66.038: 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

66.038

Active

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Sept. 14, 2022

Sept. 14, 2022

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 2021: 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. (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.

B - Project Grants (Discretionary)

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.

Federally-recognized Indian Tribes and Intertribal Consortia.

66.034 - Surveys, Studies, Research, Investigations, Demonstrations, and Special Purpose Activities Relating to the Clean Air Act

https://sam.gov/fal/8bfc8d0e0ff24d3790b0671628f281c6/view