RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING! 

NEW! Morongo Band of Mission Indians: Environmental Specialist I – Tribal Air Program

Click Here for Full Job Description

Under the direction of the Environmental Department Director, the Environmental Specialist (Level I) is responsible for carrying out entry level tasks under the Tribal Air Program. Activities include operating air monitoring equipment, conducting routine maintenance and repairs of equipment, following and developing standard operating procedures and quality assurance project plans, conducting indoor air quality assessments, and assisting with education and outreach activities. Environmental Specialist I is an entry-level position and meets the minimum qualifications. At this level, incumbents learn and perform program activities under supervision.

REMINDER!

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications closes: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, Tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

REMINDER! Selections for the ARP Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring Competitive Grant

EPA selected 132 projects, in 37 states, to receive a total of $53.4 million to conduct ambient air monitoring of pollutants in communities across the country with environmental and health outcome disparities stemming from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. This table can be sorted by clicking on each column header. A downloadable version is available HERE.

EPA Resource: EPA is pleased to announce that we have updated our Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool and our Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool.

Updates include:

• Revised Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) factors from through 2020, as available.
• Updated default stationary energy emission factors and heat contents from the latest Climate Registry, EPA GHG Emissions Factor Hub, and US Inventory publications.
• Global Warming Potential (GWP) values are now editable on the Factors tab. The bottom of the Control Sheet tab also contains new guidance on updating the GWP values and a navigation button to the GWP Entry section on the Factors tab.

Download the updated local community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Download the updated tribal community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Find our State Inventory and Projection Tool and additional State and Tribal greenhouse gas data and resources here.

EPA Resource: EPA’s Home Heating Fuel Use Web App

Are you curious about how people heat their homes? EPA has developed a Home Heating Fuel Use Web App that lets you visualize American Community Survey 5-year average home heating fuel data across the U.S. by census tract. Use this data to inform outreach or implementation planning related to energy efficiency, residential electrification, wood stove change-outs, and more.

EPA Resource: EPA’s Tracking Matrix

Does your community have climate goals to meet or brownfields that might be suitable for solar? Check out EPA’s Tracking Matrix to learn more about geothermal, biomass, solar and wind installations being built on contaminated lands across the country. EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative 2022 Tracking Matrix shows current trends in the development of renewable energy on contaminated lands. Project examples include successful community solar projects in Nashville, Tennessee; Schenectady County, New York; Morrisville, Vermont; and Spanish Fork, Utah.

Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Customize this flyer/poster template to share information with your community about air quality, how it can affect health, and actions to take on a bad air quality day.

You may need a PDF reader to view files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more. Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Soliciting Expert Input from the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB)

EPA is soliciting expert input on key program design questions from the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator and regional and program offices on ways to lower the costs of, and increase investments in, environmental and public health protection. The EFAB will provide its advice and recommendations to EPA by December 15, 2022.

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and Tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional Tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

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

Climate Change/Energy

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and Tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

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

U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Indoor Air Quality

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality:

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Alaska

NEW! 2022 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

Application closes: December 27, 2022 for Alaska sub-applicants; January 27, 2023 for directly applying Tribes | Click Here for Full Listing

FEMA administers the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) to provide funding for hazard mitigation projects & planning. Federally recognized tribes can apply directly; otherwise, applicants must apply as a sub-applicant with the state. This post focuses on information to apply as a sub-applicant. Communities/consortiums of communities considering applying for BRIC can receive Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) from FEMA. Learn more here.

Eligible Applicants:

• State agencies, boroughs, cities and Federally Recognized Tribal Governments with a FEMA approved, and locally adopted Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) as defined in 44 CFR Part 201

Contact Alaska’s BRIC Program Manager for more information on applying as a sub-applicant:

• Rick Dembroski, BRIC Program Manager, 907.428.7015, mvamitigation@alaska.gov 
• Terry Murphy, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, 907.428.7085, mvamitigation@alaska.gov

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

Unsubscribe                                                                                              Modify your Subscription

RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

NEW! Morongo Band of Mission Indians: Environmental Specialist I – Tribal Air Program

Click Here for Full Job Description

Under the direction of the Environmental Department Director, the Environmental Specialist (Level I) is responsible for carrying out entry level tasks under the Tribal Air Program. Activities include operating air monitoring equipment, conducting routine maintenance and repairs of equipment, following and developing standard operating procedures and quality assurance project plans, conducting indoor air quality assessments, and assisting with education and outreach activities. Environmental Specialist I is an entry-level position and meets the minimum qualifications. At this level, incumbents learn and perform program activities under supervision.

REMINDER!

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications closes: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, Tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

REMINDER! Selections for the ARP Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring Competitive Grant

EPA selected 132 projects, in 37 states, to receive a total of $53.4 million to conduct ambient air monitoring of pollutants in communities across the country with environmental and health outcome disparities stemming from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. This table can be sorted by clicking on each column header. A downloadable version is available here.

REMINDER! Native American Natural Resource Research Scholarship

Application Due: November 30, 2022, 5:00 PM PST

The Intertribal Timber Council (ITC), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service Research and Development is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for Native American students who are planning or currently conducting Tribally relevant research in a natural resource issue.

Award: Varies, not to exceed $5,000

Purpose: The ITC Research Scholarship is designed to support Tribally relevant, natural resource-based research being conducted by Native American scholars enrolled in a graduate program.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: The ITC Education Selection Committee will review and rank only those applications that completely address the following criteria:

1. Letter of Application: The letter must include your name, permanent mailing address, email address and phone number. Discuss your current educational program and how the Tribally relevant proposed research fits into both your degree in natural resources and your future.
2. Resume
3. Evidence of validated enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe or Alaska Native Corporation, as established by the U.S. Government. A photocopy of your enrollment card, front and back, or Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) is sufficient.
4. Mini Research Proposal: Please keep this concise (4 page maximum not counting budget and justification). Required elements include a) abstract stating research merit and explaining how this research is relevant to Tribal natural resource interests b) timeline and methodology c) dissemination plan, including a Tribal component d) budget and budget justification 5.
5. Letters of reference/support from an academic advisor or committee member is required. Additionally, a second letter of support from a Tribal resource manager or a Tribal representative with Tribal approval of the project or the relevancy of the project to the Tribe is required. Reference letters are not accepted directly from referrals, submit with your completed application.

DELIVERY OF APPLICATION: Create one email attaching all required documents and submit to intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com  up until the close of business (5:00 p.m. PST) November 30, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be considered. PDF attachment(s) preferred, download free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF documents. Google docs are not accepted.

Questions can be submitted to ITC by phone 503-282-4296 or email intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com.

REMINDER! EPA Seeks Public Input on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy to help shape the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion fund that will provide competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribes, and eligible non-profit financing institutions to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an emphasis on projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA’s strategy includes several steps, outlined below.

Issuing a Request for Information

EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and on Regulations.gov and will be open until December 5, 2022.

REMINDER! ITEP: HOST SITES NEEDED FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona is seeking air quality focused offices and programs to host a college student for an 8-week summer internship. Tribal environmental offices, EPA offices, and other Tribal environmental organizations are encouraged to apply. The interns will be highly motivated undergraduate or graduate students majoring in environmental or related careers from different colleges and universities nationwide. ITEP provides each student intern with a $5,120 stipend, and housing and travel allowances for interns that relocate. The host site provides a workplace and supervision for the intern.  Some internships may be virtual or hybrid.  You are welcome to submit applications for both virtual/hybrid projects and in-person projects. The projects MUST focus on addressing air quality issues in Tribal communities.

Apply online at: http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/eeop/Internships/ssi_host

Deadline: Apply by December 1, 2022.

If you know of a college student that might be interested in being an intern, encourage them to register at: nau.edu/itepinterns

For detailed information on the internship and requirements, visit our internship website: nau.edu/itepinterns

EPA Resource: EPA is pleased to announce that we have updated our Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool and our Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool.

Updates include:

• Revised Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) factors from through 2020, as available.
• Updated default stationary energy emission factors and heat contents from the latest Climate Registry, EPA GHG Emissions Factor Hub, and US Inventory publications.
• Global Warming Potential (GWP) values are now editable on the Factors tab. The bottom of the Control Sheet tab also contains new guidance on updating the GWP values and a navigation button to the GWP Entry section on the Factors tab.

Download the updated local community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Download the updated tribal community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Find our State Inventory and Projection Tool and additional State and Tribal greenhouse gas data and resources here.

EPA Resource: EPA’s Home Heating Fuel Use Web App

Are you curious about how people heat their homes? EPA has developed a Home Heating Fuel Use web app that lets you visualize American Community Survey 5-year average home heating fuel data across the U.S. by census tract. Use this data to inform outreach or implementation planning related to energy efficiency, residential electrification, wood stove change-outs, and more.

EPA Resource: EPA’s Tracking Matrix

            Does your community have climate goals to meet or brownfields that might be suitable for solar? Check out EPA’s Tracking Matrix to learn more about geothermal, biomass, solar and wind installations being built on contaminated lands across the country. EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative 2022 Tracking Matrix shows current trends in the development of renewable energy on contaminated lands. Project examples include successful community solar projects in Nashville, Tennessee; Schenectady County, New York; Morrisville, Vermont; and Spanish Fork, Utah.

Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Customize this flyer/poster template to share information with your community about air quality, how it can affect health, and actions to take on a bad air quality day.

You may need a PDF reader to view files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more. Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Soliciting Expert Input from the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB)

EPA is soliciting expert input on key program design questions from the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator and regional and program offices on ways to lower the costs of, and increase investments in, environmental and public health protection. The EFAB will provide its advice and recommendations to EPA by December 15, 2022.

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and Tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional Tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

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

Climate Change/Energy

NEW!  Biden-Harris Administration Launches $1 Billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program to Enhance Energy Systems in Rural and Remote Communities

• DOE Seeks Public Input on New Program to Improve Energy Systems in Areas with Fewer than 10,000 People
• Feedback to this RFI can be submitted to ERA@hq.doe.gov until November 28, 2022, at noon, EST. Find out more on OCED Exchange.

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will strengthen the resilience, reliability, and availability of energy systems, helping communities unlock the public health and cost-saving benefits cleaner, more efficient energy provides.

The ERA program will provide federal support to rural or remote communities to:

• Improve the overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems;
• Site or upgrade transmission and distribution lines;
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas;
• Provide or modernize electric generation facilities;
• Develop microgrids; and
• Increase energy efficiency

https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-1-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-program

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and Tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

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

The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon is pleased to announce the following details on the 2023 National Radon Poster and Video Contests

Submission Deadline: November 30, 2022

• All states and/or Tribes must submit their 1st place poster and/or video to kelley@state.co.usby November 30, 2022.
• The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon will vote on the posters and videos for the National Radon Poster and Video Contest in mid-December. Winners will be announced during National Radon Action Month, January 2023.
• The American Lung Association (ALA) will be providing the following prizes to the national winners:
  Poster prizes:
  1st place –$1,000
  2nd place –$300
  3rd place – $200
  Video prize:
  1st place –$1,000

If your state radon program and/or Tribe is interested in conducting a video contest, ALA has great information on their website on the Illinois video contest that you can use as a guide https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-video.  Feel free to contact Chrys Kelley (chrys.kelley@state.co.us) if you have any questions.

REMINDER! Request for Proposal for School Bus Repower

Applications Due: December 2, 2022

Forth and Beaverton School District are accepting proposals in response to our new Request for Proposals (RFP) for vendors able to repower a diesel school bus with an electric powertrain. The RFP includes project specifications as well as a virtual presentation component for top-scoring applicants. Organizations who submitted previously are welcome to review the changes and resubmit.

U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Indoor Air Quality

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality:

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Alaska

NEW! 2022 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

Application closes: December 27, 2022 for Alaska sub-applicants; January 27, 2023 for directly applying Tribes | Click Here for Full Listing

FEMA administers the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) to provide funding for hazard mitigation projects & planning. Federally-recognized tribes can apply directly; otherwise, applicants must apply as a sub-applicant with the state. This post focuses on information to apply as a sub-applicant. Communities/consortiums of communities considering applying for BRIC can receive Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) from FEMA. Learn more here.

Eligible Applicants:

• State agencies, boroughs, cities and Federally Recognized Tribal Governments with a FEMA approved and locally adopted Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) as defined in 44 CFR Part 201

Contact Alaska’s BRIC Program Manager for more information on applying as a sub-applicant:

• Rick Dembroski, BRIC Program Manager, 907.428.7015, mvamitigation@alaska.gov 
• Terry Murphy, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, 907.428.7085, mvamitigation@alaska.gov

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

Unsubscribe                                                                                              Modify your Subscription

RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

NEW! Morongo Band of Mission Indians: Environmental Specialist I – Tribal Air Program

Click Here for Full Job Description

Under the direction of the Environmental Department Director, the Environmental Specialist (Level I) is responsible for carrying out entry level tasks under the Tribal Air Program. Activities include operating air monitoring equipment, conducting routine maintenance and repairs of equipment, following and developing standard operating procedures and quality assurance project plans, conducting indoor air quality assessments, and assisting with education and outreach activities. Environmental Specialist I is an entry-level position and meets the minimum qualifications. At this level, incumbents learn and perform program activities under supervision.

REMINDER!

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications closes: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, Tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist

Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For Full Description and to Apply Click Here

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team. Apply Now! With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

REMINDER! Selections for the ARP Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring Competitive Grant

EPA selected 132 projects, in 37 states, to receive a total of $53.4 million to conduct ambient air monitoring of pollutants in communities across the country with environmental and health outcome disparities stemming from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. EPA will start the process to award the funding by the end of 2022, once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. This table can be sorted by clicking on each column header. A downloadable version is available here.

REMINDER! Native American Natural Resource Research Scholarship

Application Due: November 30, 2022, 5:00 PM PST

The Intertribal Timber Council (ITC), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service Research and Development is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for Native American students who are planning or currently conducting Tribally relevant research in a natural resource issue.

Award: Varies, not to exceed $5,000

Purpose: The ITC Research Scholarship is designed to support Tribally relevant, natural resource-based research being conducted by Native American scholars enrolled in a graduate program.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: The ITC Education Selection Committee will review and rank only those applications that completely address the following criteria:

1. Letter of Application: The letter must include your name, permanent mailing address, email address and phone number. Discuss your current educational program and how the Tribally relevant proposed research fits into both your degree in natural resources and your future.
2. Resume
3. Evidence of validated enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe or Alaska Native Corporation, as established by the U.S. Government. A photocopy of your enrollment card, front and back, or Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) is sufficient.
4. Mini Research Proposal: Please keep this concise (4 page maximum not counting budget and justification). Required elements include a) abstract stating research merit and explaining how this research is relevant to Tribal natural resource interests b) timeline and methodology c) dissemination plan, including a Tribal component d) budget and budget justification 5.
5. Letters of reference/support from an academic advisor or committee member is required. Additionally, a second letter of support from a Tribal resource manager or a Tribal representative with Tribal approval of the project or the relevancy of the project to the Tribe is required. Reference letters are not accepted directly from referrals, submit with your completed application.

DELIVERY OF APPLICATION: Create one email attaching all required documents and submit to intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com  up until the close of business (5:00 p.m. PST) November 30, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be considered. PDF attachment(s) preferred, download free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF documents. Google docs are not accepted.

Questions can be submitted to ITC by phone 503-282-4296 or email intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com.

REMINDER! EPA Seeks Public Input on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy to help shape the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion fund that will provide competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribes, and eligible non-profit financing institutions to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an emphasis on projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA’s strategy includes several steps, outlined below.

Issuing a Request for Information

EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and on Regulations.gov and will be open until December 5, 2022.

REMINDER! ITEP: HOST SITES NEEDED FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona is seeking air quality focused offices and programs to host a college student for an 8-week summer internship. Tribal environmental offices, EPA offices, and other Tribal environmental organizations are encouraged to apply. The interns will be highly motivated undergraduate or graduate students majoring in environmental or related careers from different colleges and universities nationwide. ITEP provides each student intern with a $5,120 stipend, and housing and travel allowances for interns that relocate. The host site provides a workplace and supervision for the intern.  Some internships may be virtual or hybrid.  You are welcome to submit applications for both virtual/hybrid projects and in-person projects. The projects MUST focus on addressing air quality issues in Tribal communities.

Apply online at: http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/eeop/Internships/ssi_host

Deadline: Apply by December 1, 2022.

If you know of a college student that might be interested in being an intern, encourage them to register at: nau.edu/itepinterns

For detailed information on the internship and requirements, visit our internship website: nau.edu/itepinterns

EPA Resource: EPA is pleased to announce that we have updated our Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool and our Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool.

Updates include:

• Revised Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) factors from through 2020, as available.
• Updated default stationary energy emission factors and heat contents from the latest Climate Registry, EPA GHG Emissions Factor Hub, and US Inventory publications.
• Global Warming Potential (GWP) values are now editable on the Factors tab. The bottom of the Control Sheet tab also contains new guidance on updating the GWP values and a navigation button to the GWP Entry section on the Factors tab.

Download the updated local community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Download the updated tribal community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Find our State Inventory and Projection Tool and additional State and Tribal greenhouse gas data and resources here.

EPA Resource: EPA’s Home Heating Fuel Use Web App

Are you curious about how people heat their homes? EPA has developed a Home Heating Fuel Use web app that lets you visualize American Community Survey 5-year average home heating fuel data across the U.S. by census tract. Use this data to inform outreach or implementation planning related to energy efficiency, residential electrification, wood stove change-outs, and more.

EPA Resource: EPA’s Tracking Matrix

Does your community have climate goals to meet or brownfields that might be suitable for solar? Check out EPA’s Tracking Matrix to learn more about geothermal, biomass, solar and wind installations being built on contaminated lands across the country. EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative 2022 Tracking Matrix shows current trends in the development of renewable energy on contaminated lands. Project examples include successful community solar projects in Nashville, Tennessee; Schenectady County, New York; Morrisville, Vermont; and Spanish Fork, Utah.

Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Customize this flyer/poster template to share information with your community about air quality, how it can affect health, and actions to take on a bad air quality day.

You may need a PDF reader to view files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more. Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Soliciting Expert Input from the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB)

EPA is soliciting expert input on key program design questions from the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator and regional and program offices on ways to lower the costs of, and increase investments in, environmental and public health protection. The EFAB will provide its advice and recommendations to EPA by December 15, 2022.

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and Tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional Tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletterwhich goes out every 2 weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP websitefor announcements regarding MUREP specific funding opportunities.

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

Climate Change/Energy

NEW!  Biden-Harris Administration Launches $1 Billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program to Enhance Energy Systems in Rural and Remote Communities

• DOE Seeks Public Input on New Program to Improve Energy Systems in Areas with Fewer than 10,000 People
• Feedback to this RFI can be submitted to ERA@hq.doe.gov until November 28, 2022, at noon, EST. Find out more on OCED Exchange.

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will strengthen the resilience, reliability, and availability of energy systems, helping communities unlock the public health and cost-saving benefits cleaner, more efficient energy provides.

The ERA program will provide federal support to rural or remote communities to:

• Improve the overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems;
• Site or upgrade transmission and distribution lines;
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas;
• Provide or modernize electric generation facilities;
• Develop microgrids; and
• Increase energy efficiency

https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-1-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-program

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and Tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

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

NEW! Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee (MSTRS)

Beginning at 10:30am EST – The agenda for the November 30th meeting of the Mobile Sources Technical Review Subcommittee, including a link to join the meeting virtually using Microsoft Teams, is copied below. This information can also be found on the MSTRS website: https://www.epa.gov/caaac/mobile-sources-technical-review-subcommittee-mstrs-caaac.

The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon is pleased to announce the following details on the 2023 National Radon Poster and Video Contests

Submission Deadline: November 30, 2022

• All states and/or Tribes must submit their 1st place poster and/or video to kelley@state.co.usby November 30, 2022.
• The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon will vote on the posters and videos for the National Radon Poster and Video Contest in mid-December. Winners will be announced during National Radon Action Month, January 2023.
• The American Lung Association (ALA) will be providing the following prizes to the national winners:

Poster prizes:
1st place –$1,000
2nd place –$300
3rd place – $200

Video prize:
1st place –$1,000

If your state radon program and/or Tribe is interested in conducting a video contest, ALA has great information on their website on the Illinois video contest that you can use as a guide https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-video.  Feel free to contact Chrys Kelley (chrys.kelley@state.co.us) if you have any questions.

REMINDER! Request for Proposal for School Bus Repower

Applications Due: December 2, 2022

Forth and Beaverton School District are accepting proposals in response to our new Request for Proposals (RFP) for vendors able to repower a diesel school bus with an electric powertrain. The RFP includes project specifications as well as a virtual presentation component for top-scoring applicants. Organizations who submitted previously are welcome to review the changes and resubmit.

U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Indoor Air Quality

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality:

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Alaska

NEW! 2022 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

Application closes: December 27, 2022 for Alaska sub-applicants; January 27, 2023 for directly applying Tribes | Click Here for Full Listing

FEMA administers the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) to provide funding for hazard mitigation projects & planning. Federally-recognized tribes can apply directly; otherwise, applicants must apply as a sub-applicant with the state. This post focuses on information to apply as a sub-applicant. Communities/consortiums of communities considering applying for BRIC can receive Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) from FEMA. Learn more here.

Eligible Applicants:

• State agencies, boroughs, cities and Federally Recognized Tribal Governments with a FEMA approved and locally adopted Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) as defined in 44 CFR Part 201

Contact Alaska’s BRIC Program Manager for more information on applying as a sub-applicant:

• Rick Dembroski, BRIC Program Manager, 907.428.7015, mvamitigation@alaska.gov 
• Terry Murphy, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, 907.428.7085, mvamitigation@alaska.gov

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

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RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

NEW! Morongo Band of Mission Indians: Environmental Specialist I – Tribal Air Program

Click Here for the Full Job Description

Under the direction of the Environmental Department Director, the Environmental Specialist (Level I) is responsible for carrying out entry level tasks under the Tribal Air Program. Activities include operating air monitoring equipment, conducting routine maintenance and repairs of equipment, following and developing standard operating procedures and quality assurance project plans, conducting indoor air quality assessments, and assisting with education and outreach activities. Environmental Specialist I is an entry-level position and meets the minimum qualifications. At this level, incumbents learn and perform program activities under supervision.

REMINDER! EPA Seeks Public Input on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy to help shape the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion fund that will provide competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribes, and eligible non-profit financing institutions to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an emphasis on projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA’s strategy includes several steps, outlined below.

Issuing a Request for Information

EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and on Regulations.gov and will be open until December 5, 2022.

Launching a National Listening Session Series

EPA is launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders and members of the public to provide input directly to EPA staff on the implementation of the Fund. The series will begin with two sessions on November 1 and November 9 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET. For more information on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, visit the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund webpage.

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications close: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for the Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, Tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements. 

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist

Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For a Full Description and to Apply, Click Here 

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team. Apply Now! With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes   

REMINDER! Selections for the ARP Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring Competitive Grant

EPA is selecting 132 projects in 37 states to receive a total of $53.4 million to conduct ambient air monitoring of pollutants in communities across the country with environmental and health outcome disparities stemming from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic. EPA will start the process of awarding the funding by the end of 2022 once the grant applicants have met all legal and administrative requirements. This table can be sorted by clicking on each column header. A downloadable version is available here.

REMINDER! Native American Natural Resource Research Scholarship

Application Due: November 20, 2022, 5:00 PM PST

The Intertribal Timber Council (ITC), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service Research and Development, is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for Native American students who are planning or currently conducting Tribally relevant research on a natural resource issue.

Award: Varies, not to exceed $5,000

Purpose: The ITC Research Scholarship is designed to support Tribally relevant, natural resource-based research being conducted by Native American scholars enrolled in a graduate program.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: The ITC Education Selection Committee will review and rank only those applications that completely address the following criteria:

1. Letter of Application: The letter must include your name, permanent mailing address, email address and phone number. Discuss your current educational program and how the Tribally relevant proposed research fits into both your degree in natural resources and your future.
2. Resume
3. Evidence of validated enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe or Alaska Native Corporation, as established by the U.S. Government. A photocopy of your enrollment card, front and back, or Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) is sufficient.
4. Mini Research Proposal: Please keep this concise (4 page maximum not counting budget and justification). Required elements include a) abstract stating research merit and explaining how this research is relevant to Tribal natural resource interests b) timeline and methodology c) dissemination plan, including a Tribal component d) budget and budget justification 5.
5. Letters of reference/support from an academic advisor or committee member is required. Additionally, a second letter of support from a Tribal resource manager or a Tribal representative with Tribal approval of the project or the relevancy of the project to the Tribe is required. Reference letters are not accepted directly from referrals; submit with your completed application.

DELIVERY OF APPLICATION: Create one email attaching all required documents and submit it to intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com  up until the close of business (5:00 p.m. PST) on November 30, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be considered. PDF attachment(s) preferred; download free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF documents. Google docs are not accepted.

Questions can be submitted to ITC by phone at 503-282-4296 or by email intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com.

REMINDER! EPA Seeks Public Input on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy to help shape the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion fund that will provide competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribes, and eligible non-profit financing institutions to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an emphasis on projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA’s strategy includes several steps, outlined below.

Issuing a Request for Information

EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and on Regulations.gov and will be open until December 5, 2022.

Launching a National Listening Session Series

EPA is launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders and members of the public to provide input directly to EPA staff on the implementation of the Fund. The series will begin with two sessions on November 1 and November 9 from 7:00PM – 9:00PM ET. For more information on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, visit the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund webpage.

REMINDER! Department of Commerce (DOC) Climate Program Office FY 2023 – $11.1 million

Applications Due: November 21, 2022, | Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-CPO-2023-2007440

Eligible Entities: State governments, local governments, Tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, international organizations 

As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners.  For more information, visit the funding opportunity description. 

REMINDER! ITEP: HOST SITES NEEDED FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona is seeking air quality focused offices and programs to host a college student for an 8-week summer internship. Tribal environmental offices, EPA offices, and other Tribal environmental organizations are encouraged to apply. The interns will be highly motivated undergraduate or graduate students majoring in environmental or related careers from different colleges and universities nationwide. ITEP provides each student intern with a $5,120 stipend, and housing and travel allowances for interns that relocate. The host site provides a workplace and supervision for the intern.  Some internships may be virtual or hybrid.  You are welcome to submit applications for both virtual/hybrid projects and in-person projects. The projects MUST focus on addressing air quality issues in Tribal communities.

Apply online at: http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/eeop/Internships/ssi_host

Deadline: Apply by December 1, 2022.

If you know of a college student that might be interested in being an intern, encourage them to register at: nau.edu/itepinterns

For detailed information on the internship and requirements, visit our internship website: nau.edu/itepinterns

NEW! EPA Resource: EPA is pleased to announce that we have updated our Local Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool and our Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool.

Updates include:

• Revised Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) factors from through 2020, as available.
• Updated default stationary energy emission factors and heat contents from the latest Climate Registry, EPA GHG Emissions Factor Hub, and US Inventory publications.
• Global Warming Potential (GWP) values are now editable on the Factors tab. The bottom of the Control Sheet tab also contains new guidance on updating the GWP values and a navigation button to the GWP Entry section on the Factors tab.

Download the updated local community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Download the updated tribal community and government operations tool and users’ guides.

Find our State Inventory and Projection Tool and additional State and Tribal greenhouse gas data and resources here.

NEW! EPA Resource: EPA’s Home Heating Fuel Use Web App

Are you curious about how people heat their homes? EPA has developed a Home Heating Fuel Use web app that lets you visualize American Community Survey 5-year average home heating fuel data across the U.S. by census tract. Use this data to inform outreach or implementation planning related to energy efficiency, residential electrification, wood stove change-outs, and more.

NEW! EPA Resource: EPA’s Tracking Matrix

Does your community have climate goals to meet or brownfields that might be suitable for solar? Check out EPA’s Tracking Matrix to learn more about geothermal, biomass, solar and wind installations being built on contaminated lands across the country. EPA’s RE-Powering America’s Land Initiative 2022 Tracking Matrix shows current trends in the development of renewable energy on contaminated lands. Project examples include successful community solar projects in Nashville, Tennessee; Schenectady County, New York; Morrisville, Vermont; and Spanish Fork, Utah.

Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Customize this flyer/poster template to share information with your community about air quality, how it can affect health, and actions to take on a bad air quality day.

You may need a PDF reader to view files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more. Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Soliciting Expert Input from the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB)

EPA is soliciting expert input on key program design questions from the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator and regional and program offices on ways to lower the costs of, and increase investments in, environmental and public health protection. The EFAB will provide its advice and recommendations to EPA by December 15, 2022.

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and Tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional Tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for public use. For more information and access to the loan request web form, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous-serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletter, which goes out every 2 weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP website for announcements regarding MUREP-specific funding opportunities.

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

Climate Change/Energy

NEW!  Biden-Harris Administration Launches $1 Billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program to Enhance Energy Systems in Rural and Remote Communities

• DOE Seeks Public Input on New Program to Improve Energy Systems in Areas with Fewer than 10,000 People
• Feedback to this RFI can be submitted to ERA@hq.doe.gov until November 28, 2022, at noon, EST. Find out more on OCED Exchange.

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will strengthen the resilience, reliability, and availability of energy systems, helping communities unlock the public health and cost-saving benefits cleaner, more efficient energy provides.

The ERA program will provide federal support to rural or remote communities to:

• Improve the overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems;
• Site or upgrade transmission and distribution lines;
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas;
• Provide or modernize electric generation facilities;
• Develop microgrids; and
• Increase energy efficiency

https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-1-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-program

 EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and Tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

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 

REMINDER! The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon is pleased to announce the following details on the 2023 National Radon Poster and Video Contests

Submission Deadline: November 30, 2022

• All states and/or Tribes must submit their 1st place poster and/or video to kelley@state.co.usby November 30, 2022.
• The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon will vote on the posters and videos for the National Radon Poster and Video Contest in mid-December. Winners will be announced during National Radon Action Month, January 2023.
• The American Lung Association (ALA) will be providing the following prizes to the national winners:

Poster prizes:
1st place –$1,000
2nd place –$300
3rd place – $200

Video prize:
1st place –$1,000

If your state radon program and/or Tribe is interested in conducting a video contest, ALA has great information on their website on the Illinois video contest that you can use as a guide https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-video.  Feel free to contact Chrys Kelley (chrys.kelley@state.co.us) if you have any questions. 

REMINDER! Forth: Request for Proposal for School Bus Repower

Applications Due: December 2, 2022

Forth and Beaverton School District are accepting proposals in response to our new Request for Proposals (RFP) for vendors able to repower a diesel school bus with an electric powertrain. The RFP includes project specifications as well as a virtual presentation component for top-scoring applicants. Organizations who submitted previously are welcome to review the changes and resubmit.  

U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Indoor Air Quality

REMINDER! The Indoor Air Quality Association’s (IAQA) Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund was created to offer early career professionals the opportunity to further develop their understanding and expertise within the IAQ field. For the 2023 program, they are pleased to offer the following:

IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo Travel Award & IAQA University Award
One candidate will receive a $2,000 travel stipend award for hotel, airfare, miscellaneous expenses as well as a complimentary registration for the IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo and the 50- course bundle. Two candidates will receive the 50- course bundle for IAQA University featuring all four S.M.A.R.T. Education Courses/Badges –value up to $3250 (access for a period of 18 months). Click here to apply!

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Alaska

NEW! 2022 Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)

Application closes: December 27, 2022 for Alaska sub-applicants; January 27, 2023 for directly applying Tribes | Click Here for Full Listing

FEMA administers the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) to provide funding for hazard mitigation projects & planning. Federally-recognized tribes can apply directly; otherwise, applicants must apply as a sub-applicant with the state. This post focuses on information to apply as a sub-applicant. Communities/consortiums of communities considering applying for BRIC can receive Direct Technical Assistance (DTA) from FEMA. This application for this aid also opens on September 30. Learn more here.

Eligible Applicants:

• State agencies, boroughs, cities and Federally recognized tribal governments with a FEMA approved and locally adopted Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) as defined in 44 CFR Part 201

Contact Alaska’s BRIC Program Manager for more information on applying as a sub-applicant:

• Rick Dembroski, BRIC Program Manager, 907.428.7015, mvamitigation@alaska.gov 
• Terry Murphy, State Hazard Mitigation Officer, 907.428.7085, mvamitigation@alaska.gov

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

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RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

The MANO Project and National Park Service’s (NPS) Juan Bautista de Anza Trail are partnering to provide a paid, year-long internship, Connecting Communities with the Anza Trail. This opportunity is open to students, recent graduates, and early career professionals who identify as Indigenous, Native, and/or American Indian.

The MANO Project connects, builds, and develops young leaders of color who share a passion for serving and strengthening their communities. This project will entail cross-cultural outreach in preparation for the trail’s 250th Anniversary of the Anza Expedition. The intern will…

• Engage local Tribal organizations and contacts with the intent to center Indigenous voices in the narrative of the Anza Expedition and legacy.
• Receive mentorship and support from Anza trail staff, MANO project staff and interns/fellows across the country, and Tribal partners.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know:

• The project description – including a list of benefits – and application can be found at https://jobapply.page.link/TMdfY. I have also attached a PDF copy.
• We are currently accepting applications through Sunday, November 13, 2022, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
• If you want to learn more about the opportunity before applying, schedule a virtual Q&A session with me here: https://calendar.app.google/3ThBv3xejg1dRxzX8. 

