Top Stories

PBS News Hour – Oklahoma wants the Supreme Court to pull back part of its historic ruling on Native rights

Time – Warmer Winters Are Erasing Alaskan Native Traditions in the Arctic

Frontline – A Government Scientist Warned About Climate Change in 2001. Exxon Mobil Sought to Have Him Removed.

E&E – Western wildfires reverse US clean air gains — study

NTAA News

SEE YOU IN TULSA NEXT WEEK! In-person registration is now closed for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ), but you can still register virtually here! NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Muscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can find details on the NTFAQ agenda and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

Next week is Air Quality Awareness Week (AQAW)! If you will be at Muscogee’s River Spirit Casino Resort or anywhere else taking deep breaths next week, we look forward to celebrating #AQAW2022 with you! 

Our great AQ partners at the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) are excited for this year’s celebration and can’t wait for you to check out their “AQ IQ” through the daily trivia question on Twitter. Join in on the AQ fun!

Still planning your AQAW activities? Check out the AQAW Toolkit, which includes general information like this year’s theme, daily topics, and suggestions for ways to get involved. The Toolkit also contains our main AQAW social media accounts, hashtags, and sample social media posts.  If you have any questions about AQAW, please reach out to Rachel McIntosh-Kastrinsky (mcintoshkastrinsky.rachel@epa.gov) or Debra Lee (lee.debra@epa.gov).

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

New York Times – Wildfires Burn more than 150,000 Acres in Three States

The 19^th News – Pregnant people are at ‘greater risk’ in states hit hard by wildfire smoke, air pollution, new report shows

The Hill – The best and worst U.S. cities for air quality

CBS – Wood pellet industry may be falsely marketing itself as a green renewable energy source, critics say

NPR – More than 137 million Americans live in areas with poor air quality, report finds

High Country News – Interior is pushing states to replace derogatory place names with colonial ones

Phys.org – Microbial response to a changing and fire-prone arctic ecosystem

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

E&E News – Will Manchin’s bipartisan energy gambit bear fruit?

NPR – How climate change is affecting marginalized communities in Nevada

EPA – EPA Releases White Paper on Reducing Climate Pollution from New Gas-Fired Turbines

Navajo Times – ‘It’s proven technology’: DOE awards Kayenta’s Nááts’íílid Initiative $1.2M to power 24 homes

AP – Incandescent light bulbs being phased out to save energy

E&E News – Interior rule delays underscore Biden’s energy challenge

CNN – John Kerry is trying to convince the world to act on climate change. Russia’s war made it that much harder

ABC – Youth-led climate change lawsuits are increasing across the country

CBS – Fewer Americans see climate change as a priority than they did a year ago – CBS News poll

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Inside Climate News – EPA Opens Civil Rights Investigation Into Louisiana’s ‘Cancer Alley’

The Hill – People of color more likely to be harmed by pesticides, study shows

Phys.org – Microplastics are everywhere, but their dangers largely remain a mystery, experts say

E&E News – Citing ‘clean energy,’ progressives mount mining law overhaul

NPR – Despite U.S. sanctions, oil traders help Russian oil reach global markets

Yale Environment – How U.S. Gas Exports to Europe Could Lock in Future Emissions

NPR – In an effort to make schools greener, the White House is offering billions of dollars

Indoor Air Quality

Scary Mommy – Researchers Are Ripping The Gas Stoves Out Of Their Houses For Their Kids’ Health

Forbes – Why Recent Announcements By The White House Around Indoor Air Quality Matter

New York Times – The White House emphasizes the importance of indoor air quality as the pandemic moves into a new phase

Top Stories

The Hill – Biden administration announces clean energy growth on public lands

E&E News – Biden restores climate to NEPA, undoing Trump’s efforts

NTAA News

Please join use in welcoming NTAA’s newest members, the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma and Lisa Gover! With the Ottawa Tribe’s membership, NTAA’s family of member Tribes has grown to 155 member Tribes! In addition, please join us in welcoming NTAA’s newest Associate Member, Lisa Gover, the Region 9 RTOC’s Policy Advisor. Congratulations to both Lisa and the Ottawa Tribe of Oklahoma! Be sure to learn more about NTAA membership here! 

