Fond du Lac Air Quality Program
 

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa is the first Tribe in Region 5 to be granted authority to administer parts of the Clean Air Act they feel will benefit the air quality on the Reservation. EPA Region 5 Administrator Thomas V. Skinner signed the decision document and presented a certificate of recognition to Fond du Lac Band leaders on January 7, 2004.

The outdoor air monitors at FDL measure mercury deposition, fine particulates, nitrogen oxides and ozone. These monitors are located at a site at the Cloquet Forestry Center. The program also does indoor radon testing at individual houses as well.

In addition to performing monitoring work, FDL is involved in a regional haze workgroup that includes state and tribal agencies from nine Midwestern states. The group also includes representatives of industry, environmental groups, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service. The purpose of the group is to improve visibility in the nation's national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite but the actions taken will improve air quality in many other areas, too. Participation in groups like this increases the presence of tribal environmental programs and serves to educate others about tribal issues.

There are several national tribal air quality issues that are of interest to FDL. These include New Source Review and minor source permitting issues and the process of assigning an "attainment" or "non-attainment" label to areas based on whether they meet air quality standards. FDL works with the Environmental Protection Agency and several other tribes on these issues.