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications closes: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, Tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist

Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For Full Description and to Apply Click Here 

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team. Apply Now! With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

REMINDER! Native American Natural Resource Research Scholarship

Application Due: November 20, 2022, 5:00 PM PST

The Intertribal Timber Council (ITC), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service Research and Development is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for Native American students who are planning or currently conducting Tribally relevant research in a natural resource issue.

Award: Varies, not to exceed $5,000

Purpose: The ITC Research Scholarship is designed to support Tribally relevant, natural resource-based research being conducted by Native American scholars enrolled in a graduate program.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: The ITC Education Selection Committee will review and rank only those applications that completely address the following criteria:

1. Letter of Application: The letter must include your name, permanent mailing address, email address and phone number. Discuss your current educational program and how the Tribally relevant proposed research fits into both your degree in natural resources and your future.
2. Resume
3. Evidence of validated enrollment in a federally recognized Tribe or Alaska Native Corporation, as established by the U.S. Government. A photocopy of your enrollment card, front and back, or Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) is sufficient.
4. Mini Research Proposal: Please keep this concise (4 page maximum not counting budget and justification). Required elements include a) abstract stating research merit and explaining how this research is relevant to Tribal natural resource interests b) timeline and methodology c) dissemination plan, including a Tribal component d) budget and budget justification 5.
5. Letters of reference/support from an academic advisor or committee member is required. Additionally, a second letter of support from a Tribal resource manager or a Tribal representative with Tribal approval of the project or the relevancy of the project to the Tribe is required. Reference letters are not accepted directly from referrals, submit with your completed application.

DELIVERY OF APPLICATION: Create one email attaching all required documents and submit to intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com  up until the close of business (5:00 p.m. PST) November 30, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be considered. PDF attachment(s) preferred, download free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF documents. Google docs are not accepted.

Questions can be submitted to ITC by phone 503-282-4296 or email intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com.

NEW! ITEP: HOST SITES NEEDED FOR SUMMER INTERNSHIP PROGRAM!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona is seeking air quality focused offices and programs to host a college student for an 8-week summer internship. Tribal environmental offices, EPA offices, and other Tribal environmental organizations are encouraged to apply. The interns will be highly motivated undergraduate or graduate students majoring in environmental or related careers from different colleges and universities nationwide. ITEP provides each student intern with a $5,120 stipend, and housing and travel allowances for interns that relocate. The host site provides a workplace and supervision for the intern.  Some internships may be virtual or hybrid.  You are welcome to submit applications for both virtual/hybrid projects and in-person projects. The projects MUST focus on addressing air quality issues in Tribal communities.

Apply online at: http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/eeop/Internships/ssi_host

Deadline: Apply by December 1, 2022.

If you know of a college student that might be interested in being an intern, encourage them to register at: nau.edu/itepinterns

For detailed information on the internship and requirements, visit our internship website: nau.edu/itepinterns

NEW! Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet

Customize this flyer/poster template to share information with your community about air quality, how it can affect health, and actions to take on a bad air quality day.

You may need a PDF reader to view files on this page. See EPA’s About PDF page to learn more. Tribal Air Quality Flag Program Packet 

Deadline Extended: Provide Your Input to EPA on New Grant Program for Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings

Deadline Extended through November 14, 2022

EPA is extending, until November 14, the opportunity to provide feedback on the design of EPA’s new $4 million grant program for wildfire smoke preparedness in community buildings and related activities. EPA is seeking input on the types of projects and grant recipients that may be eligible for the program. Stakeholder feedback may also inform funding priorities and the number and size of individual awards.

EPA is especially interested in:

• What types of buildings need assistance and how could they be better prepared for wildfire smoke events over the long term?
• What lessons from these projects could be applied to future projects with similar goals?
• What kind of support would be helpful to potential applicants, especially those in economically distressed communities?

Send your feedback to WildfireSmokeGrants_Feedback@epa.gov  by November 14.

Slides from our October 13 public listening session are now available, and a recording is coming soon. To view the slides and to learn more about the grant program, visit our Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings Grant Program Website. 

EPA Seeks Public Input on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy to help shape the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion fund that will provide competitive grants to states, local governments, Tribes, and eligible non-profit financing institutions to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an emphasis on projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA’s strategy includes several steps, outlined below.

Issuing a Request for Information

EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and on Regulations.gov and will be open until December 5, 2022.

Launching a National Listening Session Series

EPA is launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders and members of the public to provide input directly to EPA staff on the implementation of the Fund. The series will begin with two sessions on November 1 and November 9 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET. For more information on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, visit the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund webpage.

Soliciting Expert Input from the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB)

EPA is soliciting expert input on key program design questions from the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator and regional and program offices on ways to lower the costs of, and increase investments in, environmental and public health protection. The EFAB will provide its advice and recommendations to EPA by December 15, 2022.

EPA, Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) announces $2 Million EJ4Climate Grant Program

Proposals Due November 11, 2022, 5:00 PM ET | Click Here For Application

The CEC established this grant program in 2021 to fund projects that target underserved and vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities, in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, to prepare them for climate-related impacts. The EJ4Climate Grant Program provides funding directly to community-based organizations and seeks to support environmental justice by facilitating the involvement and empowerment of communities searching for solutions and the development of partnerships to address their environmental and human health vulnerabilities, including those due to climate change impacts. Any Questions Please Contact: Angela Hackel (hackle.angela@epa.gov ), Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator

Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

202.566.2977 (office)

202.763.3945 (cell)

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

 Department of Commerce (DOC) Climate Program Office FY 2023 – $11.1 million

Applications Due: November 21, 2022, | Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-CPO-2023-2007440

Eligible Entities: State governments, local governments, Tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, international organizations 

As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners.  For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and Tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional Tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletter which goes out every 2 weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP website for announcements regarding MUREP specific funding opportunities.

Office of Research and Development recently conducted planning discussions regarding the WSMART program.

One decision we are activating now is a testing partner loan option during periods of lower wildfire activity (winter through early spring), with loans for up to 3 months. The website FAQs were updated today to outline that option (refer to: “Can I request this equipment to try out before the next wildfire season?”): https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

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

Climate Change/Energy      

NEW!  Biden-Harris Administration Launches $1 Billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program to Enhance Energy Systems in Rural and Remote Communities

• DOE Seeks Public Input on New Program to Improve Energy Systems in Areas with Fewer than 10,000 People

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will strengthen the resilience, reliability, and availability of energy systems, helping communities unlock the public health and cost-saving benefits cleaner, more efficient energy provides.

The ERA program will provide federal support to rural or remote communities to:

• Improve the overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems;
• Site or upgrade transmission and distribution lines;
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas;
• Provide or modernize electric generation facilities;
• Develop microgrids; and
• Increase energy efficiency

https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-1-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-program

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and Tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

 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

The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon is pleased to announce the following details on the 2023 National Radon Poster and Video Contests

Submission Deadline: November 30, 2022

• All states and/or Tribes must submit their 1st place poster and/or video to kelley@state.co.usby November 30, 2022.
• The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon will vote on the posters and videos for the National Radon Poster and Video Contest in mid-December. Winners will be announced during National Radon Action Month, January 2023.
• The American Lung Association (ALA) will be providing the following prizes to the national winners:

Poster prizes:
1st place –$1,000
2nd place –$300
3rd place – $200

Video prize:
1st place –$1,000

If your state radon program and/or Tribe is interested in conducting a video contest, ALA has great information on their website on the Illinois video contest that you can use as a guide https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-video.  Feel free to contact Chrys Kelley (chrys.kelley@state.co.us) if you have any questions.

Forth: Request for Proposal for School Bus Repower

Applications Due: December 2, 2022

Forth and Beaverton School District are accepting proposals in response to our new Request for Proposals (RFP) for vendors able to repower a diesel school bus with an electric powertrain. The RFP includes project specifications as well as a virtual presentation component for top-scoring applicants. Organizations who submitted previously are welcome to review the changes and resubmit. The Evaluation Committee will be hosting a LIVE pre-bid webinar on Wednesday, November 2 at 1:00 PM PST to address changes and answer any additional questions. Register here to join the webinar.

 U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Indoor Air Quality

CMM Webinar—Rethink IAQ: How to Blend Science and Cleaning to Improve Indoor Air Quality in Facilities

November 16, 2022, | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET | Register Here

The pandemic has brought enhanced cleaning and improved indoor air quality to the forefront, and the industry doesn’t want to lose the momentum it has experienced the past few years. While the industry understands the value and impact of cleaning, disinfecting, and improving IAQ in facilities, there are some common myths, misunderstandings, and issues that may hinder real improvements needed today.

In this one-hour, fast-paced webinar, featuring industry experts who understand the issues you face, you will learn what improving IAQ really means, how to do it, and steps and procedures that go beyond what many are doing today. You will learn what it takes to be an IAQ expert and how to really serve those who use your buildings and facilities.

Topics Include:
• How to determine the quality of the indoor air in your facilities
• Monitoring options to guarantee cleaning staff has valuable data
• Determining if your cleaning equipment is sufficient for the task
• What you can do beyond filtering the air in facilities
• Strategies to handle large-scale, increased occupancy situations
• Industry assets to help you with your IAQ improvement programs
• Identifying potentially dangerous or unhealthy indoor air quality situations
• Simple, easy-to-implement tips to use right now to improve IAQ
• And more!
During the webinar, attendees can engage panelists throughout the presentation, and there will be a dedicated Q&A session as well. Come prepared to ask the toughest questions you need answers to right now.

The Indoor Air Quality Association’s (IAQA) Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund was created to offer early career professionals the opportunity to further develop their understanding and expertise within the IAQ field. For the 2023 program, they are pleased to offer the following:

IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo Travel Award & IAQA University Award
One candidate will receive a $2,000 travel stipend award for hotel, airfare, miscellaneous expenses as well as a complimentary registration for the IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo and the 50- course bundle. Two candidates will receive the 50- course bundle for IAQA University featuring all four S.M.A.R.T. Education Courses/Badges –value up to $3250 (access for a period of 18 months). Click here to apply!

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Alaska

NEW! The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) Air & Healthy Homes Program is now accepting applications for funding to carry out air quality projects in rural communities

Application Due: November 15, 2022, | Click Here for

Funded recipients will work in partnership with the ANTHC Air & Healthy Homes program staff to address air quality concerns in their communities. Proposals should describe a project that will address an air quality such as road dust, indoor air quality, solid waste burning, ambient air pollution, and wood smoke. Awards can be funded up to $25,000.

If an air quality project includes any type of monitoring, assessment/surveys, or data collection, ANTHC will assist in the development of the required Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP).

 Please note: These sub-awards are competitive and limited to only one subaward per Tribe.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Only applications from Federally recognized Tribes within the State of Alaska will be awarded.
• Proposals must be submitted using the application and budget template provided.
• The budget must support the scope of work. The budget cannot be more than the award ceiling.
• A Phase 1 Air Quality Assessment must be submitted with the application.
• The application, guidance document and other information is available on our website: https://www.anthc.org/what-we-do/community-environment-and-health/healthy-homes/

Please submit your completed application to:

Email: air@anthc.org

OR

Mail: ANTHC Air & Healthy Homes Program

4500 Diplomacy Drive, Ste. 420

Anchorage, AK 99508

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

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RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

The MANO Project and National Park Service’s (NPS) Juan Bautista de Anza Trail are partnering to provide a paid, year-long internship, Connecting Communities with the Anza Trail. This opportunity is open to students, recent graduates, and early career professionals who identify as Indigenous, Native, and/or American Indian.

