Top Stories
NTAA Releases its White Paper on Wood Heater Emission Pilot Project for Indian Country
This White Paper is based on an earlier proposal on Wood Heaters Emissions Reduction Act otherwise known as WHERA. The Act is no longer considered in this year’s budget process even though much of Indian Country still rely on wood heaters as a main source for heating their homes. A pilot effort to support changeouts modeled after WHERA, would be appropriate to support and protect public health in Indian Country as well as to identify and resolve issues common with other areas in the country to support future changeout programs. The paper was developed by NTAA Policy Advisory Committee Member, Laura McKelvey. Discussion of this paper will be provided on Thursday’s WSWG call at 2pm EST. Don’t miss out!
You are invited to join a national training on EPA’s draft methane rule being held by EPA’s OAQPS on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.
You can view the agenda here. You can register for either day using the November 17th registration link and the November 18th registration link. More information on EPA’s training can be found here. NTAA will be hosting a 45-minute feedback breakout session as part of the training starting at 3:30 pm ET, so be sure to attend if you wish to share your feedback on EPA’s proposed rule. NTAA will be sharing a quick summary of initial feedback on the rule as part of NTAA’s policy analysis for Tribes. You can view tomorrow’s slide deck from NTAA here.
The EPA just recently posted their draft New Source Performance Standards Updates, Emissions Guidelines to Reduce Methane and Other Harmful Pollution from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. EPA will be holding a public hearing on this draft rule on November 30 and December 1, 2021 to provide the public the opportunity to present comments and information on the Agency’s proposed New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines for the oil and natural gas industry. The proposal would expand and strengthen emissions reduction requirements that are currently on the books for new, modified and reconstructed oil and natural gas sources, and would require states to reduce methane emissions from hundreds of thousands of existing sources nationwide for the first time. To register to speak at the hearing, please click the link: Eventbrite/Oil and Gas Virtual Hearing
- Dates of hearing: Tuesday, November 30, 2021 and Wednesday, December 1, 2020.
- Time: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time both days. Registration closes November 24, 2021.
NTAA will provide opening remarks for an EPA Training on this draft methane rule today on November 17, 2021. you can view a PDF of the slide show here. The NTAA Fact Sheet will be published soon as well as a NTAA template letter for Tribes to use to comment. Finally, NTAA will submit a comment letter on the comment deadline.
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
White House Tribal Summit – WH Tribal Fact Sheet
White House Tribal Summit – WH Tribal Nations Summit Progress Report
US News – Biden Signs $1T Infrastructure Bill
E&E News – States press EPA for environmental justice guidance
Vox – Animals need infrastructure, too
Greenwire – EPA to preserve Trump-era airplane emissions rule
NY Times – How Much Are Countries Pledging to Reduce Emissions?
NPR – New Delhi’s air pollution is so bad, officials are calling for a citywide lockdown
High Country News – The nation’s last uranium mill plans to import Estonia’s radioactive waste
Cronkite News – Q&A: Navajo woman starts nonprofit to improve maternal health
NY Times – Biden to Bar New Drilling Around a Major Native American Cultural Site
Here’s where you’ll find this week’s NACAA Washington Update !
Climate Change/Energy
NY Times – 6 takeaways from the U.N. Climate Conference.
Democracy Now – Walkout: Outraged by New COP26 Pact, Civil Society Holds People’s Plenary & Leaves Climate Summit
Reuters – How a dispute over coal nearly sank the Glasgow Climate Pact
The Guardian – ‘The pressure for change is building’: reactions to the Glasgow climate pact
NY Times – Baby Born 19 Weeks Early Defies Long Odds and Astonishes Doctors
Thomas Reuters Foundation News – EXPLAINER: What did vulnerable countries fight for at the COP26 climate summit?
Climatewire – A coal plant fights to stay open. It could enrich Manchin
Toxics/Mobile Sources
Grist – Midwest tribes awarded $6.6 million to build their own EV charging network
Electrek – Congress passes $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, $12,500 EV tax credit still awaits passage
Forbes – EV Incentive Hike Faces Tortuous Path Through Congress
NBC News – Company maps minerals from the sky for electric vehicle batteries
Oil Price – U.S. Consumers To Foot The Bill For Surge In Natural Gas Exports, The World’s Largest LNG Exporter
Grist – Natural gas company goes to great lengths to avoid saying the word ‘pipeline’
Utility Dive – Global EV sales rise 80% in 2021, as automakers including Ford, GM commit to zero emissions: BNEF
CNBC – ‘Too risky’ to not use both battery electric and hydrogen tech, Daimler Truck CEO says
Indoor Air Quality
Air Quality News – National Air Quality Conference: The Report
ACHR News – Experts Expect Interest in IAQ to Continue after COVID
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins
