December 2019 - National Tribal Air Association

China is building massive solar farms. This facility, which floats on a fish farm in Zhejiang province, is one of the biggest solar arrays in the world.

Photo credit: Imagine China/Newscom

Native Sun News Today – Tribal leaders demand environmental justice

Half a million people took the streets of Madrid demanding environmental justice on Dec. 8. An indigenous contingent of participants from the world-over led the action to keeping petroleum and coal in the ground.

(Photo COURTESY / Indigenous Media Rising)

2019-12-18T21:47:34+00:00December 18th, 2019|PHOTOS FROM THE FIELD|

HEADLINES: Week of December 16 – December 20, 2019

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

EPA – Power Sector Programs Progress Report

AP News – Documents: Mining Company writing own environmental report

NY Times – It’s a Vast, Invisible Climate Menace. We Made It Visible.

Reasons To Be Cheerful – Power Struggle

CARB – 2019 Community Air Grants Awardees

Editor’s Note: this year’s awardees include the Blue Lake Rancheria, the Morongo Band of Mission Indians, the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and the Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians!

EPA – EPA proposes air quality plan for oil and gas emissions on the Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation

MPR – North Dakota, tribe to develop Dakota Access pipeline spill plan

National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update

COP25 Coverage

The Hill – Climate negotiators postpone decision on carbon markets

NPR – U.N. Climate Summit Goes To Extra Time, but Ends with Major Questions Unresolved

Indian Country Today – Breaking: Governments end climate talks with no deal

NY Times – U.N. Climate Talks End with Few Commitments and a ‘Lost’ Opportunity

CarbonBrief – COP25: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Madrid

Climate Change/Energy

Cronkite News – Arctic to Arizona: NAU professor explains how climate change affects everyone

Indian Country Today – ‘No strong sea ice layer’ and the Arctic is ‘unsafe for travel, hunting, our future’

Chicago Daily Herald – Thousands of dead Alaska seabirds are washing ashore, for a fifth year. Experts call that a climate ‘red flag

The Atlantic – How Coal Country Becomes Solar Country

CNN Business – Africa’s ‘first fully solar-powered village’ wants to be a model for a renewable future

NPR – Powered By Faith, Religious Groups Emerge As a Conduit for a Just Solar Boom

E&E News – Fear of famine rises as climate gets hotter

E&E News – Industry warned of tariff ‘devastation.’ That didn’t happen

CarbonBrief – Interactive: When will the Arctic see its first ice-free summer?

U of T News – Halting climate change means a world without fossil fuels – not merely curbing emissions: U of T researchers

CNN Business – Goldman Sachs is first big US bank to rule out loans for Arctic drilling

Financial Times – Bank of England to set up tough climate stress tests

Toxics/Mobile Sources

CNBC – GM expects Cadillac to be majority, if not all, EVs by 2030

Ensia – Opinion: In the Absence of Strong U.S. Government Regulation, Communities Need to Take a Holistic Approach to Pesticide Use

EPA- U.S. Refiners to Deliver Cleaner Marine Diesel Fuel with Key Regulatory Change

AP- Multi-state pact could curb transportation carbon emissions

Indoor Air Quality

NBC – E-cigarettes linked to lung problems, first long-term study on vaping finds

Wired – The Quest for Clean Air

Vice – I Bought an Air-Quality Monitor and My Life Will Never Be the Same

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins

2020-01-16T23:01:59+00:00December 18th, 2019|TOP STORIES & HEADLINES|

UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES: Week of December 16 – December 20, 2019

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) has initiated Tribal consultation on the implementation of ORD research – Throughout 2018, ORD implemented a rigorous engagement process to solicit research needs from our partners in EPA’s programs and regions, states, and Tribes. Many of the research needs expressed by Tribes mirrored environmental concerns from EPA programs, regions and the states. This strategic, program-needs identification process concluded in September 2018 with the development of draft Strategic Research Action Plans (StRAPs) for ORD’s national research programs. To initiate the consultation discussion, ORD has proposed charge questions on specific products associated with four of the six ORD research programs, including:

A copy of the consultation letter and plan are attached, and can be located on EPA’s Tribal Consultation Opportunities Tracking System website at: https://tcots.epa.gov. The consultation plan includes a description of the four research products and charge questions that will be the focus of the consultation. Consultation period of November 1, 2019 – December 31, 2019.

