Training, Investigations, and Special Purpose Activities of Federally-Recognized Indian Tribes Consistent With the Clean Air Act (CAA), Tribal Sovereignty and the Protection and Management of Air Quality

 

To support Federally-recognized Indian Tribes' efforts to understand, assess and characterize air quality; design methods and plans to protect and improve air quality on tribal lands through surveys, studies, research, training, investigations, and special purpose activities. To ensure tribes have appropriate levels of support and opportunity to understand their air quality and take proactive measures to preserve, restore and protect air quality for their reservations and other lands over which they have jurisdiction through tribal program implementation, CAA implementation, radiation protection, mobile source controls, and voluntary programs to address outdoor and indoor air and other concerns. To ensure that all tribes have the tools they need to understand and participate in local, regional and national issues, regulatory and policy developments, and to protect their air quality from activities off the reservation that may affect or impact them. To improve the ability of tribes to understand, define, design and participate in activities that affect their air quality. Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2019: EPA and Tribes, in partnership, will protect public health, the environment, and unique Tribal air resources, consistent with the CAA, its Amendments, and EPA's trust responsibilities. This program will ensure Tribes have appropriate levels of support and opportunity to understand their own air quality and take proactive measures to preserve, restore, and protect air quality for their reservations and other lands over which they have jurisdiction through CAA implementation, radiation protection, mobile source controls, and voluntary programs to address air quality, climate change and other concerns. Activities will ensure that all Tribes have the tools they need to understand and participate in local, regional, and national issues and to protect their air quality from changes off reservation that may impact them. Key activities include: (1) Training and Program Development - this area includes technical, administrative, and policy related training conducted in-person, on-line, and/or by any remote technological method supporting the enhancement of skills that contribute to development of tribal air quality management activities; (2) Assessment and Monitoring - activities related to assessment may include short or long term efforts to define, design, understand, and assess in a qualitative or quantitative manner (such as through an emission or source inventory) the impacts of air pollutants to human health, the environment, and items of cultural importance. Monitoring includes numerous activities that gather data about the state of the environment and measuring the concentrations and potential effects of criteria and/or toxic air pollutants; (3) Developing capacity or a plan for eligibility under the Tribal Authority Rule - developing capacity includes activities that increase the experience and expertise of tribes to understand and assess air quality, including technical, administrative, policy, regulatory, education and outreach, communication skills, training, and building contacts, networks and experience. Capacity includes carrying-out these programs and activities, interacting with the national air program and providing input, guidance, and perspective to efforts to develop policies, regulations, and guidance at the local, regional, and national level including reading, report writing, grant writing and reporting, budgeting, public speaking, developing presentations, preparing comments, editing documents, operating and maintaining equipment, and participating in meetings. Developing a plan for eligibility under the Tribal Authority Rule (TAR) includes report reading and writing, grant writing and reporting, budgeting, public speaking, presentation development, comment preparation, document editing, equipment operation and maintenance, and meeting participation; (4) Delegation or Ongoing Capability Development - This activity includes developing technical, administrative, and management skills, knowledge, and abilities through experience, training, and education to enable activities such as reading and interpreting federal regulations, operating equipment, preparing and presenting technical information and reports, interacting with tribal communities and governments, federal bureaucrats and bureaucracy, providing outreach and education, public speaking, conducting public hearings, collecting and analyzing data, developing plans and innovative approaches to pollution control in a culturally sensitive manner; and (5) Tribal Implementation Plan development - tribes may conduct all aspects of air quality management at an advanced level, including developing lists of sources by category, conducting emission inventories and emission estimating, data analysis, analyzing, interpreting and commenting on administrative and regulatory requirements and activities at local, state, regional and national levels, developing advanced technical, policy and planning document preparation, developing an enforcement and inspection program, and tribal government representation. Funding Priorities - Fiscal Year 2020: (1) Training and Program Development - this area includes technical, administrative, and policy related training conducted in-person, on-line, and/or by any remote technological method supporting the enhancement of skills that contribute to development of tribal air quality management activities; (2) Assessment and Monitoring - activities