In-person registration for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality is now closed! But you can still register, virtually here! NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Muscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can find details on the NTFAQ agenda and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News 

E&E News – White House announces Earth Day climate push

E&E News – Jackson confirmed to Supreme Court in bipartisan vote

Reuters – White House restores rule requiring stringent environmental review

Yale Climate Connections – NASA mission will monitor air pollution

KNAU – Environmental groups sue EPA over air pollution in national parks and other public lands

The Hill – Biden climate adviser pushes back on departure rumors

Native News Online – EPA Announces $1.6 million in Grant Funding to Support Tribal Water and Air Quality

Greenwire – Inside Biden’s sparsely staffed, high-pressure environmental shop

Indian Country Today – Proposal to restore sovereignty to tribes in Maine advances

Indian Country Today – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves Southern Ute Indian Tribe’s water quality standards

Indian Country Today – In drought-stricken West, officials weigh emergency actions

The Hill – Trump-era EPA chief Scott Pruitt files to run for Senate in Oklahoma

Grist – How rights of nature and wild rice could stop a pipeline: Meet the Ojibwe attorney fighting a Line 3 expansion that threatens Indigenous rights and the environment

TV 6 News – EPA awards $75,000 grant to Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to assess pollution

Science Daily – Air pollution linked to higher risk of COVID-19 in young adults

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

Greenwire – Biden admin restarts oil leases on federal land

Energywire – Biden tosses $6B lifeline to save struggling nuclear plants

Indian Country Today – The toll of climate change, time, tradition and trust: The Navajo Nation takes on a changing climate

CNBC – Natural gas surges to highest level since 2008 as Russia’s war upends energy markets

E&E News – Mining for Clean Energy Could Undermine Biden’s Environmental Justice Goals

Reuters – IMF expects ‘significant’ pledges for new climate, pandemics trust

Reuters – Lawmaker Raskin sees hope for U.S. climate legislation this year

Grist – Cows, coal, and climate change: A Q&A with the new BLM director

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

E&E News – How electric buses reduce toxic exposure for kids

US News and World Report – Boston to Replace School Buses With Electric Ones by 2030

CNBC – From the F-150 Lightning to Rivian, here are the 11 hottest electric vehicles coming out in 2022

Indoor Air Quality

E&E News – Gas ban 2.0: Building wars

Reuters – Omicron infection induces limited immune response in unvaccinated; COVID hospital deaths rise on weekends

Top Stories

Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) – Federal program offers Tribes chance to turn “orphan” oil and gas wells into environmental and economic opportunity

NPR – For the first time, researchers find microplastics deep in the lungs of living people

NTAA News!

NTAA has published a white paper for your consideration: The Utilization of Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Additional Impacts Analysis to Better Incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Address Environmental Justice in Air Quality Permitting Decisions.

The purpose of this white paper is to explore where discretion in the Clean Air Act sections 165(a)(2) and section 165(a)(6) could be used in combinations with direction of EO 13175, the Agency’s Indian policy, and the Agency’s Indian Policy and Policy on Treaty Rights and EO 12898 on environmental justice, can provide for consideration of Tribal concerns, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Justice, in decisions on issuing permits. You can find the white paper on NTAA’s website policy resource kit tab.

Registration for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality is now open! Click here to register to attend in-person or virtually. NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Miscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can learn more about the NTFAQ and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

2 Weeks Left for Call For Proposals for The National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program announced the opening for the call for proposals for the upcoming 2022 National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) in St. Paul, MN and online August 29 – September 1, 2022.

We welcome proposals that discuss climate-related impacts, assessments, tools, adaptation, mitigation, actions, and the intersection of Traditional/Indigenous Knowledges with western science and adaptation strategies and are accepting both in-person and virtual proposals. Proposal submissions include: Presentations, Trainings, Working Groups, & Climate Conversations

We are particularly excited about our new Climate Conversation proposal category which is seeking submissions for art, games, posters, demonstrations, films, and more to further engage NTICC attendees in Tribal climate work.

Application deadline: Friday, April 22^nd by close of business

Letter of notification: Monday, June 6^th

Materials deadline: Friday, August 5th

For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

Alamogordo Daily News – Mescalero Apache students study air quality on Mescalero Reservation

Gizmodo – ‘Cancer Alley’ Residents Accuse Louisiana of Racial Discrimination in EPA Pollution Complaints

Bloomberg – ‘Barrage’ of Air Emission Rules to Bring Challenges for Industry

HuffPost – White House Launches $1 Billion Program To Boost Conservation Goal

The Hill – Poorer countries fall further behind on green COVID recovery spending

AP News – EPA probes environmental justice in Louisiana projects

Energy Monitor – Here is Joe Biden’s plan to build a 21st-century power grid

Canary Media – Carbon storage gets dirty: The movement to sequester CO2 in soils

CNN – Mattel releases its first carbon neutral toys, including a Matchbox Tesla

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

Seattle Times – Study: Keeping climate pledges limits warming to 2 degrees

Anchorage Daily News – Into the ice: Snow crab decline hits Bering Sea island community of St. Paul

The Guardian – Teen climate activist subjected to sexist and racist abuse amid federal court climate case

The Hill – Majorities in US back climate change proposals: Gallup

Energy Monitor – Climate neutrality requires a massive scale-up of wind and solar power. Grid-scale energy storage will be essential for when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow. Pumped hydro is back.

