The newsletter is produced quarterly and is distributed electronically.
For more information about the newsletter, or to contribute stories
and pictures contact:
Laura McKelvey (mckelvey.laura@epa.gov) Or Melissa McCul-
lough mccullough.melissa@epa.gov)
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