EPA Tribal Air Quality Program

Tribes have express authority under the Clean Air Act and the Tribal Authority Rule to manage air quality in Indian country. EPA provides technical assistance and resources to help tribes build their program capacity. It is important to note that air quality monitoring serves a different purpose than an emission inventory. Air quality monitoring samples the air to measure which pollutants are present and in what amounts, but does not tell where the pollutants are coming from. An emission inventory tells a tribe what sources are emitting which pollutants into the air. These documents provide guidance to tribes and EPA Regional Offices on how to develop and implement tribal air monitoring programs on tribal lands.