EPA Tools and Resources Webinar: FRMs/FEMs and Sensors: Complimentary Approaches for Determining Ambient Air Quality

December 18, 2019 at 3:00 to 4:00 PM ET

On a worldwide basis, the World Health Organization estimates that approximately 4 million people die annually from health impacts due to exposure to ambient air pollution. In the U.S., the Clean Air Act sets national limits for ambient concentrations of six “Criteria Pollutants” (CO, O3, SO2, NO2, Pb, and particulate matter) known to cause adverse health effects. The Act also requires nationwide monitoring of these pollutants using only instruments, which have been formally approved by U.S. EPA as either Federal Reference Methods (FRMs) or Federal Equivalent Methods (FEMs). Although the overall pollutant measurement performance of these FRM/FEM instruments is widely recognized to produce reproducible data of high quality, these regulatory instruments do not fulfill all possible monitoring needs. In recent years, smaller, lower cost, direct-reading air sensors have been developed to address the limitations of the FRM/FEM instruments. While these sensors do not provide regulatory type data, they fulfill the needs for more portable, lower cost instruments that support community science, spatial distribution studies, hotspot identification, public education, and personnel monitoring studies.

This webinar will discuss the relative advantages and disadvantages of the regulatory FRM/FEM instruments and of the sensor-based instruments used for non-regulatory monitoring. The complementary nature of these two measurement approaches will be discussed for determining ambient air quality based on specific monitoring objectives. Additional information about FRM/FEM instruments and quality assurance and control procedures can be found in The Ambient Monitoring Technology Information Center (AMTIC) located here, while additional information and resources about sensors can be found in the Air Sensors Toolbox located here. Andrea Clements and Robert Vanderpool of EPA’s Office of Research and Development will present this webinar.

To join this webinar, please register here. For audio, dial: (866) 299-3188, access code: 202-564-6669 or you will be able to listen through your computer speakers.

Tribal Consultation Opportunity: Implementation of the Office of Research and Development’s Research

End date: December 31, 2019

More information on the TCOTS website.

NEW! Virgil Masayesva Excellence Award and TAMS Steering Committee

The TAMS Center is announcing a call for nominations for the Virgil Masayesva Tribal Air Programs Excellence Award and three (3) positions on the TAMS Steering Committee. Further information and the nomination forms are online and can be accessed at: Virgil Masayesva Excellence Award Nomination Form and TAMS Steering Committee Nomination Form. The deadline to submit the nominations is February 28, 2020. We sincerely appreciate your time to consider submitting a nomination. For further information, please contact either Farshid Farsi, TAMS-EPA Codirector (Farsi.Farshid@epa.gov or 702-784-8263), or Christopher Lee, TAMS-ITEP Codirector (christopher.lee@nau.edu).

Tribal Grants Education and Technical Assistance Webinar Series Second Wednesday of Every Month at 1pm ET

For more information, click here!

NTAA Upcoming Calls. The toll-free number is 1-800-309-2350. If you do not need to call toll free, or would like to help conserve NTAA funding, you can call 1-805-309-2350. Both numbers use code 928-523-0526#. Contact Andy.Bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions about any call! *Registration instructions* When you register for the GoToWebinar, please remember to include your Tribe, Region, or Organization in parenthesis after your last name. This allows you to see everyone on the call and prevents us from conducting a roll-call, ultimately saving everyone’s time.