The MANO Project connects, builds and develops young leaders of color who share a passion for serving and strengthening their communities. This project will entail cross-cultural outreach in preparation for the trail’s 250th Anniversary of the Anza Expedition. The intern will…

• Engage local tribal organizations and contacts with the intent to center Indigenous voices in the narrative of the Anza Expedition and legacy.
• Receive mentorship and support from Anza trail staff, MANO project staff and interns/fellows across the country, and Tribal partners.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know:

• The project description – including a list of benefits – and application can be found at https://jobapply.page.link/TMdfY. I have also attached a PDF copy.
• We are currently accepting applications through Sunday, November 13, 2022, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
• If you want to learn more about the opportunity before applying, schedule a virtual Q&A session with me here: https://calendar.app.google/3ThBv3xejg1dRxzX8.

 The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation’s Environmental Trust is hiring for two positions including Climate Action Coordinator and an Air Quality Technician. For full description, please refer to www.colvilletribes.com/jobs or contact Human Resources attn.: Amber Seymour, HR Analyst Sr. at 509-634-2181 or amber.seymour.hrs@colvilletribes.com.

 The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications closes: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist

Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For Full Description and to Apply Click Here 

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team. Apply Now!

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NEW! Native American Natural Resource Research Scholarship

Application Due: November 20, 2022, 5:00 PM PST

The Intertribal Timber Council (ITC), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service Research and Development is pleased to announce scholarship opportunities for Native American students who are planning or currently conducting tribally relevant research in a natural resource issue.

Award: Varies, not to exceed $5,000

Purpose: The ITC Research Scholarship is designed to support tribally relevant, natural resource-based research being conducted by Native American scholars enrolled in a graduate program.

REQUIRED DOCUMENTS: The ITC Education Selection Committee will review and rank only those applications that completely address the following criteria:

1. Letter of Application: The letter must include your name, permanent mailing address, email address and phone number. Discuss your current educational program and how the tribally relevant proposed research fits into both your degree in natural resources and your future.
2. Resume
3. Evidence of validated enrollment in a federally recognized tribe or Alaska Native Corporation, as established by the U.S. Government. A photocopy of your enrollment card, front and back, or Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB) is sufficient.
4. Mini Research Proposal: Please keep this concise (4 page maximum not counting budget and justification). Required elements include a) abstract stating research merit and explaining how this research is relevant to tribal natural resource interests b) timeline and methodology c) dissemination plan, including a tribal component d) budget and budget justification 5.
5. Letters of reference/support from an academic advisor or committee member is required. Additionally, a second letter of support from a tribal resource manager or a tribal representative with tribal approval of the project or the relevancy of the project to the tribe is required. Reference letters are not accepted directly from referrals, submit with your completed application.

DELIVERY OF APPLICATION: Create one email attaching all required documents and submit to intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com  up until the close of business (5:00 p.m. PST) November 30, 2022. Incomplete applications will not be considered. PDF attachment(s) preferred, download free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF documents. Google docs are not accepted.

Questions can be submitted to ITC by phone 503-282-4296 or email intertribaltimbercouncil@gmail.com.

 NEW! Deadline Extended: Provide Your Input to EPA on New Grant Program for Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings

Deadline Extended through November 14, 2022

EPA is extending, until November 14, the opportunity to provide feedback on the design of EPA’s new $4 million grant program for wildfire smoke preparedness in community buildings and related activities. EPA is seeking input on the types of projects and grant recipients that may be eligible for the program. Stakeholder feedback may also inform funding priorities and the number and size of individual awards.

EPA is especially interested in:

• What types of buildings are in need of assistance and how could they be better prepared for wildfire smoke events over the long term?
• What lessons from these projects could be applied to future projects with similar goals?
• What kind of support would be helpful to potential applicants, especially those in economically distressed communities?

Send your feedback to WildfireSmokeGrants_Feedback@epa.gov  by November 14.

Slides from our October 13 public listening session are now available and a recording is coming soon. To view the slides and to learn more about the grant program, visit our Wildfire Smoke Preparedness in Community Buildings Grant Program Website.

 EPA Seeks Public Input on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy to help shape the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion fund that will provide competitive grants to states, local governments, tribes and eligible non-profit financing institutions to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an emphasis on projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA’s strategy includes several steps, outlined below.

Issuing a Request for Information

EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and on Regulations.gov and will be open until December 5, 2022.

Launching a National Listening Session Series

EPA is launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders and members of the public to provide input directly to EPA staff on the implementation of the Fund. The series will begin with two sessions on November 1 and November 9 from 7:00PM – 9:00PM ET. For more information on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, visit the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund webpage.

Soliciting Expert Input from the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB)

EPA is soliciting expert input on key program design questions from the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator and regional and program offices on ways to lower the costs of, and increase investments in, environmental and public health protection. The EFAB will provide its advice and recommendations to EPA by December 15, 2022.

EPA, Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) announce $2 Million EJ4Climate Grant Program

Proposals Due November 11, 2022, 5:00 PM ET | Click Here For Application

The CEC established this grant program in 2021 to fund projects that target underserved and vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities, in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, to prepare them for climate-related impacts. The EJ4Climate Grant Program provides funding directly to community-based organizations and seeks to support environmental justice by facilitating the involvement and empowerment of communities searching for solutions and the development of partnerships to address their environmental and human health vulnerabilities, including those due to climate change impacts. Any Questions Please Contact: Angela Hackel (hackle.angela@epa.gov ), Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator

Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

202.566.2977 (office)

202.763.3945 (cell)

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

Department of Commerce (DOC) Climate Program Office FY 2023 – $11.1 million

Applications Due: November 21, 2022 | Funding Opportunity Number: NOAA-OAR-CPO-2023-2007440

Eligible Entities: State governments, local governments, tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, international organizations 

As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners.  For more information, visit the funding opportunity description. 

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for general public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletterwhich goes out every 2 weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP websitefor announcements regarding MUREP specific funding opportunities.

 Office of Research and Development recently conducted planning discussions regarding the WSMART program.

One decision we are activating now is a testing partner loan option during periods of lower wildfire activity (winter through early spring), with loans for up to 3 months. The website FAQs were updated today to outline that option (refer to: “Can I request this equipment to try out before the next wildfire season?”): https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

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

Climate Change/Energy

NEW!  USDA Seeks Public Input on Ways to Make Funds Available Through the Inflation Reduction Act to Advance Clean Energy for People in Rural America

Listening Sessions November 3 & 4, 2022, | 2:00 – 4:00 PM ET | November 3, 2022, Webinar Registration | November 4, 2022, Webinar Registration

WASHINGTON, Oct. 28, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA is seeking public input on how to use Inflation Reduction Act funding to advance clean energy for people in rural America. This commitment to cleaner energy will help USDA Rural Development provide resources to reduce climate pollution and ensure that communities have access to a clean, secure energy supply to keep rural people and economies prepared for the future.

In August, Congress passed the Biden-Harris Administration’s historic legislative package known as the Inflation Reduction Act to reduce energy costs for families and create thousands of good-paying jobs for people across rural America.

To learn more, read the full Stakeholder Announcement [lnks.gd].

Biden-Harris Administration Launches $1 Billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program to Enhance Energy Systems in Rural and Remote Communities

• DOE Seeks Public Input on New Program to Improve Energy Systems in Areas with Fewer than 10,000 People

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will strengthen the resilience, reliability, and availability of energy systems, helping communities unlock the public health and cost-saving benefits cleaner, more efficient energy provides.

The ERA program will provide federal support to rural or remote communities to:

• Improve the overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems;
• Site or upgrade transmission and distribution lines;
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas;
• Provide or modernize electric generation facilities;
• Develop microgrids; and
• Increase energy efficiency

https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-1-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-program

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

 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

NEW! The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon is pleased to announce the following details on the 2023 National Radon Poster and Video Contests

Submission Deadline: November 30, 2022

• All states and/or tribes must submit their 1st place poster and/or video to kelley@state.co.usby November 30, 2022.
• The CRCPD E25 Committee on Radon will vote on the posters and videos for the National Radon Poster and Video Contest in mid-December. Winners will be announced during National Radon Action Month, January 2023.
• The American Lung Association (ALA) will be providing the following prizes to the national winners:

Poster prizes:
1st place –$1,000
2nd place –$300
3rd place – $200

Video prize:
1st place –$1,000If your state radon program and/or tribe is interested in conducting a video contest, ALA has great information on their website on the Illinois video contest that you can use as a guide https://www.lung.org/local-content/il/radon-video.  Feel free to contact Chrys Kelley (chrys.kelley@state.co.us) if you have any questions.

NEW! Forth: Request for Proposal for School Bus Repower

Applications Due: December 2, 2022

Forth and Beaverton School District are accepting proposals in response to our new Request for Proposals (RFP) for vendors able to repower a diesel school bus with an electric powertrain. The RFP includes project specifications as well as a virtual presentation component for top-scoring applicants. Organizations who submitted previously are welcome to review the changes and resubmit. The Evaluation Committee will be hosting a LIVE pre-bid webinar on Wednesday, November 2 at 1:00 PM PST to address changes and answer any additional questions. Register here to join the webinar.

U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Indoor Air Quality

 NEW! CMM Webinar—Rethink IAQ: How to Blend Science and Cleaning to Improve Indoor Air Quality in Facilities

November 16, 2022, | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM ET | Register Here

The pandemic has brought enhanced cleaning and improved indoor air quality to the forefront, and the industry doesn’t want to lose the momentum it has experienced the past few years. While the industry as a whole understands the value and impact of cleaning, disinfecting, and improving IAQ in facilities, there are some common myths, misunderstandings, and issues that may hinder real improvements needed today.

In this one-hour, fast-paced webinar, featuring industry experts who understand the issues you face, you will learn what improving IAQ really means, how to do it, and steps and procedures that go beyond what many are doing today. You will learn what it takes to be an IAQ expert and how to really serve those who use your buildings and facilities.

Topics Include:

• How to determine the quality of the indoor air in your facilities
• Monitoring options to guarantee cleaning staff has valuable data
• Determining if your cleaning equipment is sufficient for the task
• What you can do beyond filtering the air in facilities
• Strategies to handle large-scale, increased occupancy situations
• Industry assets to help you with your IAQ improvement programs
• Identifying potentially dangerous or unhealthy indoor air quality situations
• Simple, easy-to-implement tips to use right now to improve IAQ
• And more!

During the webinar, attendees can engage panelists throughout the presentation, and there will be a dedicated Q&A session as well. Come prepared to ask the toughest questions you need answers to right now.

 The Indoor Air Quality Association’s (IAQA) Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund was created to offer early career professionals the opportunity to further develop their understanding and expertise within the IAQ field. For the 2023 program, they are pleased to offer the following:

IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo Travel Award & IAQA University Award
One candidate will receive a $2,000 travel stipend award for hotel, airfare, miscellaneous expenses as well as a complimentary registration for the IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo and the 50- course bundle. Two candidates will receive the 50- course bundle for IAQA University featuring all four S.M.A.R.T. Education Courses/Badges –value up to $3250 (access for a period of 18 months). Click here to apply!

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

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RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

NEW! The MANO Project and National Park Service’s (NPS) Juan Bautista de Anza Trail are partnering to provide a paid, year-long internship, Connecting Communities with the Anza Trail. This opportunity is open to students, recent graduates, and early career professionals who identify as Indigenous, Native, and/or American Indian.