Canary Media – Home water heaters: A new ally in making grids cleaner

JD Supra – US Supreme Court Case Questions Extent of EPA’s Authority to Regulate Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Ultity Dive – Rapid development could push cost of hydrogen below $2/kg in the next 10-20 years, analysts say

Green Biz – How the White House plans to tackle climate change in disadvantaged communities

Utility Dive – House climate committee hearing on efficiency delves into pipeline policy, gas bans, China and Putin

E&E News – Democrats search for sweet spot on gas prices, climate goals

Utility Dive – Clean energy sector eyes window for passing federal tax breaks amid challenge of high energy prices

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter       

Toxics/Mobile Sources

EPA – EPA Announces Plan to Protect Endangered Species and Support Sustainable Agriculture

Axios – Here come the EVs

NPR – In an exception to the Clean Air Act, Biden will allow E15 gas to be sold this summer

NPR – Will electric pickup trucks get rural America to switch from gas to electric?

Reuters – Mercedes-Benz to halve CO2 emissions by 2030

The Guardian – Methane in Earth’s atmosphere rose by record amount last year, US government data shows

CNBC – Elon Musk says Tesla may have to get into the lithium business because costs are so ‘insane’

E&E News – Federal study suggests Calif. EVs are bending gasoline curve

Now This – GM and Honda Are Working Together To Create Cheaper Electric Vehicles

Popular Science – Hertz wants to accelerate its efforts to rent electric vehicles

Indoor Air Quality

Yahoo Finance – Little Rock School District Reports Positive Impact On In-Person Learning After Installation of Air Purifiers in Schools

Clevland Scene – Improving Indoor Air Quality is One Way We Can Do Better Than Pre-Pandemic ‘Normal’

Top Stories

EPA – The American Indian Environmental Office is requesting your input on the Draft 2022 Guidance on the Award and Management of Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Assistance Agreements for Tribes and Intertribal Consortia (2022 GAP Guidance).  

AP – New vehicles must average 40 mpg by 2026, up from 28 mpg

NTAA News!

NTAA has published a white paper today! You can read NTAA’s White Paper on the Utilization of Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) Additional Impacts Analysis to Better Incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Address Environmental Justice in Air Quality Permitting Decisions here!

The purpose of this white paper is to explore where discretion in the Clean Air Act sections 165(a)(2) and section 165(a)(6) could be used in combinations with direction of EO 13175, the Agency’s Indian policy, and the Agency’s Indian Policy and Policy on Treaty Rights and EO 12898 on environmental justice, can provide for consideration of Tribal concerns, Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Environmental Justice, in decisions on issuing permits. You can find the white paper on NTAA’s website policy resource kit tab.

If you are headed to Tulsa for this year’s National Tribal Forum on Air Quality, be sure to book your travel soon!

Registration for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality is now open! Click here to register to attend in-person or virtually. NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Muscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can learn more about the NTFAQ and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

The Call For Proposals for The National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference is now open!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program announced the opening for the call for proposals for the upcoming 2022 National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) in St. Paul, MN and online August 29 – September 1, 2022.

We welcome proposals that discuss climate-related impacts, assessments, tools, adaptation, mitigation, actions, and the intersection of Traditional/Indigenous Knowledges with western science and adaptation strategies and are accepting both in-person and virtual proposals. Proposal submissions include: Presentations, Trainings, Working Groups, & Climate Conversations

We are particularly excited about our new Climate Conversation proposal category which is seeking submissions for art, games, posters, demonstrations, films, and more to further engage NTICC attendees in Tribal climate work.

Application deadline: Friday, April 22^nd by close of business

Letter of notification: Monday, June 6^th

Materials deadline: Friday, August 5th

For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

Forest Declaration Platform – Sink or swim: How Indigenous and community lands can make or break nationally determined contributions

HuffPost – Inside The Contentious Leadership Battle At The Nation’s Biggest Environmental Group 

The Hill – EPA revives Obama-era rule removing emergency liability protection for polluters

E&E News – Regan on the Hill to defend EPA’s spending, staffing plan

Native News Online – Oklahoma Governor Faces Pushback from Native Americans for “Indian Card” Comments Made on Fox News

Native News Online – Community Investments Will Grow a Healthier Cherokee Nation

E&E News – EPA plots asbestos ban in landmark rule

Canary Media – Carbon removal now ​‘unavoidable’ part of fighting climate change, UN says

Green Media – Poor Air Quality Affects 99 Percent of Humanity, Per New WHO Data — What We Can Do

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

AP – UN warns Earth ‘firmly on track toward an unlivable world’

Axios – Biden seeks a crosswalk between oil and clean energy

CNBC – Biden’s top economic advisor says restarting the Keystone XL pipeline now won’t lower oil prices

The Hill – Will Biden’s SPR release lower gas prices?