Indoor Air Quality Work Group: Join this work group every other month to help support IAQ work throughout Indian Country.	Thursday, December 19, 2pm ET
STAR Planning Call: The NTAA Status of Tribal Air Report (STAR) helps tell the story of Tribal Air Programs, why additional funding for Tribes is critical to advance air quality, and is a great resource for Tribes.	Wednesday, January 8, 2 pm ET
Mobile Sources Work Group: This monthly work group addresses all mobile source pollution issues.	Thursday, January 9, 2pm ET
Wood Smoke Work Group: Join this work group every other month to address wood smoke issues in Indian Country.	Thursday, January 23, 2pm ET
EPA Policy Call: Call in to hear updates from EPA on policies, actions, and tools relevant to Indian Country and Air Quality.	Thursday, January 30, 2pm ET

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professional’s (ITEP’s) Tribes and Climate Change Calendar includes conferences, trainings, webinars and other events related to tribes and climate change.

Click here for ITEP’s other trainings and events.

Click here for ITEP’s new Tribal Environmental Management and Planning Online Courses. New courses have been added, so check it out!

ITEP’s FY20 AIAQTP Course Schedule

Course Title	Dates	Location	Course Level
	2020
Introduction to Tribal Air Quality	January 14-17	Flagstaff, AZ	1
Indoor Air Quality Diagnostic Tools	January 28-31	TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV	2
Air Quality Computations	February 11-14	Phoenix, AZ	1
Fundamentals of Air Monitoring	February 25-27	TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV	2
Indoor Air Quality Diagnostic Tools in Alaska	March 3-6	AK – TBD	2
Air Pollution Technology	March 10-13	Flagstaff, AZ	2
Meteorological Monitoring	April 14-16	TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV	3
National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ)	May	TBD
Air Pollution Modeling	Fall 2020	TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV	3
Air Quality Outreach	TBD	TBD	1

Air Quality Planning for Wildland Smoke	Anytime	Series of 6 recorded webinars	n/a
Indoor Air Quality – Independent Study	Anytime	Independent Study	1
Building Performance: Improving IAQ in Cold Climates	Open	Online	1
Building Performance: Improving IAQ in Warm Climates	In development	Online	1
Residential Building Science Review	Open	Online	1
Radon Fundamentals	Open	Online	1
Quality Assurance Fundamentals (QA 101)	Open	Online	1
Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) (QA 201-209)	Open	Online	2
Emissions Inventory Fundamentals	Open	Online	2
Emissions Inventory Advanced	Open	Online	3
Note: This schedule is subject to change. For up-to-date information, course descriptions, and applications please visit http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Training/training_air/

Climate Change / Energy

December 18, Noon (ET) – Ask the Expert

Every other Wednesday ENERGY STAR holds a Portfolio Manager “Ask the Expert” session. It’s a live webinar that gives all users an opportunity to ask their questions directly to EPA experts in an open forum. Want to talk to a “real” person? Have a question about how Portfolio Manager calculates your score? Want to learn more about entering Green Power? Join ENERGY STAR, and they’ll answer all your questions about ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager in this public forum.

Register

8th Annual Rising Voices Workshop: Climate Resilience through Intergenerational and Place-based Knowledges

April 29 – May 1, 2020

In partnership with the Lummi Nation and the Northwest Indian College

Applications due: Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Learn more and apply here.

Planning to apply for an EE Grant? Consider joining EE Grant Program staff on a webinar where we will discuss how to write a competitive application and address commonly asked questions related to the 2020 EE Local Grants Request for Applications (RFA). Join the 2020 EE Local Grants Program Webinar

Date and Time: The presentation will be offered between 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET and we will answer your questions from 2:00-2:30 p.m. ET on December 20th, 2019. Please enter the webinar as a guest. You do not need to register in advance.

Join the December 20, 2019 (1:00-2:30 p.m. ET) EE Grants webinar

The webinar slides, transcript and/or a recording will be posted on our website following the first webinar. For full information, including the Request for Applications and Frequently Asked Questions, please visit this link.

