This agreement provides funding for the white earth band of chippewa indians to install air sensors throughout the white earth reservation in order to become 'smoke ready.' recent environmental trends…

EPA Region 5 awarded the White Earth Band of Chippewa Indians $100,000 on April 1, 2026, under CFDA 66.038, Training, Investigations, and Special Purpose Activities of Federally-Recognized Indian Tribes Consistent With the Clean Air Act, to install air sensors throughout the White Earth Reservation and advance community air quality preparedness.

The White Earth Band will conduct daily air quality assessments using air sensors across the reservation, develop a local smoke team, and attend outreach events addressing indoor and outdoor air quality impacts from wildfire smoke and mold resulting from flooding. The tribe will create social media content and an enhanced web page on air pollution and healthy lifestyles, research Clean Air Act authorities for potential Tribal Authority Rule application, and produce a draft response plan for wildland fire public health. Quality-assured air sensor data will inform community education efforts targeting elderly residents, children, and people with asthma.

Performance occurs on the White Earth Reservation in Ogema, Minnesota, from April 1, 2026, through March 31, 2028. No sub-recipients are included in this assistance agreement. The award is a Project Grant, an assistance type supporting Federally-recognized Indian Tribes' efforts to understand, assess, and characterize air quality and design methods to protect and improve air quality on tribal lands.

This agreement provides funding for the white earth band of chippewa indians to install air sensors throughout the white earth reservation in order to become 'smoke ready.' recent environmental trends have impacted the community, with both increased wildfires and flooding resulting from these changes. Wildfire smoke and mold resulting from water damage due to flooding are both dangerous to tribal community members, including the elderly, children, and asthmatic people. Attending outreach events will better prepare the white earth band to address these issues in the future.activities:activities to be performed include performing daily air quality assessments using air sensors in the white earth reservation, developing a local smoke team, attending outreach events on indoor and outdoor air quality, and creating social media posts on the aforementioned issues to inform the community. The tribe will also research clean air act authorities to include in a potential application for treatment as a state status under the tribal authority rule. Subrecipient:no subawards are included in this assistance agreement.outcomes:from these activities, the white earth band anticipates creating an enhanced web page to promote healthy lifestyles addressing air pollution and creation of a draft response plan for wildland fire public health. Social media posts will also be created to better inform the white earth band community on air quality information. Quality-assured air sensor data will be utilized to inform community education and outreach efforts.