Overcoming Obstacles to Partnering

1
Overcoming Obstacles to Partnering

• Fond du Lac and CenRAP

2
Introduction

• The 1999 Regional Haze Rule called for the
  creation of Regional Planning Organizations, or
  RPOs, where states and tribes would come
  together to address regional haze.
• The Central Regional Air Planning Association is
  an offshoot of CenSARA, an organization of nine
  midwestern state air agencies, including
  Minnesota, where FdL is located.
• When CenRAP was created as a sister agency to
  CenSARA, tribes wanted to be included.

3
Obstacles

• States were not used to working with tribes and
  went ahead and started writing bylaws, with the
  intent of bringing tribes in later.
• Tribes in the nine-state areas wanted to be
  involved from the on-set.
• Some CenRAP states were not very enthusiastic
  about including tribes, or didnt understand why
  tribes wanted to be included.
• Broad geographic areas covered in this region
  includes a broad array of political and cultural
  views.
• The original draft by-laws had very limited
  tribal representation.

4
Why Did Tribes Want to Be Involved?

• RPOs were seen as the wave of the future and
  tribes wanted to be included from the start.
• Visibility can be an important cultural value.
• The same pollutants that influence visibility
  affect health.
• Getting involved in this group could lead to
  great contacts for tribes to utilize.
• Promotes state/tribal relations.

5
How did Tribes Overcome Obstacles?

• Going to the funding source (EPA) and reminding
  them of their trust responsibility.
• Once tribes were in the meetings, we needed to
  prove ourselves. We did this by reminding the
  states what we had to offer, showing up
  consistently (even though this is not always
  easy), taking on tasks, serving as co-chairs of
  working groups, and working professionally with
  the states.
• It helped that there was a deadline for regional
  haze SIPs. Issues of representation had to be
  settled so the group could move forward.

6
Outcomes

• Tribes gained nine seats on the policy oversight
  group (POG), same as the states.
• Partnerships were formed between states and
  tribes for monitoring.
• Tribes hold the Vice-President and
  Secretary/Treasurer positions on the POG.
• Both states and tribes participate together on
  the POG, Steering Committee, and workgroups.
• Work was completed with only legislative delays.
• State/tribal work continues..

7
Partnerships Formed

• Both states and tribes have attended CenRAP
  training in data management.
• Both attended Blue Skyways and Smoke Management
  sessions.
• Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and MN tribes
  have a permitting notification agreement for air,
  and one in the works for water.
• Cherokee and Sac and Fox Nations are filling
  important monitoring gaps.
• States have come to learn about our
  funding/staffing issues.
• Valuable contacts have been made between states,
  tribes, FLMs, EPA, CenRAP, etc.

8
Working Professionally

• Show that we are here not solely to shoot things
  down nor to rubber stamp we are here to get
  things done the best way possible.
• We are willing to learn and also have much to
  teach.
• Work within the regulatory framework.
• Let others know that we care about the same
  issues.