Reuters – Climate change could cost U.S. budget $2 trillion a year by the end of the century, White House says

DeSmog – Biden’s Call to Increase LNG Export Capacity on Gulf Coast is Tantamount To Sarah Palin’s Call to ‘Drill Baby Drill’ According to Environmental Advocates

Canary Media – A deeper dive into 24/7 carbon-free energy

NY Mag – Once Again, Environmentalists Are Sabotaging Climate Progress

ClimateWire – Business-GOP alliance crumbles over climate

Axios – White House climate adviser: “We can no longer wait” to cut emissions

Energy Monitor – Do renewables need carbon markets?

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Utility Dive – Biden invokes Defense Production Act to bolster domestic battery manufacturing for EVs, energy storage

The Hill – EV leaders want Biden to be more aggressive with Defense Production Act

E&E News – Biden’s Defense Production Act order promises money to miners

Reuters – Carmakers dream of clean, green, mean electric machines 

CNN – Hertz to buy up to 65,000 electric cars from Polestar

Oil Price – Tight Supply Sends U.S. East Coast Jet Fuel Price Surging

Washington Examinar – Daily on Energy: Manchin pumps the brakes on Biden electric vehicle push

Yale Examinar – As EV Sales Soar, Automakers Back Higher Fuel Standards

Axios – GM CEO says hybrid work helped speed up EV program

Indoor Air Quality

The News – Feds to Step Up Indoor Air Quality Efforts

E&E News – White House aims for energy-efficient, Covid-safe schools

Science News – We can do better than what was ‘normal’ before the pandemic

Top Stories

EPA – EPA Releases Final Strategic Plan to Protect Public Health, Address Climate Change, and Advance Environmental Justice and Equity

EPA – Statement by EPA Administrator Regan on the President’s Fiscal Year 2023 Budget

E&E News – Inside Biden’s $5.8T budget: More for climate, clean energy

NTAA News!

Registration for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality is now open! Click here to register to attend in-person or virtually. NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Miscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can learn more about the NTFAQ and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

Call For Proposals for The National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference is now open!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program announced the opening for the call for proposals for the upcoming 2022 National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) in St. Paul, MN and online August 29 – September 1, 2022.

We welcome proposals that discuss climate-related impacts, assessments, tools, adaptation, mitigation, actions, and the intersection of Traditional/Indigenous Knowledges with western science and adaptation strategies and are accepting both in-person and virtual proposals. Proposal submissions include: Presentations, Trainings, Working Groups, & Climate Conversations

We are particularly excited about our new Climate Conversation proposal category which is seeking submissions for art, games, posters, demonstrations, films, and more to further engage NTICC attendees in Tribal climate work.

Application deadline: Friday, April 22^nd by close of business

Letter of notification: Monday, June 6^th

Materials deadline: Friday, August 5th

For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

Daily Beast – Ukraine Officials Afraid Chernobyl’s Forest Fires Will Spread Radiation

The Washington Post – Large fires becoming even larger, more widespread

Indian Country Today – Creating new paths to leadership

Indian Country Today – Indigenous leaders tell pope of abuses at residential schools

Native News Online – Tribes Awarded Nearly $9 Million to Fund Energy

CNBC – Exxon is mining bitcoin in North Dakota as part of its plan to slash emissions

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

Axios – Biden’s careful embrace of U.S. gas for Europe

Inside Climate News – With Biden in Europe Promising to Expedite U.S. LNG Exports, Environmentalists on the Gulf Coast Say, Not So Fast

The Tyee – Should Fossil Fuel Companies Get to Teach Kids about Climate Change?

Reuters – U.S. sets May offshore wind auction for areas off the Carolinas

E&E News – Will Biden use the Defense Production Act to boost mining?