For questions regarding the EE Grants Program, please email eegrants@epa.gov.

NEW! Tribal Climate Health Project 2020 Webinar Series: eight webinars on the third Tuesday of the month (9-10:30am PT) from January 21 – August 18

The Tribal Climate Health Project, an initiative of the Pala Band of Mission Indians/Pala Environmental Department, is pleased to announce the 2020 Tribal Climate & Health Adaptation Regional Cohort Webinar Series. Please visit our website for more information on how to register for this informative and engaging webinar series. This FREE interactive training is offered through a series of eight live webinars scheduled on the third Tuesday of the month (9:00 – 10:30am PT) from January 21, 2020 through August 18, 2020. The training will provide steps, tools, templates, case studies, and other resources that seek to streamline the adaptation planning process and make it easier for tribal health and environmental professionals to understand and address human health exposures and impacts within tribal communities. This training will summarize the latest data and literature on the exposures and impacts of climate change that may impact the health of tribal community members. It will also describe how to identify and select appropriate strategies to address these exposures and impacts.

NEW! Save the Date! National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference August 31-September 4, 2020

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is honored to host the

United States’ First annual National Tribal and Indigenous Climate Conference

(NTICC) along with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Resilience Program. The NTICC is open to all US tribal nations and Indigenous Peoples from throughout the world, with an emphasis on including our Elders and Youth. The NTICC will convene experts on climate change, which will include a balance of Western Science and Traditional Indigenous Knowledges. Topic areas will address: impacts, assessments, adaptation, mitigation, implementation, and solutions. This conference will allow an opportunity to share information and support one another. We welcome all to join us in 2020!

Location: TBD
Registration fee: $200
Deadline: TBD
NTICC info here!

ITEP’s Climate Change Adaptation Training Courses registration is online! Learn more about the courses and register here.

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Indoor Air Quality

January 2020 National Radon Action Month Webinar Series

Four webinars will be conducted in January. Space is limited, so register here soon!

January 9, 11-11:30am ET. Radon: A Primer for Everyone
January 16, 11-11:30am ET. Radon Resources for Health Care Providers
January 21, 11-11:30am ET. ANSI Standards Now Available for FREE
January 30, 11-11:30am ET. Elevated Radionuclides in Private Wells

National Radon Action Month Resources

Did you know that winter is the best time to test homes for radon? Take action for National Radon Action Month (NRAM) and finalize your education and outreach efforts for January and beyond. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) makes raising awareness and community outreach easy by providing several outreach activity ideas. These include informative videos and public service announcements (PSAs), a radon outreach and event planning kit with implementation tips, and radon testing e-cards to send to friends. Access and download your free radon resources today by clicking on the link above.

EPA’s Residential Wood Smoke Workshop in New Orleans, March 10-12, 2020

More information can be found here, or contact Larry Brockman, brockman.larry@epa.gov, 919-541-5398.

Workshop Background Information: Workshop participants will include state, local, tribal, federal and non-profit organization personnel. Workshop participants will discuss residential wood heating/combustion program issues, opportunities, challenges, lessons learned, and partnerships as outlined in the draft agenda. This Workshop will be held in conjunction with the Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association (HPBA) Trade Show/Expo, which offers Workshop participants a valuable opportunity to tour the Trade Show floor and meet with industry representatives. At the Expo a wide variety of hearth technologies are on display including cordwood, wood pellet, coal and gas stoves, wood-fired central heating system. You do not need to register for the HBPA Expo – by registering for the Wood Smoke Workshop you will receive a name tag-pass for the Expo. The Workshop is being coordinated and supported by EPA, the Western States Air Resources Council, the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management and National Tribal Air Association.

Be sure to subscribe to CodeTalk, HUD’s Office of Native American Programs newsletter, for webinars and opportunities!

