LADCO works with our member states, the U.S. EPA, and other MJOs to develop capacity within the states to support their responsibilities under the Clean Air Act.
We help our state air agency training coordinators find and hire training contractors, schedule training events, and organize the logistics of bringing training opportunities to the LADCO region.
Section 103(a)(5) of the Clean Air Act says that the US EPA Administrator shall establish a national research and development program for the prevention and control of air pollution and as part of such program shall…conduct and promote coordination and acceleration of training for individuals relating to the causes, effects, extent, prevention, and control of air pollution.
In its authority under this section, U.S. EPA provides an annual grant to the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO) to support technical and policy capacity building in our member state air programs in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin. Approved uses of these grant funds include travel expenses to attend both in-state or out-of-state trainings, conferences, or meetings; meeting expenses for hosting training sessions in the LADCO region; and supplies for supporting training activities in the LADCO member states. Meeting or training expenses may include instructional service fees, supplies, fees for site visits, or refreshments, including lunches.
LADCO Training Memo (link)
This July 2024 memo describes the roles and responsibilities of the partnership between LADCO and our member agencies to provide training to agency staff. The responsibilities of the LADCO and state training coordinators to manage and track the training grant funds, and to approve training and travel through this grant are detailed in this memo.
LADCO Travel Manual (link)
The LADCO Travel Manual details the policies and procedures for using LADCO grant funds for travel. These policies are applicable to LADCO member state staff who are requesting travel support to attend training events, conferences, meetings, workshops, or other LADCO-sponsored travel.
LADCO Training Resources
The LADCO Training Resources page includes links for forms and other important supporting information for our members.
- Industrial source air permitting
- Air quality monitoring
- Facility inspections
- Emissions controls
- Air pollution regulations
- Data analysis
While LADCO staff members occasionally teach technical courses on air pollution monitoring and modeling, our primary role is as a central training coordinator for our member states. In cases where existing courses do not exist to meet the training needs of our states, LADCO procures contract support to develop and offer new courses.
LADCO and the other Multijurisdictional Organizations (MJOs) work with the Joint Training Committee (JTC) at the national scale on training issues that impact state/local/tribal air agencies across the country. Through our membership on the JTC, we advise EPA on the operation of AirKnowldge.gov and the EPA Learning Management System, serve on sub-committees for reviewing and updating training materials and trainers, and work on next-generation training systems to support capacity building and succession planning at state air agencies.
