Western Regional Air Partnership News
Issue # 14 – Autumn 2004 |
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In this Issue:
Councilman Irvine Replaces Governor Vallo as WRAP Tribal Co-Chair
Board members of the Western Regional Air Partnership elected Lloyd Irvine, a councilman for 15 years on the Tribal Council of the Confederated Tribes of Salish and Kootenai, as tribal co-chair at the Board meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, November 10.
Councilman Irvine joins the WRAP’s state co-chair, Gov. Janet Napolitano of Arizona. He assumes the tribal co-chair duties from Governor Fred S. Vallo of the Pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico. Councilman Irvine has worked with WRAP since its founding as a follow-up entity to the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission.
WRAP Board Gets Updates on EPA Issues, Forum Activities, Approves Budget
At the November 10 meeting of the Western Regional Air Partnership, the Board of Directors discussed the Clean Air Interstate Rule and agreed to send a letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency restating the WRAP’s interest in evaluating possible expansion of the rule to cover the West. Also, the Board approved the FY 2005 budget and heard updates on other issues from EPA and the WRAP Forums.
Meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, the Board honored Pueblo of Acoma Governor Fred Vallo for his service as tribal co-chair. Steve Owens, serving as the other co-chair on behalf of Governor Janet Napolitano, presented Governor Vallo with “the heaviest known paperweight” and other gifts commemorating his service on the WRAP Board.
Reports, presentations, and other information presented at the Board meeting are available at www.wrapair.org. The following is a summary of actions taken by the Board:
- Appointed a new tribal representative to the Initiatives Oversight Committee (Melissa Estes, Zuni Pueblo employee, who will serve as IOC co-chair) and appointed current Technical Oversight Committee member Ben Wear, Jemez Pueblo employee, to TOC co-chair. The Board learned that Cathy Messerschmitt, National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC), who has been serving as the WRAP’s Tribal Caucus Coordinator, will assume the WRAP co-director duties as Bob Gruenig takes on more duties at NTEC;
- Learned about the oral arguments presented in a circuit court case in which the Environmental Defense Fund, Phelps Dodge, Arizona Public Service Company and states are supporting the WRAP’s Annex under the Regional Haze Rule, which has been challenged in court by the Center for Energy and Economic Development (CEED);
Stationary Sources Forum Moves Forward on Dual Track
WRAP’s Stationary Sources Forum has continued moving forward on a two-track approach that provides support for identifying and analyzing source-by-source control of stationary source emissions (best-available retrofit technology or BART), and development alternatives, such as the WRAP’s Annex regarding sulfur dioxide (SO2) that relies on market trading to decrease emissions.
In addition to looking at SO2 clean-up options, the Stationary Sources Forum also plans to address nitrogen oxides (NOx), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and particulate matter (PM). Forum co-chair Eric Massey of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality gave an update on the Forum’s efforts to the Board in November. (See meeting materials for the November 10 meeting.)
To date, the Stationary Sources Forum has found 109 BART-eligible sources and 171 potentially BART-eligible sources out of 1,505 total sources in nine states in the West: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The Forum plans to extend its review of eligible sources for SO2 in all western states and tribes in the WRAP region. In 2005 and 2006 the Forum will address milestones for 2018, an interim target, as well as geographic, new source and tribal source issues. Other future efforts include development of a data base of eligible and potentially BART-eligible sources, their emissions and current controls, allowance allocations, and monitoring/reporting requirements.
WRAP Launches Diesel Retrofit Project for Offroad Vehicles and Engines
The WRAP Mobile Sources Forum has recently signed a contract with Emissions Advantage LLC and is planning two meetings to promote offroad diesel retrofits in the WRAP region. A workshop set for January 27-28, 2005, in San Diego, CA, is aimed at allowing WRAP members and key WRAP participants to discuss specific goals, brainstorm strategies for achieving these goals, and exchange ideas and information regarding offroad retrofit issues. A conference is also planned for later in the year to promote the Forum's objectives to a broader audience.