2019-12-18T21:01:37+00:00December 18th, 2019|CALLS/WEBINARS/EVENTS|

RESOURCES: Week of December 16 – December 20, 2019

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NEW! Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals is offering 2020 Student Summer Internships.

Apply now for a paid 8-week summer internship. Spend your summer working with tribal organizations to address tribal environmental issues. The internships have a technical, educational or policy focus. We are offering eight positions in air quality. The internship program provides each student intern with a $4,000 stipend, and limited housing and travel allowances. Host sites are selected from tribal environmental organizations, government offices, the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and others.

Eligible students must meet the following:

US Citizen
Identify as Native American/Alaska Native
Full-time undergraduate or graduate college student during Spring 2020 (12 hours undergrad, 9 hours grad) at any tribal college, college or university
Have at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA
Majoring in an environmental or related field like science, engineering, planning, policy, law, management, political science, anthropology, or health
Interested in pursuing an environmental career after graduating
Proficient verbal and written communication skills
Strong interest in working with Native American tribes or topics

Please register at nau.edu/itepinterns for more information.

For details about how to apply see website. You can view host site descriptions and submit your preferences for the host sites you find interesting after January 24, 2020. The deadline for applications is February 28, 2020. Questions? Contact EEOP-INTERN@nau.edu

NEW! The Environmental Studies Program at the University of Montana is actively recruiting inspired, passionate and engaged students for our two-year Master of Science degree.

The Indigenous Knowledge & Environmental Sustainability focus area is designed to prepare students to work with Indigenous communities and/or issues. The focus area grounds students in the historical and contemporary environmental issues facing Indigenous communities. To learn more, click here.

To view and/or receive ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program newsletter, Native Voices, click here!

Climate Change/Energy

Join NCAI’s Climate Action email listserv here!

Sign up for the Alliance for Green Heat’s newsletter!

To view and/or receive ITEP’s Climate Change newsletter, click here!

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Indoor Air Quality

Be sure to sign up for EPA’s Healthy Indoor Air newsletter.

2020-01-16T23:01:45+00:00December 18th, 2019|RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES|

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: Week of December 16 – December 20, 2019

Now Hiring!

NEW! Pueblo of Santa Ana is hiring an Environmental Programs Specialist

Closing date: January 3, 2020. Position is approximately half air quality and half brownsfields work. More information here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

USDA Forest Service Wildfire Risk Reduction – $2.1 million

Applications Due: December 20, 2019

Eligible Entities: state governments, local governments, and Native American tribal governments

The U.S. Forest Service supports Moving Toward Shared Stewardship Across Landscapes as part of a conceptual framework for making strategic investments across landscapes to co-manage wildfire risk and achieve positive outcomes at the most appropriate scale. Within this framework, Eastern Region Cohesive Fire Strategy Competitive Request for Applications is designed to support and carry out the goals of the National Cohesive Wildland Fire Management Strategy (NCS) across the Midwestern and Northeastern States as well as meet the intent of the current year budget direction. These national goals are:

Restore and Maintain Landscapes: Landscapes across all jurisdictions are resilient to fire-related disturbances in accordance with management objectives.
Create Fire Adapted Communities: Human populations and infrastructure can withstand a wildfire without loss of life and property.
Improve Wildfire Response: All jurisdictions participate in making and implementing safe, effective, efficient risk-based wildfire management decisions.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

EPA Announces Requests for Applications for the 2020 Environmental Education Grants Program

Deadline to apply: January 6, 2020

As authorized by the National Environmental Education Act of 1990, EPA is pleased to announce the availability of up to $3 million in funding for locally-focused environmental education projects under the 2020 Environmental Education Grant Program. EPA will award three to four grants in each of the agency’s 10 regions. Groups interested must submit their application by Jan. 6, 2020, to be considered. The Requests for Application (RFA) is posted on: www.grants.gov. All information for applying can be found on that link.