CNN – Manchin engaging with Biden administration on new climate and economic bill but timeline unclear

Politico – Biden’s most effective climate warrior faces potential doom in the Senate

Utility Dive – Grid-scale storage installations tripled to a record 3 GW in 2021: report

Yale Climate Connections – A simple way cities can make it easier for people to go solar

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Fortune – Tiny particles of plastic have been detected in human blood for the very first time. They can’t be filtered out

Canary Media – Amid backlash, USPS orders more EVs — but will still mostly run on gas

NPR – Gas prices got you wanting an electric or hybrid car? Well, good luck finding one

Canary Media – Major airlines are getting serious about hydrogen-powered planes

Axios – Major fast food companies pledge to phase out “forever chemicals”

CCJ Digital – Christenson Transportation set to roll out 500 autonomous trucks, operate nearly around the clock

JD Supra – Tenth Circuit Decision Reinforces Federal Clean Air Act Citizen Suits Against Mobile Sources

JD Supra – SEC Proposed Rule on Climate-Related Disclosures: A Look at Scope 3 Emissions Reporting Requirements

Indoor Air Quality

NPR – Indoor Air Quality is Cool for Schools

McKnights – White House pivots to air quality focus for COVID-19 infection control

Jackson Lewis – EPA Publishes Best Practices for Indoor Air Quality in Combating COVID-19

Top Stories

EPA – EPA Announces Availability of up to $1.6 Million in Environmental Justice Grants for Tribal Public Participation Project

EPA – Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Selected for $489,155 Grant to Upgrade Municipal Fleet to Reduce Emissions from Diesel Vehicles

EPA is developing a new website and will post more information in the coming months about the Clean School Bus Program here!

For more information, EPA is also hosting a Webinar on March 23^rd at 1:00 pm EST. You can register and log on here! EPA’s new page will feature information about electric and alternative fuel buses, technical resources for feets about infrastructure considerations, information about upcoming funding opportunities, and details about how to apply.

NTAA News!

Registration for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality is now open! Click here to register to attend in-person or virtually. NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Miscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can learn more about the NTFAQ and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

Call For Proposals for The Nationa Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference is now open!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) Tribes and Climate Change Program announced the opening for the call for proposals for the upcoming 2022 National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) in St. Paul, MN and online August 29 – September 1, 2022.

We welcome proposals that discuss climate-related impacts, assessments, tools, adaptation, mitigation, actions, and the intersection of Traditional/Indigenous Knowledges with western science and adaptation strategies and are accepting both in-person and virtual proposals. Proposal submissions include: Presentations, Trainings, Working Groups, & Climate Conversations

We are particularly excited about our new Climate Conversation proposal category which is seeking submissions for art, games, posters, demonstrations, films, and more to further engage NTICC attendees in Tribal climate work.

Application deadline: Friday, April 22^nd by close of business

Letter of notification: Monday, June 6^th

Materials deadline: Friday, August 5th

For more information and to apply, please visit our website.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

E&E News – EPA chemical review tool sparks environmental justice worries

Utility Dive – Virginia report lays groundwork for state’s exit from regional emissions trading group

Inside Climate News – ‘Last Gasp for Coal’ Saw Illinois Plants Crank up Emission-Spewing Production Last Year

NM Political Report – EMNRD officials say eminent domain will not be part of 30×30

AP News – California governor floats $100M plan for tribes to buy land

Utility Dive – Senate bill directs FERC to bolster interregional transmission planning, require GHG reporting

Native News Online – Virtual National Tribal Public Health Summit elevates public health policy and its impact on Tribes

Indian Country Today – National Congress of American Indians announces renewed vision

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

Reuters – Biden administration plans to resume plans for federal oil and gas development

The Guardian – Heatwaves at both of Earth’s poles alarm climate scientists

19^th News – Gender equality, climate and environmental issues take center stage at the United Nations

The Guardian – After Ukraine, how will the world replace Russia’s oil products?

Ap News – UN chief: Don’t let Russia crisis fuel climate destruction

The Atlantic – America’s Approach to Energy Security Is Broken

Axios – Behind the curtain of the UN’s climate panel

E&E News – Biden Supreme Court nominee faces big climate questions

USA Today – How will climate change impact American companies? The SEC unveils landmark proposal

E&E News – BLM staffers want more action on climate change, survey says

E&E News – Limitless clean power? White House makes risky bet on fusion

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Denver Post – Opinion: The EPA can reject Suncor’s pollution permit for Plant 2

CNN – Oil ’emergency’: Work from home and drive slower, IEA says

Axios – Axios Climate Truths: Race to net zero

Axios – 1. The Race to net zero emissions

Axios – Scoop: White House considered sending Americans gas cards

The Verge – Ford F-150 Lightning gets an EPA-confirmed range of up to 320 miles

Indoor Air Quality

E&E News – EPA helms White House indoor air plan to help fight Covid-19

EPA – EPA Announces the “Clean Air in Buildings Challenge” to Help Building Owners and Operators Improve Indoor Air Quality and Protect Public Health

Facility Executive – EPA Launches Clean Air In Buildings Challenge To Improve IAQ

Top Stories

NTAA News!

NTAA leadership just finished several weeks of meetings with EPA Leadership and shared NTAA Tribal priorities and talking points with EPA and now with you!