The MANO Project connects, builds and develops young leaders of color who share a passion for serving and strengthening their communities. This project will entail cross-cultural outreach in preparation for the trail’s 250th Anniversary of the Anza Expedition. The intern will…

• Engage local tribal organizations and contacts with the intent to center Indigenous voices in the narrative of the Anza Expedition and legacy.
• Receive mentorship and support from Anza trail staff, MANO project staff and interns/fellows across the country, and Tribal partners.

Interested? Here’s what you need to know:

• The project description – including a list of benefits – and application can be found at https://jobapply.page.link/TMdfY. I have also attached a PDF copy.
• We are currently accepting applications through Sunday, November 13, 2022, 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
• If you want to learn more about the opportunity before applying, schedule a virtual Q&A session with me here: https://calendar.app.google/3ThBv3xejg1dRxzX8.

The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation’s Environmental Trust is hiring for two positions including Climate Action Coordinator and an Air Quality Technician. For full description, please refer to www.colvilletribes.com/jobs or contact Human Resources attn.: Amber Seymour, HR Analyst Sr. at 509-634-2181 or amber.seymour.hrs@colvilletribes.com.

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications closes: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements. 

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist

Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For Full Description and to Apply Click Here

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team. Apply Now!

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NEW! EPA Seeks Public Input on Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a coordinated stakeholder engagement strategy to help shape the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund is a $27 billion fund that will provide competitive grants to states, local governments, tribes and eligible non-profit financing institutions to mobilize financing and leverage private capital for clean energy and climate projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with an emphasis on projects that benefit low-income and disadvantaged communities. EPA’s strategy includes several steps, outlined below.

Issuing a Request for Information

EPA published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on core design aspects of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. The notice has been published on EPA’s website and on Regulations.gov and will be open until December 5, 2022.

Launching a National Listening Session Series

EPA is launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders and public members to provide input directly to EPA staff on implementing the Fund. The series will begin with two sessions on November 1 and November 9 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET. For more information on the Inflation Reduction Act and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, visit the new Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund webpage.

Soliciting Expert Input from the Environmental Finance Advisory Board (EFAB)

EPA is soliciting expert input on key program design questions from the Environmental Financial Advisory Board (EFAB), a Federal Advisory Committee that provides advice and recommendations to EPA’s Administrator and regional and program offices on ways to lower the costs of, and increase investments in, environmental and public health protection. The EFAB will provide its advice and recommendations to EPA by December 15, 2022.  

EPA, Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) announce $2 Million EJ4Climate Grant Program: Proposals Due November 11, 2022, 5:00 PM ET | Click Here For Application

The CEC established this grant program in 2021 to fund projects that target underserved and vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities, in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, to prepare them for climate-related impacts. The EJ4Climate Grant Program provides funding directly to community-based organizations and seeks to support environmental justice by facilitating the involvement and empowerment of communities searching for solutions and the development of partnerships to address their environmental and human health vulnerabilities, including those due to climate change impacts. Any Questions Please Contact: Angela Hackel (hackle.angela@epa.gov ), Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator

Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

202.566.2977 (office)

202.763.3945 (cell)

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

NOAA RESTORE Science Program 2023 – $15 million

Applications Due: November 15, 2022

Eligible Entities: Institutions of higher education; not-for-profit institutions; for-profit organizations; local governments, state governments, tribal governments; and U.S. territories

NOAA RESTORE Science Program is open for proposals for projects up to five years in duration. This announcement invites proposals that request funding from researcher, resource manager, and stakeholder partnerships to execute a previously planned, collaborative research project, develop its findings and products, transfer them to an identified resource manager or management body, and apply them to a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision. A letter of intent for this proposal is due by August 16, 2022.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

DOC Climate Program Office FY 2023 – $11.1 million

Applications Due: November 21, 2022

Eligible Entities: State governments, local governments, tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, international organizations 

As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners.  For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for general public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous-serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletter, which goes out every 2 weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP website for announcements regarding MUREP-specific funding opportunities.

 Office of Research and Development recently conducted planning discussions regarding the WSMART program. One decision we are activating now is a testing partner loan option during periods of lower wildfire activity (winter through early spring), with loans for up to 3 months. The website FAQs were updated today to outline that option (refer to: “Can I request this equipment to try out before the next wildfire season?”): https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

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

Climate Change/Energy

NEW!  Biden-Harris Administration Launches $1 Billion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Program to Enhance Energy Systems in Rural and Remote Communities

• DOE Seeks Public Input on New Program to Improve Energy Systems in Areas with Fewer than 10,000 People

The Energy Improvements in Rural or Remote Areas (ERA) program will strengthen energy systems’ resilience, reliability, and availability, helping communities unlock the public health and cost-saving benefits of cleaner, more efficient energy provides.

The ERA program will provide federal support to rural or remote communities to:

• Improve the overall cost-effectiveness of energy generation, transmission, or distribution systems;
• Site or upgrade transmission and distribution lines;
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation by rural or remote areas;
• Provide or modernize electric generation facilities;
• Develop microgrids; and
• Increase energy efficiency

https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-1-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-program

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000, depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits to maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

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

U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also, see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Join EPA in Observing National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week

To raise awareness about childhood lead exposure and lead poisoning, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will observe National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW) on October 23–29. Each year, NLPPW is a call to bring together individuals, organizations, industry, and state, tribal, and local governments to reduce childhood exposure to lead by increasing lead poisoning prevention awareness. Additionally, the EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are hosting the following webinars for a wide variety of audiences about preventing exposure to lead:

• Understanding Lead: Join EPA Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 2–3:30 p.m. ET for a live webinar about lead, its impacts, and actions that can be taken to reduce potential lead exposures and lead poisoning. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available. Register here.
• Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule Awareness: Join EPA Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 12–1 p.m. ET for a live presentation for contractors and local building code and enforcement officials about EPA’s RRP rule, which concerns RRP projects in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978. Register here.
• Lead Awareness Curriculum Train-the-Trainer: Join EPA Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 2:30–4:30 p.m. ET for a live discussion on how to use and modify Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping our Children Healthy! Curriculum for any community. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available. Register here.

For more information about NLPPW, lead and lead exposure, event ideas, planning suggestions, sample social media posts, and graphics available in six languages, visit our NLPPW webpage in English or in Spanish. If you haven’t already, follow @EPAChemSafety on Twitter, where we will highlight ways to prevent childhood lead exposure.

Indoor Air Quality 

The Indoor Air Quality Association’s Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund was created to offer early career professionals the opportunity to further develop their understanding and expertise within the IAQ field. For the 2023 program, they are pleased to offer the following:

IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo Travel Award & IAQA University Award
One candidate will receive a $2,000 travel stipend award for hotel, airfare, and miscellaneous expenses, as well as complimentary registration for the IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo and the 50- course bundle. Two candidates will receive the 50- course bundle for IAQA University featuring all four S.M.A.R.T. Education Courses/Badges –valued up to $3250 (access for a period of 18 months). Click here to apply!

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

Unsubscribe                                                                                              Modify your Subscription

RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING! 

NEW! U.S. Environmental Protection Agency: Physical Scientist

Application closes: October 24, 2022, | Click Here for the Full Job Description

The positions are in the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Transportation and Air Quality, Transportation and Climate Division, State Measures and Transportation Planning Center. The location will be determined after a selection has been made for the position; if selected, you must work at one of the locations stated in this announcement. The salary will be commensurate with the location.

NEW! The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation’s Environmental Trust is hiring for two positions including Climate Action Coordinator and an Air Quality Technician. For full description, please refer to www.colvilletribes.com/jobs or contact Human Resources attn.: Amber Seymour, HR Analyst Sr. at 509-634-2181 or amber.seymour.hrs@colvilletribes.com.

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications close: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for the Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar focusing on Anishinaabe communities and, more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialism, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to the knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities and, more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For Full Description and to Apply Click Here

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team.

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

Apply Now!

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

REMINDER! EPA: Tribal and Insular Area Grants: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Request for Applications OPEN! – $8 million

Applications Due: October 26, 2022

Eligible Entities: Tribal governments (or intertribal consortiums), Alaska Native Villages, or insular area government agencies which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of grant funding for tribal and certain insular area governments to implement projects which reduce emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. A total of $7 million will be made available to tribal governments, or intertribal consortia, and Alaska Native villages; and $1 million will be made available to insular area governments, including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Funds may be used to upgrade and replace older, dirtier diesel-powered vehicles and equipment with newer, cleaner vehicles and technologies.

Anticipated Timeline and Dates

For more information and to view the full RFA, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dera/tribal-insulararea

 EPA, Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) announces $2 Million EJ4Climate Grant Program

Proposals Due November 11, 2022, 5:00 PM ET | Click Here For Application

The CEC established this grant program in 2021 to fund projects that target underserved and vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities, in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, to prepare them for climate-related impacts. The EJ4Climate Grant Program provides funding directly to community-based organizations and seeks to support environmental justice by facilitating the involvement and empowerment of communities searching for solutions and the development of partnerships to address their environmental and human health vulnerabilities, including those due to climate change impacts. Any Questions Please Contact: Angela Hackel (hackle.angela@epa.gov ), Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator

Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

202.566.2977 (office)

202.763.3945 (cell)

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

NOAA RESTORE Science Program 2023 – $15 million

Applications Due: November 15, 2022

Eligible Entities: Institutions of higher education; not-for-profit institutions; for-profit organizations; local governments, state governments, tribal governments; and U.S. territories

NOAA RESTORE Science Program is open for proposals for projects up to five years in duration. This announcement invites proposals that request funding from researcher, resource manager, and stakeholder partnerships to execute a previously planned, collaborative research project, develop its findings and products, transfer them to an identified resource manager or management body, and apply them to a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision. A letter of intent for this proposal is due by August 16, 2022.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

 DOC Climate Program Office FY 2023 – $11.1 million

Applications Due: November 21, 2022

Eligible Entities: State governments, local governments, tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, international organizations 

As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners.  For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for general public use. For more information and access to the loan request web form, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov. 

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account, you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous-serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletter which goes out every two weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP website for announcements regarding MUREP-specific funding opportunities.

Office of Research and Development recently conducted planning discussions regarding the WSMART program. One decision we are activating now is a testing partner loan option during periods of lower wildfire activity (winter through early spring), with loans for up to 3 months. The website FAQs were updated today to outline that option (refer to: “Can I request this equipment to try out before the next wildfire season?”): https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot 

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

Climate Change/Energy

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects.

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

U.S. Department of Energy: Electric Vehicles with Final Assembly in North America

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (Public Law 117-169) amended the Qualified Plug-in Electric Drive Motor Vehicle Credit (IRC 30D), now known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, and added a new requirement for final assembly in North America that took effect on August 17, 2022. For more details on the credit, see Electric Vehicle (EV) and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) Tax Credit. Also, see the full list of alternative fuel vehicle incentives amended or created by the Inflation Reduction Act. Click Here for more information.

Join EPA in Observing National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week to raise awareness about childhood lead exposure and lead poisoning, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will observe National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (NLPPW) on October 23–29. Each year, NLPPW is a call to bring together individuals, organizations, industry, and state, tribal, and local governments to reduce childhood exposure to lead by increasing lead poisoning prevention awareness. Additionally, the EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are hosting the following webinars for a wide variety of audiences about preventing exposure to lead:

• Understanding Lead: Join EPA Tuesday, Oct. 25, from 2–3:30 p.m. ET for a live webinar about lead, its impacts, and actions that can be taken to reduce potential lead exposures and lead poisoning. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available. Register here.
• Renovation, Repair, and Painting (RRP) Rule Awareness: Join EPA Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 12–1 p.m. ET for a live presentation for contractors and local building code and enforcement officials about EPA’s RRP rule, which concerns RRP projects in homes, childcare facilities and preschools built before 1978. Register here.
• Lead Awareness Curriculum Train-the-Trainer: Join EPA Wednesday, Oct. 26, from 2:30–4:30 p.m. ET for a live discussion on how to use and modify Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping our Children Healthy! Curriculum for any community. Simultaneous Spanish interpretation will be available. Register here.

For more information about NLPPW, lead and lead exposure, event ideas, planning suggestions, sample social media posts and graphics available in six languages, visit our NLPPW webpage in English or in Spanish. If you haven’t already, follow @EPAChemSafety on Twitter, where we will highlight ways to prevent childhood lead exposure.

Indoor Air Quality 

The Indoor Air Quality Association’s Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund was created to offer early career professionals the opportunity to further develop their understanding and expertise within the IAQ field. For the 2023 program, they are pleased to offer the following:

IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo Travel Award & IAQA University Award
One candidate will receive a $2,000 travel stipend award for hotel, airfare, and miscellaneous expenses, as well as complimentary registration for the IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo and the 50- course bundle. Two candidates will receive the 50- course bundle for IAQA University featuring all four S.M.A.R.T. Education Courses/Badges –value up to $3250 (access for a period of 18 months). Click here to apply!

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

Unsubscribe                                                                                              Modify your Subscription

RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

NEW! The Environmental Protection Agency: Environmental Protection Specialist (10 openings)

Applications Closes October 18, 2022, | Click Here for Full Job Description

These positions are located in the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Atmospheric Programs (OAP) in the divisions below:

• Clean Air Markets Division
• Climate Protection Partnership Division
• Stratospheric Protection Division
• Climate Change Division

The division will be determined after a selection has been made for the position.

If selected, you must work at the location stated in this announcement.

About the Office of Air and Radiation.

NEW! The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications close: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements. 

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals’ (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program (TCCP) and Environmental Education and Outreach Program (EEOP) are hiring for a Community Program Coordinator, Sr. 

The Community Program Coordinator, Senior will lead the work of managing the internship program for the TCCP and EEOP by overseeing the recruitment of internship host sites and recruitment, on boarding, mentoring, and management of the interns hired for the summer and academic year. The EEOP and TCCP supports approximately 30 internships annually, with potential for growth over time.

This position reports to the managers of ITEP’s Tribes and Climate Change Program (TCCP) and the Environmental Education Outreach Program (EEOP). It is preferred the position will be located in Flagstaff, AZ with a remote or hybrid work option available as needed. Click here to learn more!

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For Full Description and to Apply Click Here

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team.

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

Apply Now!

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NEW!  EPA, Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) announce $2 Million EJ4Climate Grant Program

Proposals Due November 11, 2022, 5:00 PM ET | Click Here For Application

The CEC established this grant program in 2021 to fund projects that target underserved and vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities, in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, to prepare them for climate-related impacts. The EJ4Climate Grant Program provides funding directly to community-based organizations and seeks to support environmental justice by facilitating the involvement and empowerment of communities searching for solutions and the development of partnerships to address their environmental and human health vulnerabilities, including those due to climate change impacts. Any Questions Please Contact: Angela Hackel (hackle.angela@epa.gov ), Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator

Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

202.566.2977 (office)

202.763.3945 (cell)

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

EPA: Tribal and Insular Area Grants: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Request for Applications OPEN! – $8 million

Applications Due: October 26, 2022

Eligible Entities: Tribal governments (or intertribal consortiums), Alaska Native Villages, or insular area government agencies which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of grant funding for tribal and certain insular area governments to implement projects which reduce emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. A total of $7 million will be made available to tribal governments, or intertribal consortia, and Alaska Native villages; and $1 million will be made available to insular area governments including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Funds may be used to upgrade and replace older, dirtier diesel-powered vehicles and equipment with newer, cleaner vehicles and technologies.

Anticipated Timeline and Dates

For more information and to view the full RFA, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dera/tribal-insulararea

 NOAA RESTORE Science Program 2023 – $15 million

Applications Due: November 15, 2022

Eligible Entities: Institutions of higher education; not-for-profit institutions; for-profit organizations; local governments, state governments, tribal governments; and U.S. territories

NOAA RESTORE Science Program is open for proposals for projects up to five years in duration. This announcement invites proposals that request funding from researcher, resource manager, and stakeholder partnerships to execute a previously planned, collaborative research project, develop its findings and products, transfer them to an identified resource manager or management body, and apply them to a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision. A letter of intent for this proposal is due by August 16, 2022.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description. 

DOC Climate Program Office FY 2023 – $11.1 million

Applications Due: November 21, 2022

Eligible Entities: State governments, local governments, tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, international organizations 

As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners.  For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for general public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov. 

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletterwhich goes out every 2 weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP websitefor announcements regarding MUREP specific funding opportunities.

Office of Research and Development recently conducted planning discussions regarding the WSMART program. One decision we are activating now is a testing partner loan option during periods of lower wildfire activity (winter through early spring), with loans for up to 3 months. The website FAQs were updated today to outline that option (refer to: “Can I request this equipment to try out before the next wildfire season?”): https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

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

Climate Change/Energy

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of either $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects. 

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

Performance Reports on Electric Trucks Operating in Four Key Freight Markets Now Available!

A new series of five reports documenting the performance of 13 electric trucks is now available from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), a SmartWay Affiliate. NACFE’s Electric Trucks Have Arrived report series provides key metrics, consistent data sets, and presents important findings and insight into how these electric trucks operate to meet the operational demands of four critical freight markets. The report series is based on a comprehensive range of real-world data collected by NACFE during its Run on Less – Electric (ROL-E) truck demonstration conducted last fall. The series of reports also draw on extensive field research, studies, interviews, and related documents published by NACFE on the development and emergence of electric trucks in recent years.

For the Electric Trucks Have Arrived series, thirteen fleets and truck manufacturers paired up and collaborated with NACFE for its ROL-E demonstration. They agreed to equip their electric trucks with instruments and to continuously track, collect and provide NACFE with key data points, driver experience and other information on the performance of the trucks over the course of three weeks last fall. Each of the Electric Trucks Have Arrived reports covers specific market segments served by the participating fleets, as follows:

1. Three electric terminal tractors
2. Three electric delivery vans/step vans
3. Three electric medium-duty box trucks, and
4. Four electric heavy duty regional haul tractors

A fifth report, Electric Trucks Have Arrived: Documenting a Real-World Electric Trucking Demonstration provides an overview of the demonstration project, including details on the methods used to select the fleets that participated in the project, routes, and equipment, and the metrics that measured the 13 participating pairs of fleets and truck manufacturers.

Among its key findings, NACFE concludes that ROL-E demonstrates that for the market segments covered, the technology supporting electric trucks is mature enough for fleets to be making investments in production commercial battery electric vehicles. It expects continuous improvements will be rapid as these technologies gain market share, and that the environmental benefits of reducing emissions is significant for replacing traditional diesel and gasoline-based vehicles.

To access one or more of the reports available as part of the NACFE Electric Trucks Have Arrived series, click on the respective links above. For more information on NACFE visit www.nacfe.org.

Indoor Air Quality 

The Indoor Air Quality Association’s Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund was created to offer early career professionals the opportunity to further develop their understanding and expertise within the IAQ field. For the 2023 program, they are pleased to offer the following:

IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo Travel Award & IAQA University Award
One candidate will receive a $2,000 travel stipend award for hotel, airfare, miscellaneous expenses as well as a complimentary registration for the IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo and the 50- course bundle. Two candidates will receive the 50- course bundle for IAQA University featuring all four S.M.A.R.T. Education Courses/Badges –value up to $3250 (access for a period of 18 months). Click here to apply!

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

Unsubscribe                                                                                              Modify your Subscription

RESOURCES & FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

NOW HIRING!

NEW! The Environmental Protection Agency: Environmental Protection Specialist (10 openings)

Applications Close October 18, 2022, | Click Here for Full Job Description

These positions are located in the Office of Air and Radiation (OAR), Office of Atmospheric Programs (OAP) in the divisions below:

• Clean Air Markets Division
• Climate Protection Partnership Division
• Stratospheric Protection Division
• Climate Change Division

The division will be determined after a selection has been made for the position.

If selected, you must work at the location stated in this announcement.

About the Office of Air and Radiation.

 NEW! The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices.

Applications close: July 8, 2024, | Click Here for Full Job Description

The Department of Religious Studies is hiring an 1855 professorship in the position of Great Lakes Anishinaabe Knowledge, Spiritualities, and Cultural Practices. We seek a scholar with a focus on Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Great Lakes Native American cultures. The scholar’s areas of interest should include Anishinaabe worldviews, ceremony, knowledge systems, and communal cultural practices in the context of colonialisms, resistance, resiliency, and sovereignty. The specific area of focus is open with preference to knowledge of traditions of Anishinaabe communities, and more broadly, Native American communities. We are particularly interested in scholars whose work and teaching complement cross-university strengths in environmental practices, North American Indigenous Law, communal health and wellness, and social justice. In keeping with our land-grant mission, we seek a scholar engaged in public-facing conversations about how contemporary Native American knowledge, language, spiritualities, and culture can inform larger discussions around law, public policy, land stewardship, resource management, community health and wellbeing, tribal governance, museum collections and archives, and environmental justice movements.

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals’ (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program (TCCP) and Environmental Education and Outreach Program (EEOP) are hiring for a Community Program Coordinator, Sr. 

The Community Program Coordinator, Senior will lead the work of managing the internship program for the TCCP and EEOP by overseeing the recruitment of internship host sites and recruitment, on boarding, mentoring, and management of the interns hired for the summer and academic year. The EEOP and TCCP supports approximately 30 internships annually, with potential for growth over time.

This position reports to the managers of ITEP’s Tribes and Climate Change Program (TCCP) and the Environmental Education Outreach Program (EEOP). It is preferred the position will be located in Flagstaff, AZ with a remote or hybrid work option available as needed. Click here to learn more!

TAMS Tribal Air Monitoring Technology Specialist Being Age 55 or Older is Good for The Environment! The Senior Environmental Employment (SEE) Program offers unique opportunities in Scientific, Technical, and Administrative / Office support for individuals aged 55 and over to support the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through a grant administered program through National Older Worker Career Center (NOWCC). This is a unique program where your talents, expertise and experience will truly be valued. The EPA provides a wonderful work atmosphere, and you’ll be working side-by-side with EPA staff that are doing important work every day.

Pay & Benefits: Pay rate: $18.01 /hr.

Benefits: Paid Health Insurance Premium if working 30+ hours per week, Paid Vacation, Paid Sick Time, Paid Federal Holidays plus one Individual Holiday, and optional Vision and Dental Insurance available. Must be U.S Citizen and age 55 or older to apply. The duties of this position must be performed onsite at the EPA office location in Las Vegas, NV. For Full Description and to Apply Click Here 

The Clean Energy Corps is hiring. We need talented, diverse, kind, and hardworking people like you to join this team.

