This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to southern UTE indian tribe to develop or enhance climate action plans that establish near-term and long-term greenhouse gas…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) awarded a $371,750 Cooperative Agreement under the Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program (CFDA 66.046) to the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to develop comprehensive climate action plans that establish greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals and strategies, with a focus on the oil and gas sector on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation.

Key activities under this 4-year agreement include building upon previous emissions inventory work, enhancing compliance oversight of minor oil and gas sources, and quantifying the GHG and co-pollutant reductions expected from these efforts. The funding will support the development of a Priority Climate Action Plan by March 2024 and a Comprehensive Climate Action Plan by the end of the grant period, which are expected to identify pollution reduction targets, impacts on disadvantaged communities, and other key outcomes. No sub-awards are included under this grant.

This agreement provides funding under the inflation reduction act (IRA) to southern UTE indian tribe to develop or enhance climate action plans that establish near-term and long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction goals and develop strategies to address the highest priority sectors to help the tribe(s) or territory achieve those goals. Specifically, the recipient will focus on the specific objective of reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the oil and gas sector on the southern UTE indian reservation. The tribe will building on existing emission inventory and stakeholder outreach work to create a plan for increased compliance oversight of the over 240 true minor oil and gas sources and six synthetic minor oil and gas sources on the reservation would lead to increased compliance with the clean air act, and in turn, a reduction of GHG emissions and ozone precursor emissions. Activities:in general, activities include the development, updating, and evaluation of plans to reduce climate pollution (i.e., to reduce GHG emissions and/or enhance carbon sinks). Specific activities include the tribe intending to harness and build upon the previous work that has been completed in pursuit of the goals of the tribe in obtaining delegation of the tribal minor new source review (tmsnr) program, the anticipated reduction of GHG emissions through increased compliance oversight by the tribe of approximately 240 minor oil and gas sources on the reservation and a GHG emission inventory with quantification of the estimated reductions measures resulting from increased compliance oversight. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:two key deliverables will be produced and submitted over the course of the four-year program period, including: a priority climate action plan (pcap), due march 1, 2024; and a comprehensive climate action plan (ccap), due at the close of the grant period. The expected outcomes include a pcap and ccap that identifies: tons of pollution (ghgs and CO-pollutants) reduced over the lifetime of the measures; tons of pollution (ghgs and CO-pollutants) reduced annually; and tons of pollution (ghgs and CO-pollutants) reduced with respect to low-income and disadvantaged communities. Other expected outcomes include: the tribe's completion of comprehensive emission inventories for CY's 2015, 2017 and 2020, including quantification of GHG emissions from true minor oil and gas sources and synthetic minor oil and gas sources. The intended beneficiaries include improved human health for those living on the reservation from a corresponding reduction of CO-pollutants entrained in the natural gas stream when leaking/fugitive emission sources were repaired. CO-pollutants from repaired leaking components would include volatile organic compounds (vocs) and hazardous air pollutants (haps- the toxic air pollutants known to adversely affect human health). The reduction of vocs, an ozone precursor, could also have the CO-benefit of reducing ground level ozone formation.