TOP STORIES
NTAA welcomes Maranda Hamme, Environmental Manager for the Craig Tribal Association to the NTAA Executive Committee as the Alternate Alaska Representative! Maranda joins Ann Wyatt who is the Primary Alaska Representative on the NTAA EC and is the Environmental Planner for the Klawock Cooperative Association. Click here to learn about the NTAA Executive Committee.
NTAA welcomes the newest member Tribes to the family of NTAA member Tribes: The Chickahominy Indian Tribe in Region 3 and The Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Region 6. With the addition of both these Tribes, NTAA’s membership now includes 151 member Tribes! Click here to learn more!
NTAA Releases a Policy Resource Kit on EPA’s Supplemental Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (SNPRM) for Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science
The NTAA has released this Fact Sheet, to help your Tribe in developing a response to EPA. Comments are due by April 17, 2020. NTAA is also holding an informational webinar for Tribes to better understand this proposal and ask questions on Tuesday, April 7, 2020 at 2pm ET. Register, view documents, and hear the audio for the informational webinar here. Stay tuned to the NTAA’s website for the complete PRK!
Health and Human Services Announces $80M to Support COVID-19 Response in Indian Country
The Department of Health and Human Services announced an $80 million spend plan for tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations to support COVID-19 response efforts in Indian Country. Read the full release from HHS here.
NTAA and ITEP, in consultation with the 2020 NTFAQ Planning Committee, has determined that in the interest of public health and the well-being of our communities across the country, the 2020 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality will be cancelled. At this time, we are exploring options for rescheduling the event so that we can continue to deliver the high-quality experience you have come to expect from the NTFAQ. We are offering registration fee refunds for those who already submitted payment, and will be working closely with our project partners to communicate the cancellation, as well as plans for the future. If you have questions or comments, please contact andy.bessler@nau.edu.
HEADLINES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
Indian Country Today – ‘We have a deal’ on emergency spending
ABC News – Tribes take measures to slow spread of new coronavirus
The Hill – Advocacy groups push back on ‘business as usual’ at EPA during coronavirus
Los Angeles Times – Does air pollution make you more susceptible to coronavirus? California won’t like the answer
Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Letters – Ammonia has been wrongly missing in portraying air pollution impacts
AP – Rules to reduce New Mexico methane emissions begin drafted
Indian Country Today – Indian Country’s COVID-19 syllabus
Indian Country Today – Dancing for the people (virtually)
NY Times – How the Coronavirus Crisis May Hinder Efforts to Fight Wildfires
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
Grist – The key ingredient to surviving both coronavirus and climate change: our shared sense of humanity
ABC3340 – Amid pandemic, US coal industry seeks lower taxes, royalties
Bloomberg Green – Coal Is Now the World’s Most Expensive Fossil Fuel
E&E News – U.N. shifts from climate change to coronavirus
Cronkite News – Lower carbon-capture costs could entice businesses to address climate change
Yes! Magazine – Why Coronavirus Is Humanity’s Wake-Up Call
CarbonBrief – Restoring soils could remove up to ‘5.5bn tonnes’ of greenhouse gases every year
ENN – Hidden Source of Carbon Found at the Arctic Coast
Toxics/Mobile Sources
NY Times – Traffic and Pollution Plummet as U.S. Cities Shut Down for Coronavirus
Huffpost – Airline Union Leader to Push For New Climate Rules amid Fight over Bailout
NY Times – Big Rigs Begin to Trade Diesel for Electric Motors
NPR – Louisiana’s Chemical Corridor Is Expanding. So Are Efforts to Stop It
EPA – EPA Extends Deadline to Apply for Community-Scale Air Toxics Monitoring Grants
Clean Technica – The Electric Car Cost Tipping Point
Indoor Air Quality
EU Today – The predicted “air pollution pandemic” includes an indoor threat
Malay Mail – Confinement: How to minimize air pollution inside your home
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins
