PowerPoint Presentation 2002

2002 Air Quality Plan

• Background Information on Current Program

  The Wind River Environmental Quality Commission (WREQC), a joint program of the Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes (Tribes) of the Wind River Indian Reservation (WRIR) in west-central Wyoming, has established an Air Quality Program for the WRIR. The WRIR has a varied topography ranging in elevation from 4,500 feet to over 12,500 feet, covering over 2.25 million acres of land. The Tribes were the frist in the nation to establish a 180,387-acre wilderness area in 1938. With some of the most pristine and abundant natural resourrces in the lower forty-eith states, including water, fish, wildlife, timber and clear air, it is imperative thate the Tribes protect the wilderness of possible degradation from pollutants, acid rain and chemical snows. The WREQC is working with the Tribes and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop an Air Quality Program at WRIR that will provide the Tribes with the resources necessary to protect the reservation environment and its residents. The Tribes are developing an Air Quality Plan (AQ Plan) that will address the health problems of the people related to air quality on the WRIR. With economic development activity on the WRIR ranging from oil and gas development to agriculture, the Tribes are developing a comprehensive environmental program to regulate and plan for growth with protecting te environment and surrounding areas. In fiscal year (FY) 2001, WREQC applied for and received grant funding to begin an Air Quality Program on the WRIR. THe Air Quality Program began in February 2001. Air quality is a high priority for the Shoshone and Arapaho Tribes for the following reasons:




• To Protect the health of the Wind River Indian Reservation residents.

  Increasing respiratory health problems of adults and childhood asthma may be related to decreased air quality (IHS data). Current project activity will measure sulfur dioxide (SO₂) emissions from the Riverton Dome Gas Plant near the Beaver Creek tribal housing project. The next project actibity, a particulate matter 10 microns in diameter or less (PM10) site, will be developed to monitor particulate matter in the Fort Washakie and Ethete areas of the WRIR to measure the extent of unpaved road dust, agricultural burning, residential wood burning, forest service controlled burns, insecticide and herbicide spraying and fugitive particlates.




• To develop a Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP).

  The Air Quality Program is coordinating with consultants and a certified laboratory in developing an SO₂ Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP). The WREQC Air Quality Program will set up sulfur analyzers, calibrate instruments and collect data, in addition to monitoring SO₂ discharges from the Riverton Dome Gas Plant near the Beaver Creek tribal housing project.




• To collect air quality data.

  The Air Quality Program will report air quality data in the Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS) to the EPA. The air quality data will assist the Tribes in developing Tribal environmental air regulations.




• To monitor emissions from increased oil and gas processing related activity on the WRIR.

  The Air Quality Program will report air quality data in the Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS) to the EPA. The air quality data will assist the Tribes in developing Tribal environmental air regulations.




• To document air quality from increased industrial development in the region that may have a negative impact on the WRIR's air quality.

  The WREQC is currently collecting data on acid rain deposition and its impacts on the high alpine lakes on the WRIR. In the future, the Air Quality Program on the WRIR will monitor sulfur and nitrogen to get an indication of pollution in the air from nearby coal, trona (soda ash) mines and gas processing plants in southwest Wyoming. Future work on this objective will include setting a Transmissometer and Nephelometer to measure pollutants in remote high moutain areas.




• To develop air quality standards and enforce tribal air regulations further strengthening tribal sovereignty.

  Collection of quality data over several years time will enable the Tribes to develop tribal air standards and regulations within the exterior boundaries of the WRIR.