         On NTAA’s home page, you can find these hyperlinked NTAA’s priorities and talking points:

• NTAA FY 2024 Budget Recommendations to the National Tribal Caucus
• NTAA Talking Points and Priorities from Meeting with EPA Management 3.2.22
• NTAA Talking Points on the Power Sector Rulemaking from Meeting with EPA Management 2.23.22 

Registration for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality is now open! Click here to register to attend in-person or virtually. NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Miscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can learn more about the NTFAQ and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

Axios – EPA floats path on electricity CO2 emissions — with an asterisk

E&E News – What EPA’s new power plant plans mean for carbon

NPR – Global carbon emissions from energy spiked to record highs last year

Indian Country Today – Chickahominy Tribe reacquires ancestral lands

Native News Online – Answers to an Italian Sculptor’s Questions about Native Americans

Medical Xpress – Air pollution linked to depressive symptoms in adolescents

NPR – Even many decades later, redlined areas see higher levels of air pollution

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

Vice – The Far-Right Is Trying to Blame the Climate Crisis on Immigration

Inside Climate News – Latest IPCC Report Marks Progress on Climate Justice

Canary Media – How to shift building heat to electric? NY activists have lots of ideas

Inside Climate News – At Global Energy Conference, Oil and Gas Industry Leaders Argue For Fossil Fuels’ Future in the Energy Transition

E&E News – Biden defends energy record, blames Putin for high prices

Politico – Biden officials say they support oil and gas production. The industry is wary.

E&E News – Democrats insist they haven’t abandoned climate goals

Inside Climate News – As the US Rushes After the Minerals for the Energy Transition, a 150-Year-Old Law Allows Mining Companies Free Reign on Public Lands

E&E News – ‘Son of Build Back Better.’ Energy CEOs eye renewables’ future

Utility Dive – California prepares for $10.5M port renovations for offshore wind development

Politico – Offshore wind is set to soar. Fishing groups want to pump the brakes.

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Slate – Are Gas Prices Too High? Or Is Your Car Too Big?

The Atlantic – Drive Slow for America

Axios – Why gas prices are so high and what Biden can do about it

Reuters – CERAWEEK As EV demand rises, Biden officials warm to new mines

S&P Global – CERAWEEK: Citing concerns over China, Manchin sours on EV deployment

Reuters – CERAWEEK PG&E partners with Ford Motor on bidirectional EV charging

S&P Global – CERAWEEK: DOE’s ‘Energy Earth Shots’ requires private industry collaboration

Utility Dive – American Battery Factory plans battery cell gigafactories to support U.S. storage market

USA Today – Electric cars coming on fast: Climate worries, sinking prices put spotlight on EV sales

The Verge – EVs won’t save us from high gas prices

Indoor Air Quality

NPR – Better air in classrooms matters beyond COVID. Here’s why schools aren’t there yet

ACHR News – Pandemic Created Consumer Awareness, Increased Demand for Indoor Air Quality Solutions

8 News Now – Aria, Park MGM get top rating in Las Vegas Strip indoor air quality survey

Top Stories

NTAA News!

NTAA leadership just finished several weeks of meetings with EPA Leadership and shared NTAA Tribal priorities and talking points with EPA and now with you!

         On NTAA’s home page, you can find these hyperlinked NTAA’s priorities and talking points:

• NTAA FY 2024 Budget Recommendations to the National Tribal Caucus
• NTAA Talking Points and Priorities from Meeting with EPA Management 3.2.22
• NTAA Talking Points on the Power Sector Rulemaking from Meeting with EPA Management 2.23.22

The NTAA is in the final week seeking story submissions for the 2022 Status of Tribal Air Report!

We are asking that you draft the short story or nominate someone who you may think has a great idea! Please list or write a short paragraph below for one (or two) of the topics given in the Google Form. You may also submit another form response. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Friday, March 11, 2022

The NTAA STAR is an annual publication intended to provide an understanding of the importance and impact of Tribal air programs. As such, one of the biggest components to the STAR is the unique perspectives of air programs within Tribal communities. So please provide your success and challenge stories, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to Mariah.Ashely@nau.edu, NTAA Community Program Coordinator, for any questions.

Registration for the 2022 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality is now open! Click here to register to attend in-person or virtually. NTFAQ’s Planning Committees have been busy planning this year’s forum hosted by the Miscogee Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, May 2-5, 2022. You can learn more about the NTFAQ and NTAA’s Annual Meeting that will take place during NTFAQ on NTAA’s website here. Be sure to contact andy.bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions!