related to assessment may include Tribal short- or long-term efforts to define, design, understand, and assess in a qualitative or quantitative manner (such as through an emission or source inventory) the impacts of air pollutants to human health, the environment, and items of cultural importance. Monitoring includes numerous activities that gather data about the state of the environment and measuring the concentrations and potential effects of criteria and/or toxic air pollutants; (3) Developing capacity or a plan for eligibility under the Tribal Authority Rule - developing capacity includes activities that increase the experience and expertise of tribes to understand and assess air quality, including technical, administrative, policy, regulatory, education and outreach, communication skills, training, and building contacts, networks and experience. Capacity includes carrying-out these programs and activities, interacting with the national air program and providing input, guidance, and perspective to efforts to develop policies, regulations, and guidance at the local, regional, and national level including reading, report writing, grant writing and reporting, budgeting, public speaking, developing presentations, preparing comments, editing documents, operating and maintaining equipment, and participating in meetings. Developing a plan for eligibility under the Tribal Authority Rule (TAR) includes report reading and writing, grant writing and reporting, budgeting, public speaking, presentation development, comment preparation, document editing, equipment operation and maintenance, and meeting participation; (4) Delegation or Ongoing Capability Development - This activity includes developing technical, administrative, and management skills, knowledge, and abilities through experience, training, and education to enable activities such as reading and interpreting federal regulations, operating equipment, preparing and presenting technical information and reports, interacting with tribal communities and governments, federal bureaucrats and bureaucracy, providing outreach and education, public speaking, conducting public hearings, collecting and analyzing data, developing plans and innovative approaches to pollution control in a culturally sensitive manner; and (5) Tribal Implementation Plan development - tribes may conduct all aspects of air quality management at an advanced level, including developing lists of sources by category, conducting emission inventories and emission estimating, data analysis, analyzing, interpreting and commenting on administrative and regulatory requirements and activities at local, state, regional and national levels, developing advanced technical, policy and planning document preparation, developing an enforcement and inspection program, and tribal government representation.

Active 66.038 Environmental Protection Agency B - Project Grants Fiscal Year 2016 No content available. Program accomplishments of the tribes utilizing these funds can best be found in the annual Status of Tribal Air Report, which is a product of the National Tribal Air Association. According to this report there are 85 tribes operating Air monitors now, and 84 tribes with recently completed or updated Emissions inventories. 48 tribes have non regulatory Treatment in a Manner Similar to a State (TAS), while 10 tribes have moved forward with regulatory TAS.
Fiscal Year 2017 83 tribes operating air monitors, 80 tribes with emissions inventories, 49 tribes with non-regulatory TAS, 10 tribes with regulatory TAS
Fiscal Year 2018 82 tribes with section 103 grants, 85 tribes operating air monitors, 78 tribes with completed emissions inventories, 52 tribes with nonregulatory tas, 10 tribes with regulatory tas (as per STAR report).
Fiscal Year 2019 86 tribes operating air monitors, 73 tribes with emissions inventories, 53 tribes with non-regulator Treatment as a State(TAS), 10 tribes with regulatory TAS. Clean Air Act, Section 103(b)(3), 42 U.S.C. 7403 Assistance under this program is generally available to Federally-recognized Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia, which submit applications proposing projects with significant technical merit and relevance to EPA's Office of Air and Radiation's mission. Tribal CAA 103 Project Grants have been determined by the Agency as exempt from competition under EPA Order 5700.5A1. Federally-recognized Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia. Costs will be determined in accordance with Uniform Grants Guidance 2 CFR 225 for State and local governments and Indian Tribes. Applicants may be requested to demonstrate they have appropriate background, academic training, experience in the field, and necessary equipment to carry out projects. EPA may ask applicants or principle investigators to provide curriculum vitae and relevant publications Preapplication coordination is required. EPA will generally specify the nature of the pre-application/pre-proposal assistance, if any, that will be available to applicants. For additional information, contact the individual(s) listed in the competitive funding announcement. 2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applicants, except in limited circumstances approved by the Agency, must submit all initial applications for funding through https://www.grants.gov. For competitive awards under this assistance listing, EPA will review and evaluate applications in accordance terms, conditions, and criteria stated in the competitive announcement. Competitions will be conducted in accordance with EPA policies/regulations for competing assistance agreements. For non-competitive awards, EPA will review and evaluate applications, proposals, and/or submissions in accordance with EPA policies/regulations. Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines Approximately 180 days. Assistance agreement competition-related disputes will be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution procedures published in 70 FR (Federal Register) 3629, 3630 (January 26, 2005). Disputes relating to matters other than the competitive selection of recipients will be resolved under 2 CFR 1500 Subpart E, as applicable." None. Generally, EPA incrementally funds assistance agreements for Training, Investigations, and Special Purpose. Approval of subsequent funding increments is dependent on satisfactory project progress, continued relevance of the project to EPA's priorities, availability of funds, and Agency policies. The evaluation and selection criteria for competitive awards under this assistance listing will be described in the competitive announcement. For non-competitive awards under this assistance listing, applications will be selected for funding based on factors such as relevancy to EPA's mission, technical merit, and the likelihood of success. Grants and cooperative agreements are available to support recipient's allowable direct costs incident to approved Tribal air resources activities that will protect public health and the environment, plus allowable indirect costs, in accordance with established EPA policies and regulations. Performance Reports: Grantees are required to perform performance monitoring in accordance with Agency policy and requirements stated the Uniform Grants Guidance 2 CFR 200. Grants and cooperative agreements are subject to inspections and audits by the Comptroller General of the United States, the EPA Office of Inspector General, other EPA staff, or any authorized representative of the Federal government. Reviews by the EPA Project Officer and the Grants Specialist may occur each year. Recipients are subject to the retention and access requirements for records under 2 CFR 1500.6. Recipients must keep financial records, including all documents supporting entries on accounting records and to substantiate changes in grants available to personnel authorized to examine EPA recipients' grant and cooperative agreement records. Recipients must maintain all records until 3 years from the date of submission of final expenditure reports. If questions, such as those raised as a result of audits remain following the 3-year period, recipients must retain records until the matter is completely resolved. Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.

Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. EPA normally funds assistance agreements on a 12-month basis. However, EPA can negotiate the project period with each applicant based on project requirements. EPA limits project periods to 5 years. Grants and cooperative agreements are generally fully funded or on an incremental funding basis. Successful applicants will be notified either via U.S. mail or electronically. Assistance agreements are fully funded (lump sum) or incrementally (quarterly) funded. EPA encourages potential applicants to communicate with the Headquarters program contact listed below. For information on grant applications and procedures visit: https://www.epa.gov/grants/how-apply-grants Pat Childers
USEPA Headquarters
Ariel Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W.
MC 6103A
Washington, DC 20460 US
childers.pat@epa.gov
Phone: (202) 564-1082 https://www.epa.gov/tribal-air 68-0107-0-1-304 (Project Grants (Discretionary)) FY 18$11,350,000.00; FY 19 est $11,350,000.00; FY 20 est $7,945,000.00; FY 17$11,545,000.00; FY 16$12,712,000.00; - There is no minimum amount of assistance; the maximum is $7,750,000. The general range of the amount of assistance is $25,000 to $500,000. The average is $75,000. Training, Investigations, and Special Purpose grants and cooperative agreements are subject to Uniform Grants Guidance 2 CFR 200. Costs will be determined in accordance with Uniform Grants Guidance 2 CFR 220 Subpart E-Cost principles Fiscal Year 2016 No content available https://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/ntaa/Resources/StatusTribalAir/
Fiscal Year 2017 For examples of funded projects for FY2017, please visit https://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/ntaa/Resources/StatusTribalAir/
Fiscal Year 2018 For examples of funded projects for FY18, please visit https://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/ntaa/Resources/StatusTribalAir/
Fiscal Year 2019 9 of 10 EPA regions issue grants with these funds for a variety of Tribal air quality projects. Here is an example take from the Status of Tribal Air Report (https://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/ntaa/ResourcesPDF/STAR19) Morongo recently purchased air monitoring equipment to help conduct QC checks, as well as establish an indoor air quality equipment share program that will be utilized amongst local Southern California Tribal air programs. The TAP also collaborated with Morongo’s Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to disseminate over 40 CO detectors to Tribal families. Lastly, the program collaborated with the Human Resources Department to initiate a “Hazardous Outdoor Air Policy,” which will alert the Tribe’s employees who work outdoors when there is poor air quality so they may limit their exposure to pollutants. The TAP experienced a few minor challenges, primarily affecting air monitoring, including data loss due to the mechanical failure of a collocated PM sampler. Time spent troubleshooting and repairing this equipment was strenuous and frustrating. The TAP also continues to monitor local source polluters to ensure their compliance with local air regulations and protect community health.