Offroad mobile sources include agricultural, construction, and mining equipment, locomotives, ships, and airport and harbor equipment. Emissions Advantage LLC was founded for the specific purpose of providing program and technical assistance to diesel retrofit programs. In addition to exhaust treatment technologies, retrofits may include engine and fuel modifications, idle reduction measures, and any other approaches that reduce emissions of existing engines. More information on the project and the January workshop can be found at www.wrapair.org.
NTEC Helps Sponsor Carbon Sequestration Workshop
The National Tribal Environmental Council will team up with the National Carbon Offset Coalition to sponsor a January 11-12, 2005, meeting in Spokane, WA. The meeting will address Tribal Carbon Sequestration Forestry Portfolio efforts to offset environmental impacts of carbon dioxide emissions.
The meeting will cover past tribal efforts, project types, and the tribal forestry portfolio in addition to addressing operating policies and the relationships between landowners, aggregators, brokers, and buyers. Special rates are available to those registering by December 11. See www.ntec.org for more information.
Fire Emissions Joint Forum Plans December Meeting, Guidance Document
At a December 8-9 meeting in Las Vegas, NV, the Fire Emissions Joint Forum (FEJF) anticipates completing work related to a guidance document that features a methodology to categorize fires as “natural” or “anthropogenic,” which states and tribes may use in their regional haze implementation plans.
At the WRAP Board meeting in Salt Lake City on November 10, FEJF co-chairs Darla Potter and Pete Lahm reviewed the proposed categorization process, which is to be performed, in part, through the use of the Fire Regime Condition Class. The Fire Regime Condition Class is an interagency, standardized tool to rate wildland vegetation, fuel conditions, and degree of disturbance against baseline reference conditions. The Fire Regime Condition Class (I, II, or III) indicates whether or not an ecosystem is self-maintaining or in need of restoration. These conditions then help determine if a fire is “natural” or “anthropogenic.”
Communications Committee Seeks Input, Plans Meeting
The Communications Committee will discuss options for expanding public outreach and ways to improve communications among the various WRAP forums at a December 6-7 meeting in San Francisco, CA.
Over the summer members of the Committee worked to put together information for a small business convention, a science and math teacher’s convention, and a handout regarding ways that individuals can work to reduce air pollution. Any WRAP forum or committee member who would like to comment on outreach plans or communications within the WRAP can direct their comments to the Communications Committee co-chairs: Barry Aarons, Dan Clark, Lisa Riener or Al Zemsky.
Southern Ute Tribe joins with Colorado Commission to Improve Air Quality
For the first time, a state and tribe within the state’s borders have worked together to establish a joint commission to determine the tribe’s reservation air quality standards. The agreement, which was recently approved by Congress, establishes the Southern Ute Indian Tribe/State of Colorado Environmental Control Commission and will work together on air quality standards on the Southern Ute Reservation in southern Colorado. The commission will have six members, three each from the tribe and the state.
U.S. EPA Delegates Authority of Air Permit Program to Navajo Nation
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced a precedent-setting delegation of authority to a tribe to administer an important air permits program under the Clean Air Act.
The Navajo Nation’s Environmental Protection Agency will work with the U.S. EPA on a government-to-government basis to administer the Title V program, which issues permits for major sources of air pollution, generally with the potential to emit pollutants over 100 tons per year. This will cover new and existing major sources located on the formal Navajo Nation reservation and all tribal trust lands outside the formal reservation boundaries.
This summer the Navajo Nation EPA submitted requests to the U.S. EPA to be treated in the same manner as a state and to have authority over the operating permits. The U.S. EPA reviewed both applications and determined that the Navajo Nation met the eligibility criteria.
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For more information about the WRAP:
The WRAP, a voluntary organization of Western states, tribes and federal agencies, promotes, supports and monitors programs implementing the Regional Haze Rule, including recommendations from the Grand Canyon Visibility Transport Commission and other programs that protect visibility throughout the West. For other information about the WRAP or past issues of The WRAP Sheet, visit www.wrapair.org.
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