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

E&E News – EPA floats 2 options for slashing truck emissions limits

E&E News – Lawmakers release fiscal 2022 spending deal

E&E News – White House names EPA, Energy and USGS nominees

Indian Country Today – High Court hears Native law cases

Indian Country Today – Oklahoma, tribes tension compared to western states

The Conversation – IPCC reports still exclude Indigenous voices. Come join us at our sacred fires to find answers to climate change

E&E News – EPA science advisers unanimously back tighter soot limits

E&E News – Interior advances large solar project on Nev. tribal land

The Guardian – ‘The good fight’: Roebuck Plains Station and its return to Indigenous owners

Yale Climate Connections – The power of the sun: cleaning water and charging cell phones in the Navajo Nation

Desert Sun – Wildfire season is coming again — or maybe it’s now all year long

The Hill – Biden forgets a key message on the environment: Balance

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

The Guardian – Q&A: Has the IPCC’s bleak warning of climate breakdown been heard?

Reuters – Analysis: As Russia avoids energy sanctions, oil majors flee but TotalEnergies stays

CNBC – How the war in Ukraine and climate change are shaping the nuclear industry

EPA – EPA Publishes State-Level Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data, Resources to Promote State Action on Climate

The Hill – Average gas price highest in over a decade

Grist – ‘Pain at the pump’: The highly flammable politics of American gas prices

E&E News – Grid operators’ ‘seam’ study paves way for renewable expansion

BuzzFeed – Here’s What The New Climate Report Says About The Future Of My 1-Year-Old Daughter

WSJ – Let Alaska Sell American Energy to the World

The Hill – IPCC warns preventing climate catastrophe is nearly out of reach

Fast Company – How to get past despair and take powerful action on climate change

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

E&E News – EV buyers face long waits, price hikes above sticker cost

E&E News – War shakes up market for EVs, batteries

Utility Dive – Inflation, production backlogs hit electric transit bus manufacturer Proterra

The Verge – Tesla wins approval for German Gigafactory but still has to meet conditions

Axios ­– The cold hard truth about electric vehicles in winter

PBS – Cow burps are a major contributor to climate change — can scientists change that?

The Hill – What damages should the feds consider when regulating carbon?

Indoor Air Quality

Air Quality News – New study explores impact of indoor air pollution on child health

Azo Nano – Using Nanotechnology to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Clean Link – Green Seal, Healthy Schools Campaign Launch First National Standard For School Air Quality

Top Stories

NTAA News!

NTAA welcomes the newest member of the NTAA Executive Committee for Region 10 Tribes Caleb Minthorn!

Caleb works in the Air Quality Office for the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and will serve as the alternate representative on the NTAA EC with primary representative Lucas Bair. Please join us in welcoming Caleb to the NTAA EC! To learn more about NTAA’s EC, click here.

The NTAA is currently seeking story submissions for the 2022 Status of Tribal Air Report!

We are asking that you draft the short story or nominate someone who you may think has a great idea! Please list or write a short paragraph below for one (or two) of the topics given in the Google Form. You may also submit another form response. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Friday, March 11, 2022

The NTAA STAR is an annual publication intended to provide an understanding of the importance and impact of Tribal air programs. As such, one of the biggest components to the STAR is the unique perspectives of air programs within Tribal communities. So please provide your success and challenge stories, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to Mariah.Ashely@nau.edu, NTAA Community Program Coordinator, for any questions.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

CNN – The Supreme Court is hearing a major case on EPA’s authority over planet-warming gases. Here’s what’s at stake.

Reuters – Analysis: Who pays? UN climate report reignites global fight for compensation

Indian Country Today – Native officials speak out against Russia

Greenwire – Big environmental questions await Supreme Court pick Jackson

Native News Online – Tesla Signs Deal with Minnesota-Based Nickel Mine; Mine Could Violate Treaty Rights, Threaten Water, Rice, Fish, & More in the Mississippi River Watershed

E&E News – 15 years of Supreme Court climate fights come to a head Monday

E&E News – Supreme Court case could snarl Biden climate agenda

KUNC – Tribes will get $1.7 billion for water rights settlements as part of federal infrastructure spending

Inside Climate News – How One Native American Tribe is Battling for Control Over Flaring

Fox Business – 15 states sue EPA over new oil and gas rules, Paxton says Ukraine war shows ‘need for energy independence’

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

E&E News – State of the Union: All the energy takeaways

E&E News – How Russia’s invasion could hamper Biden’s climate agenda

NBC News – Supreme Court takes up EPA’s power to limit greenhouse gas emissions

NPR – Climate change is killing people, but there’s still time to reverse the damage

Time – The IPCC Is Finally Using the Right Words to Talk About Climate Change Inequality and Justice

19^th News – Women of color are leading climate justice work. They’re also struggling to find funding.

Axios – Climate change gets pushed out of the spotlight

AP News – EXPLAINER: What does Ukraine invasion mean for energy bills?

