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 UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
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REGION 8
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1595 Wynkoop Street
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Denver, CO   80202-1129
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Phone 800-227-8917
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www.epa.gov/region8



Ref: 8ARD-PM

The Honorable Illiff "Scott" Kipp, Sr., Chairman
Blackfeet Nation
P.O. Box 850
Browning, Montana  59417-0850
skipp@blackfeetnation.com

      Re: Notification of Consultation and Coordination with Respect to the Issuance of an Air Pollution Control Permit to NorthWestern Energy Corporation for the Meriwether Compressor Station on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation   

Dear Chairman Kipp:
      
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 8 is offering the Blackfeet Nation an opportunity to consult on the EPA's issuance of a Clean Air Act air pollution control Minor New Source Review (MNSR) permit for a modification project at the existing Meriwether Compressor Station on Indian country lands within the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in Glacier County, Montana. The modification would entail the addition of a new 2,500 horsepower natural gas-fired compressor engine to the existing facility. In accordance with the MNSR Permit Program at 40 CFR part 49, owner and operator NorthWestern Energy Corporation has requested limits on carbon monoxide (CO) emissions for the proposed new compressor engine that reflect the full effect of the emission control device to be used, to establish the modified facility as a synthetic minor source for the purposes of the Title V Operating Permit Program at 40 CFR part 71. Additional information on this proposed permit action and a link to the permit docket is available on EPA's website https://www.epa.gov/caa-permitting/proposed-synthetic-minor-nsr-permit-northwestern-energy-corporation-meriwether.  

The EPA welcomes the opportunity to consult and coordinate with you and the Blackfeet Tribal Leadership. This consultation and coordination process would be conducted in accordance with the EPA Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes (www.epa.gov/tribal/consultation/consult-policy.htm). We invite you and your designated consultation representative(s) to participate in this process.  

If you would like to consult about this permitting action, please respond in writing (preferably by email) to this letter within 30 days after you receive it, and we will work to schedule consultation with the Blackfeet Tribe at a mutually convenient time. The official EPA contact person for any consultation and coordination process on this permit action is Claudia Smith, a permit engineer on my staff. The EPA's goal is to ensure that the Tribe has an opportunity to provide meaningful input into this permit action.  

In addition to offering government-to-government consultation, the EPA plans to regularly coordinate and communicate with the Blackfeet Environmental Office Director, Gerald Wagner, and Air Program Coordinator, Tony Sinclair, for facilities located on Indian country lands within the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. If you would prefer to designate an alternative representative for communication on air pollution control permitting matters, please notify us of that person's name and contact information. We will continue to keep the tribal government informed and to seek your input on these permits. 

Thank you very much for your attention to this matter. Please contact me at (303) 312-6936 or at morales.monica@epa.gov, or your staff can contact Claudia Smith at (303) 312-6520 or at smith.claudia@epa.gov, should you have any questions on this action. We look forward to hearing from you on this important matter.

                                    Sincerely,
                                    
                                    
                                    Monica Morales
                                    Acting Director
                                    Air and Radiation Division


cc:  Gerald Wagner, Director, Blackfeet Environmental Office, beo.director@gmail.com
       Tony Sinclair, Air Program Coordinator, Blackfeet Environmental Office, beo.airquality@gmail.com