In addition to other environmental topics, the 2020 Environmental Education Grants Program will fund education-based projects pertaining to marine debris mitigation, food waste and loss reduction, and recycling. Funded projects will both increase public awareness on various environmental matters and enhance participants’ abilities to make informed decisions on environmental issues prospectively.

The Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperate Agreement Program Request for Applications is open until February 7, 2020

Ten awards will be made (one award per region) in amounts of up to $120,000 per award for a two-year project period. Cooperative agreements will be awarded to local community-based organizations, tribes, and tribal organizations seeking to address environmental and public health concerns in local underserved communities through collaboration with other stakeholders, such as local businesses and industry, local government, medical service providers, and academia. Learn more here.

NOAA Environmental Literacy Grants: Supporting the education of K-12 students and the public for community resilience – $3 million

Applications Due: March 26, 2020 for Priority 1 full applications

Eligible Entities: K-12 public and independent schools and school systems, state and local government agencies, Indian tribal governments

The goal of this funding opportunity is to build environmental literacy of K-12 students and the public so they are knowledgeable of the ways in which their community can become more resilient to extreme weather and/or other environmental hazards, and become involved in achieving that resilience.

Projects should build the collective environmental literacy necessary for communities to become more resilient to the extreme weather and other environmental hazards they face in the short- and long-term. Building sufficient environmental literacy in a community means that these communities are composed of individuals who are supported by formal and informal education that develop their knowledge, skills, and confidence to: (1) reason about the ways that human and natural systems interact globally and where they live, including the acknowledgement of disproportionately distributed vulnerabilities; (2) participate in scientific and/or civic processes; and (3) consider scientific uncertainty, cultural knowledge, and diverse community values in decision making. For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Climate Change/Energy

USDA REAP Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Program – $1.8 million

Applications Due: January 31, 2020

Eligible Entities: state governments, local governments, and Native American tribal governments and organizations

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) helps agricultural producers and rural small businesses reduce energy costs and consumption and helps meet the Nation’s critical energy needs. The recipient of the Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Assistance Grant funds will establish a program to assist agricultural producers and rural small businesses with evaluating the energy efficiency and the potential to incorporate renewable energy technologies into their operations. For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

DOE Energy Infrastructure Deployment on Tribal Lands – $15 million

Applications Due: February 6, 2020

Eligible Entities: Native American tribal governments and organizations

DOE’s Office of Indian Energy is soliciting applications from Indian Tribes to:

Install energy generating system(s) and/or energy efficiency measure(s) for Tribal Building(s); or,
Deploy community-scale energy generating system(s) or energy storage on Tribal lands; or,
Install integrated energy system(s) for autonomous operation to power a single or multiple essential tribal facilities during emergency situations or for tribal community resilience; or
Deploy energy infrastructure and integrated energy system(s) to electrify Tribal Buildings.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

DHS FEMA FY19 Pre-Disaster Mitigation – $250 million

Applications Due: January 31, 2020

Eligible Entities: state governments, Native American tribal governments

The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) program makes available Federal funds to State, Local and Tribal Governments to implement and sustain cost-effective measures designed to reduce the risk to individuals and property from natural hazards, while also reducing reliance on Federal funding from future disasters.

FEMA will provide allocations of $575,000 as required by the Stafford Act to states and territories; and a tribal set aside of $20 million for allocations up to $575,000 for Native American Indian tribal governments to support overall mitigation planning and projects. The remaining PDM funds will be awarded on a competitive basis with a focus on multi-state/tribal mitigation initiatives. For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Preliminary Notice for Grant Funding Opportunity for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure along High-Traffic Transportation Corridors in Washington

Beginning in December, the Washington Department of Ecology will open a grant opportunity providing about $4 million on a competitive basis to install or upgrade existing publicly available direct current fast chargers (DCFC) along high-traffic transportation corridors.

This grant funding opportunity will open December 3, 2019, and close February 4, 2020. More information can be found here.