With the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Clean Energy Corps is charged with investing more than $62 billion to deliver a more equitable clean energy future for the American people by:

• Investing in American manufacturing
• Creating good paying jobs
• Expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy for families, communities, and businesses
• Delivering reliable, clean, and affordable power to more Americans
• And building the technologies of tomorrow through clean energy research, development, and demonstrations

Apply Now!

You can find a great listing of Indian Country jobs on NCAI’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes   

REMINDER! U.S. Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense Grant

Application Due: October 7, 2022, | 11:50 PM ET

A Community Wildfire Defense Grant is announced which, according to the website (https://www.fs.usda.gov/managing-land/fire/grants), “are intended to help at-risk local communities and Tribes plan and reduce the risk against wildfire.  The Act prioritizes at-risk communities in an area identified as having high or very high wildfire hazard potential, are low-income, and/or have been impacted by a severe disaster.” The webinar on the 9th is specifically for tribes.

Save the Date: The upcoming dates are available to attend the Community Wildfire Defense Grant Webinars for Applicants. Registration is now Open. To attend a webinar, follow the Registration Instructions available in the Wildland Fire Learning Portal to set-up an account.

• Applications are now available. For questions regarding applications, please contact Melissa Aulisio, accessga@usda.gov

EPA, Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) announce $2 Million EJ4Climate Grant Program

Proposals Due November 11, 2022, 5:00 PM ET | Click Here For Application

The CEC established this grant program in 2021 to fund projects that target underserved and vulnerable communities, and Indigenous communities, in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, to prepare them for climate-related impacts. The EJ4Climate Grant Program provides funding directly to community-based organizations and seeks to support environmental justice by facilitating the involvement and empowerment of communities searching for solutions and the development of partnerships to address their environmental and human health vulnerabilities, including those due to climate change impacts.

Any Questions Please Contact: Angela Hackel (hackle.angela@epa.gov )

Senior Advisor to the Assistant Administrator

Office of International and Tribal Affairs (OITA)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

202.566.2977 (office)

202.763.3945 (cell)

Department of Energy (DOE) Announces $32 Million to Reduce Methane Emissions from Oil and Gas Sector

All interested applicants must register and submit application materials through Fed Connect; register here for an account. All questions about the FOA must also be submitted through FedConnect.

EPA: Tribal and Insular Area Grants: Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) Request for Applications OPEN! – $8 million

Applications Due: October 26, 2022

Eligible Entities: Tribal governments (or intertribal consortiums), Alaska Native Villages, or insular area government agencies which have jurisdiction over transportation or air quality

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has announced the availability of grant funding for tribal and certain insular area governments to implement projects which reduce emissions from the nation’s existing fleet of older diesel engines. A total of $7 million will be made available to tribal governments, or intertribal consortia, and Alaska Native villages; and $1 million will be made available to insular area governments including the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Funds may be used to upgrade and replace older, dirtier diesel-powered vehicles and equipment with newer, cleaner vehicles and technologies.

Anticipated Timeline and Dates

For more information and to view the full RFA, please visit https://www.epa.gov/dera/tribal-insulararea

NOAA RESTORE Science Program 2023 – $15 million

Applications Due: November 15, 2022

Eligible Entities: Institutions of higher education; not-for-profit institutions; for-profit organizations; local governments, state governments, tribal governments; and U.S. territories

NOAA RESTORE Science Program is open for proposals for projects up to five years in duration. This announcement invites proposals that request funding from researcher, resource manager, and stakeholder partnerships to execute a previously planned, collaborative research project, develop its findings and products, transfer them to an identified resource manager or management body, and apply them to a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision. A letter of intent for this proposal is due by August 16, 2022.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

DOC Climate Program Office FY 2023 – $11.1 million

Applications Due: November 21, 2022

Eligible Entities: State governments, local governments, tribal governments, institutions of higher education, nonprofits, international organizations 

As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climate portfolio within the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), the Climate Program Office (CPO) addresses climate challenges by managing competitive research programs through which high-priority climate science, assessments, decision-support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities are funded to advance our understanding of the Earth’s climate system, and to foster the application and use of this knowledge to improve the resilience of our Nation and its partners.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

Air Monitoring Equipment Available for Loan to State, Local, and Tribal Agencies

In 2021, EPA’s Office of Research and Development initiated the Wildfire Smoke Air Monitoring Response Technology (WSMART) Pilot, loaning air monitoring technologies to state, local, and tribal air organizations to support supplemental air monitoring in areas affected by wildfire smoke and with observational data coverage gaps. During 2022, this pilot technology loan program will continue to provide several technology types – including stationary air sensor systems and a compact mobile monitoring system – to state and local air agency monitoring staff and professional tribal air quality staff members upon request. The equipment is not available for general public use. For more information and access to the loan request webform, please visit the WSMART website:https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

For technical questions, please contact smoketech@epa.gov.

Communication Channels for NASA Funding Opportunities

Please consider signing up for the following communication channels. These channels will ensure that you are informed of student engagement and other funding opportunities:

• Register for an account with NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES). You’ll need to create an account if you don’t already have one. Once you have an account you’ll be able to sign up for notifications to be alerted when new funding opportunities are released. There are sometimes opportunities released specifically for Minority Serving Institutions (including TCUs and other indigenous serving higher education institutions) so it’s good to receive the notifications to stay on top of new opportunities.
• Sign up for our MUREP Newsletter which goes out every 2 weeks on Fridays.
• Check our MUREP website for announcements regarding MUREP specific funding opportunities.

Office of Research and Development recently conducted planning discussions regarding the WSMART program. One decision we are activating now is a testing partner loan option during periods of lower wildfire activity (winter through early spring), with loans for up to 3 months. The website FAQs were updated today to outline that option (refer to: “Can I request this equipment to try out before the next wildfire season?”): https://www.epa.gov/air-sensor-toolbox/wildfire-smoke-air-monitoring-response-technology-wsmart-pilot

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

Climate Change/Energy

REMINDER! DOE Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment – $13 million Applications Due: October 11, 2022

Eligible Entities: Unrestricted

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which will award $300,000–$13 million for projects that help communities design and deploy geothermal district heating and cooling systems, create related workforce training, and identify and address environmental justice concerns. The FOA will support the formation of U.S.-based community coalitions that will develop, design, and install community geothermal heating and cooling systems that supply at least 25% of the heating and cooling load in communities.

• For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

EPA’s State and Local Climate and Energy Program will use this newsletter to share updates and opportunities as they become available and to let you know how the EPA’s IRA programs can help your jurisdiction.

Our monthly funding newsletter will also continue to provide information on climate and clean energy grant and technical assistance opportunities and deadlines for state, local, and tribal governments. You can also visit the White House’s website about clean energy and climate action in the IRA. Use it to learn how you can save on utility bills, get support to purchase electric vehicles, energy-efficient appliances, and more. Share the news: Tax Credits for Energy-Efficient Home Upgrades have been Extended!

Under the IRA, federal tax credits for energy-efficient home upgrades have been extended. This means that if you made any qualifying home improvements to your primary residence after December 31, 2021, you may be eligible to claim credit on your federal taxes when you file for 2022. Qualifying upgrades include ENERGY STAR-certified products, as well as improvements to your home’s envelope or exterior – such as windows, doors, and insulation. To learn more, read through ENERGY STAR’s property tax credit guidance.

Renewable Energy tax credits have also been extended and will be available through the end of 2023. These include incentives for Geothermal Heat Pumps, Residential Wind Turbines, Solar Energy Systems, and Fuel Cells.

What’s New for Federal Tax Credits in 2023? There will be new efficiency tax credits in place starting January 1, 2023, lasting 10 years – through 2032. The tax credit amount is generally limited to 30% of the project cost. The previous lifetime cap of $500 has been changed to an annual cap of either $1,200 to $2,000 depending on the efficiency improvements you make. This means you will be able to claim credit for more projects, especially if they are spread out over multiple years.

For more information and to stay up to date on available tax credits, make sure to bookmark ENERGY STAR’s page on Federal Tax Credits so you can maximize savings on your home energy efficiency projects. 

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

Performance Reports on Electric Trucks Operating in Four Key Freight Markets Now Available!

A new series of five reports documenting the performance of 13 electric trucks is now available from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE), a SmartWay Affiliate. NACFE’s Electric Trucks Have Arrived report series provides key metrics, consistent data sets, and presents important findings and insight into how these electric trucks operate to meet the operational demands of four critical freight markets. The report series is based on a comprehensive range of real-world data collected by NACFE during its Run on Less – Electric (ROL-E) truck demonstration conducted last fall. The series of reports also draw on extensive field research, studies, interviews, and related documents published by NACFE on the development and emergence of electric trucks in recent years.

For the Electric Trucks Have Arrived series, thirteen fleets and truck manufacturers paired up and collaborated with NACFE for its ROL-E demonstration. They agreed to equip their electric trucks with instruments and to continuously track, collect and provide NACFE with key data points, driver experience and other information on the performance of the trucks over the course of three weeks last fall. Each of the Electric Trucks Have Arrived reports covers specific market segments served by the participating fleets, as follows:

1. Three electric terminal tractors
2. Three electric delivery vans/step vans
3. Three electric medium-duty box trucks, and
4. Four electric heavy duty regional haul tractors

A fifth report, Electric Trucks Have Arrived: Documenting a Real-World Electric Trucking Demonstration provides an overview of the demonstration project, including details on the methods used to select the fleets that participated in the project, routes, and equipment, and the metrics that measured the 13 participating pairs of fleets and truck manufacturers.

Among its key findings, NACFE concludes that ROL-E demonstrates that for the market segments covered, the technology supporting electric trucks is mature enough for fleets to be making investments in production commercial battery electric vehicles. It expects continuous improvements will be rapid as these technologies gain market share, and that the environmental benefits of reducing emissions is significant for replacing traditional diesel and gasoline-based vehicles.

To access one or more of the reports available as part of the NACFE Electric Trucks Have Arrived series, click on the respective links above. For more information on NACFE visit www.nacfe.org.

Indoor Air Quality

The Indoor Air Quality Association’s Emerging Professional Scholarship Fund was created to offer early career professionals the opportunity to further develop their understanding and expertise within the IAQ field. For the 2023 program, they are pleased to offer the following:

IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo Travel Award & IAQA University Award
One candidate will receive a $2,000 travel stipend award for hotel, airfare, miscellaneous expenses as well as a complimentary registration for the IAQA 2023 Annual Meeting & Expo and the 50- course bundle. Two candidates will receive the 50- course bundle for IAQA University featuring all four S.M.A.R.T. Education Courses/Badges –value up to $3250 (access for a period of 18 months). Click here to apply!

Resource for Healthy Indoor Air Quality

Check out the website https://forhealth.org/ for many resources related to healthy homes and indoor air quality!

The Tribal Healthy Homes Network (THHN) has a webpage dedicated to Funding Opportunities! Additionally, THHN has developed a Funding Guide for American Indian and Alaska Native Communities.

Most Recent Listing: EPA Rules from the Federal Register can be found here.

You have received this email as a subscriber to the NTAA Weekly Update. To unsubscribe or modify your subscriptions, click the appropriate link below:

Unsubscribe                                                                                              Modify your Subscription