JATAP Joint Air Toxics Assessment Project A Successful Multi-Jurisdictional Research Partnership

1. JATAPJoint Air Toxics Assessment Project A Successful Multi-Jurisdictional Research Partnership National Congress of American Indians Mid-Year Convention Policy Research Center Tribal Leader/Scholar Forum June 16, 2009 Niagara Falls, NY

2. Presented by: Ondrea Barber, Manager Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Margaret Cook, Executive Director Department of Environmental Quality Gila River Indian Community Patricia Mariella, Ph.D., Director American Indian Policy Institute Arizona State University

3. Joint Air Toxics Assessment Project (JATAP) Collaboration: tribal, state, county and federal governments -determine the types, distribution and sources of air toxics in central Arizona airshed -reduce the health risks from air toxics

4. Air Pollution Does Not Recognize Political Boundaries Tribes need data from off and on tribal lands Tribes have interests in air quality off their lands Tribes have participated in regional air quality efforts for over two decades

5. Understanding Air Toxics Are air toxics coming onto tribal lands from neighboring urban areas? What air toxics are being emitted from freeways on tribal lands? Loop 101-202 SRPMIC

6. JATAP GOALS ►partnerships among participating agencies and governments ►obtain an area-wide (airshed) understanding of exposures and risks ►develop a collaborative research model that could be useful for other communities

7. JATAP is a Multi-jurisdictional Project • Multi-jurisdictional Steering Committee consensus decision-making • Coordination and Technical Support ASU American Indian Policy Institute (ITEP for the first phase) • Funding EPA Grants; EPA scientist on special detail

8. ADEQ Tribal Governments Policyestablished in 1995 ADEQ recognizes the sovereignty of Tribal governments and their jurisdiction over lands within Indian Country as defined by federal law [18 U.S.C.A. §1151]. ADEQ will not assert authority over Indian Country. ADEQ recognizes that the federal government has the primary responsibility for assisting Tribes to regulate and manage the environment within Indian Country. ADEQ supports the strengthening of Tribal capacity for environmental management and regulation. ADEQ support to Tribes will be provided in the interest of the State and will not be used as the basis for assertion of State authority within Indian Country. ADEQ is committed to developing cooperative relationships with Tribes, and will respect the environmental concerns of Tribes. ADEQ requests that Tribes show similar respect for the environmental concerns of the State of Arizona. Without Tribal consent, ADEQ will not solicit and asserts no claim to EPA resources that would otherwise be provided directly to Tribes.

9. JATAP Participants Agencies with Monitoring Sites Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community EPNR Gila River Indian Community DEQ Arizona DEQ Other participants Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Maricopa County Air Quality Pinal County Air Quality Control District EPA Region 9 and OAQPS City of Phoenix Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals ASU American Indian Policy Institute

10. JATAP Monitored for Solvents (VOCs) and Metals (PM2.5) FROM: • mobile sources (cars, trucks) e.g., formaldehyde, benzene, 1,3-butadiene, • stationary sources (businesses) e.g., chloroform, trichloroethylene, styrene • background (found throughout U.S.) carbon tetrachloride • toxic metals e.g., arsenic

11. Arizona ARIZONA JATAP Study Area

12. Monitoring: Sites

13. TRANSITIONS FROM MONITORING TO RISK ASSESSMENT • Preliminary Results: • Greatest air toxics risk from freeways • Increased risk of cancer • DIFFERENT IMPLICATIONS FOR EACH JURISDICTION FROM DATA TO POLICY AND ACTION

14. WHAT ACTIONS REDUCE RISKS FROM AIR TOXICS ? Freeways: -roadway design -trees and vegetation -buffer zones; California case study -filters in buildings near roads -targeted reduction in outdoor activities ►national/federal fuel and engine standards -reduce school bus idling and retrofit school bus diesel engines

15. Tribal Policy Implications Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Existing Freeways: -commercial land use Gila River Indian Community Potential Freeway: -costs and benefits

16. Reasons for JATAP Success • Long-standing tribal & state environmental agency relationships • Multi jurisdictional collaboration with overarching goals • EPA funding to each jurisdiction • Coordination through universities • High quality data – (pilot project) (technical staff)

17. Challenges Common to all Partners • no national standards for air toxics; understanding health risks requires risk assessments and modeling ($) • EPA funds monitoring; risk assessment? outreach? • Communicating effectively with policy-makers and public

18. THANK YOU! For More Information: Ondrea Barber (480) 850-8000 ondrea.barber@SRPMIC-nsn.gov Margaret Cook (520) 562-2234 Margaret.cook@gric.nsn.us Patricia Mariella, Ph.D. (480) 965-9005 pat.mariella@asu.edu

19. Monitoring: VOCs • Air Toxics sampled for 1 year at all 7 sites • 24 hour average samples taken every 6th day • 17 air toxics (AT) sampled • 10 are identified as carcinogens • 5 mobile source AT: benzene, 1,3-butadiene, acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, ethylbenzene • 5 industrial source AT: dichloromethane, hexachlorobutadiene, tetrachloroethylene, trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride • 6 are non-carcinogens (nervous system; birth defects • 5 industrial source AT: chloroform, m,o,p-xylene, styrene • 1 mobile source AT: toluene • 1 background source carcinogen (carbon tetrachloride)

20. Monitoring: Particulates (metals) • PM2.5 samples also collected at 4 sites: • Salt River Indian Community • Gila River Indian Community • West Phoenix monitor • Supersite monitor • Samples have been speciated • Need risk assessments -metals of potential concern: arsenic, cadmium, chromium, nickel, cobalt, manganese

21. Monitoring: Results average concentrations (ug/m3)

22. Monitoring: Results

23. Risk Assessment : Scope of Work • To be implemented in 3 steps • Stationary source dispersion and exposure modeling using HEM-AERMOD model • Developed emissions inventory for Maricopa County containing over 4000+ emission point entries • Urban area-wide mobile source modeling using CAMx model • Develop emissions inventory for Maricopa county • Will include diesel PM • Mobile source dispersion modeling to identify near-roadway concentrations and exposures • Highest mobile source concentrations are known to occur within 250m of major highway and drop off after about 500m

24. Gila River Indian CommunityJATAP Message for Policy Makers The Gila River Indian Community’s air quality is good (particularly from a regional perspective) Data indicates essentially no health risk near monitor of air toxics from industries There is a low level increase in air toxics (benzene) from vehicles; benzene is distributed though the whole Valley; at Gila River the levels are lower than at Salt River and only slightly higher than at Queen Valley (a remote site)

25. Gila River Indian CommunityJATAP Message for Policy Makers (continued) The primary health risk from air toxics is an increased risk of cancer (leukemia); urban areas in the U.S. have levels of air toxics that pose some increased cancer risk Freeways increase near-by air pollution; air pollution declines 60% at 320 feet from the roadway and drops to background levels at 650 feet GRIC DEQ is working in the Community to reduce air toxics, particularly at schools

26. What are the national trends for air toxics? Benzene is in all urban areas; trend is down Reductions in freeway pollution from new federal diesel fuel and engine rules

27. California Case Study:Unintended Consequences South Coast, CA Air Toxics Study (Multiple Air Toxics Study 1999) Ban on new schools or expansion of schools near freeways School over-crowding