Grist – A record-breaking offshore wind lease sale signals a new era for development

Reuters – Exclusive: U.S. utilities push White House not to sanction Russian uranium

Greenwire – Uranium may regain ‘critical’ status despite USGS move

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Yale Environment 360 – Why Methane Is a Large and Underestimated Threat to Climate Goals

Grist – The Postal Service plans to spend billions on gas-powered vehicles

Washington Times – White House moves to fight climate ‘denialism’ amid calls to end fossil-fuel crackdown

E&E News – Nev. lithium mine advances with state permit approval

High Country News – How a Tacoma gas facility started a fight over climate change, sovereignty and human rights

Transport Topics – Infrastructure Spending Among Themes for Biden’s State of the Union

US DOT – Air Travel Consumer Report: December 2021, Full Year 2021 Numbers

Indoor Air Quality

ACHR News – Cloud Connected Product Gives Homeowners Indoor Air Quality Peace of Mind

ABC 7 News – Krafft Service Corporation returns to discuss how to improve your indoor air quality

Top Stories

NTAA News!

The NTAA is currently seeking story submissions for the 2022 Status of Tribal Air Report!

We are asking that you draft the short story or nominate someone who you may think has a great idea! Please list or write a short paragraph below for one (or two) of the topics given in the Google Form. You may also submit another form response. DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION: Friday, February 25th, 2022

The NTAA STAR is an annual publication intended to provide an understanding of the importance and impact of Tribal air programs. As such, one of the biggest components to the STAR is the unique perspectives of air programs within Tribal communities. In last year’s STAR, there was mention of needs not being met when it comes to implementing programs or projects due to the lack of funding and infrastructure. Our hope for this STAR is to emphasize funding, and not just the need for more funding for Tribes, but more emphasis on how Tribes are utilizing funds to implement projects and programs. So please provide your success and challenge stories, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out to Mariah.Ashely@nau.edu, NTAA Community Program Coordinator, for any questions.

NTAA has released a new template letter that Tribes can use to respond to EPA’s Proposed revisions for National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Primary Copper Smelters. Comments to EPA are due on February 25, 2022. You can find the template letter here and find NTAA’s fact sheet here. To learn more, visit NTAA’s website here or EPA’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes News

E&E News – White House releases EJ mapping tool amid rising scrutiny

E&E News – EPA: Power plant emissions spiked last year

Grist – A federal permitting agency will take emissions, environmental justice into account

AP News – Race excluded as WH rolls out climate justice screening tool

AP News – White House spending targets social justice; criteria vague

Indian Country Today – Tribal college part of NASA plan

Vox – How to clear the air in the most polluted cities on Earth

Grist – In Chaco Canyon, a moratorium on oil and gas leases might be too little too late

Reuters – Biden voices support for new U.S. mines, if they don’t repeat past sins

The Hill – Supreme Court rebuffs Dakota Access appeal

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

Bloomberg – How the Supreme Court Could Decide Biden’s Climate Future

E&E News – Why the White House never released its 2030 climate strategy

Axios – The U.S. is now energy independent

The Guardian – The great greenwashing scam: PR firms face reckoning after spinning for big oil

Public Service News – Voters in AZ, West Worried About Water, Climate Change

CNN – Biden administration freezes new oil and gas drilling leases after court rules against key climate tool

WPI – New Negative-Emission Construction Material Could Help Mitigate Climate Change and Improve Infrastructure 

Time – An Effort to Make the American Corn Industry Climate-Friendly Has Turned Into a Political Melee in the Midwest

Reuters – U.S. EPA commits to increasing biofuel use, targets not yet finalized

NPR – Soot is accelerating snow melt in popular parts of Antarctica, a study finds

Inside Climate News – Researchers Say Science Skewed by Racism is Increasing the Threat of Global Warming to People of Color

ITEP Tribes and Climate Change Monthly Newsletter

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Grist – The Biden administration is updating truck pollution standards

Reuters – Mercedes-Benz foresees EV-only production lines within a few years

Vox – The mystery of methane gone missing

Turlock Journal – Air District receives $36.5M to deploy zero-emission trucks in the Valley

CNBC – Toyota and Yamaha are developing a hydrogen-fueled V8 engine

Financial Times – Tesla’s reverse on battery cells signals shift for electric vehicles

The Guardian – Oil and gas facilities could profit from plugging methane leaks, IEA says

CNBC – Airbus plans to test hydrogen engine on A380 jumbo jet to fly in 2026

Indoor Air Quality

Medical Xpress – Omitting indoor air quality from COVID-19 guidance for shelters and long-term care homes is a grave mistake

Modern Building Services – Why our buildings should be safe havens for good indoor air quality