UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
NEW! Environmental Relations & Management in North America Post COVID-19 webinar and panel discussion
Friday, May 1, 2020, 12:00pm MST
Over time, environmental relations between the United States and its northern and southern neighbors, have waxed and waned in addressing water quality and quantity issues, air pollution and protecting environmental resources. Diplomatic, technical and scientific endeavors have all played a role in moving forward a robust policy agenda to mitigate environmental problems between the three countries. During this webinar, we will discuss 1) the state of policy play in US-Mexico environmental relations before the pandemic hit; 2) what impacts is the COVID-19 crisis having on policy dynamics; and 3) what strategies do we need to be thinking about as we push policy forward in an altered, post-COVID-19 world? Panelist will discuss water management on the U.S.-Mexico border region, diplomatic efforts related to environmental policymaking and how the climate change policy agenda is being impacted by the pandemic and what we might want to think about for the post-COVID period in terms of border environmental management.
AirNow’s 2020 Air Quality Awareness Week
May 4-8, 2020
The theme for this year is Better Air, Better Health! Our goal is to promote events that increase air quality awareness and encourage people to check the Air Quality Index (AQI) daily. We plan to focus on the following daily topics this year, featuring one each day on the AQAW website (which will be released on May 4, the first day of AQAW):
- Monday – Wildfires & Smoke
- Tuesday – Asthma & Your Health
- Wednesday – Where’s Your AQI Coming From?
- Thursday – Air Quality Around the World
- Friday – Shout-out of state and local events (Send us yours! See examples at the link below.)
Stay tuned here for more information!
U.S. EPA would also like to share with you a new student engagement activity that was developed this year, Why I Care about Clean Air (instructions found in link), that can easily be distributed and completed from home. With Air Quality Awareness Week coming up soon May 4-8, they hope this activity will prompt students of all ages to express themselves creatively as well as think about how air quality issues impact their own lives on a personal level.
NEW! Tribal Lands and Environment Forum (TLEF) is accepting proposals for TLEF: A Virtual Gathering
Deadline: May 8, 2020
As announced a few weeks ago, we will not be conducting an in-person Tribal Lands and Environment Forum this year due to the pandemic. However, we are offering a special TLEF: A Virtual Gathering that will take place this August! This series of events will feature live online events, on-demand prerecorded sessions, and virtual field trips, and we’re also designing opportunities to join online and live group discussions with mentors, presenters and colleagues.
We are now accepting proposals from you! Please check out the TLEF website at www.nau.edu/tlef and click on the Proposal tab for more information and the online submission form. And do note, the deadline is May 8.
These are very uncertain times, when many are facing not only serious health concerns but economic, social, and psychological challenges as well. And yet we all find strength in working with one another. Those of you who have been to past TLEFs know how powerful and inspiring it is to share stories – successes and challenges! – and rekindling our relationships. So we do look forward to seeing your proposals for case studies, virtual tours of your sites and facilities, strategies you’re using to protect your lands and communities. We’ll be sending out additional information over the next few weeks, but in the meantime be sure to visit www.nau.edu/tlef. We wish all of you peace and good health.
Draft Guidance: Interpretation of “Begin Action Construction” Under the NSR Preconstruction Permitting Regulations
Comments due: May 11, 2020
EPA is providing an opportunity for interested stakeholders to review and comment on the draft guidance titled, Interpretation of “Begin Actual Construction” Under the New Source Review Preconstruction Permitting Regulations. This guidance addresses EPA’s interpretation of “begin actual construction” under the regulations implementing the New Source Review (NSR) permitting program. In this draft guidance, EPA is adopting a revised interpretation that is more consistent with the regulatory text. Under this revised interpretation, a source owner or operator may, prior to obtaining an NSR permit, undertake physical on-site activities – including activities that may be costly, that may significantly alter the site, and/or are permanent in nature – provided that those activities do not constitute physical construction on an emissions unit. EPA will accept comment on this draft guidance through Monday, May 11, 2020. The draft guidance, and a link for submitting comments, is available at: https://www.epa.gov/nsr.
E-Enterprise National Meeting: Envisioning the Future of Environmental Protection
EE2020 is the latest in a long-running series of meetings sponsored by E-Enterprise for the Environment and the National Environmental Information Exchange Network. On May 12-14, 2020, EE2020 will bring together a broad community of attendees from state, tribal, and local environmental agencies, U.S. EPA, vendors, and other stakeholders with an interest in improving the productivity and responsiveness of the environmental protection enterprise. The meeting integrates content on information technology, program modernization, and process improvement. Click here to learn more about EE2020, the benefits of attending, and ways to get involved.
NEW! Wildland Fire Community Engagement and Data Visualization Tools Webinar
Wednesday, May 20, 3-4pm ET
This presentation will highlight two wildland fire smoke and health projects. Smoke Sense is a crowdsourcing, citizen science app which engages the public to broaden awareness of wildland fire smoke locally as well as health protective measures and behaviors. This presentation will share findings from the past two wildfire seasons including community engagement and data visualization tools. The Smoke Ready Communities project offers a model and framework to help communities improve their response. It supports collaboration and capacity building and also fosters preparedness and response to wildfire smoke episodes. This presentation will share a solutions-driven approach for helping reduce the public health burden of smoke intrusion at the community level. Participants will learn about how these projects can integrate a community capacity lens with resources specifically related to wildland fire smoke, air quality and health.
Tribal Grants Education and Technical Assistance Webinar Series Second Wednesday of Every Month at 1pm ET
For more information, click here!
NTAA Upcoming Calls. The toll-free number is 1-800-309-2350. If you do not need to call toll free, or would like to help conserve NTAA funding, you can call 1-805-309-2350. Both numbers use code 928-523-0526#. Contact Andy.Bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions about any call! *Registration instructions* When you register for the GoToWebinar, please remember to include your Tribe, Region, or Organization in parenthesis after your last name. This allows you to see everyone on the call and prevents us from conducting a roll-call, ultimately saving everyone’s time.
| EPA Policy Call: Call in to hear updates from EPA on policies, actions, and tools relevant to Indian Country and Air Quality. | Thursday, April 30, 2pm ET |
| STAR Planning Call: The NTAA Status of Tribal Air Report (STAR) helps tell the story of Tribal Air Programs, why additional funding for Tribes is critical to advance air quality, and is a great resource for Tribes. | Wednesday, May 6, 2 pm ET
This is also the deadline for submissions! |
| Mobile Sources Work Group: This monthly work group addresses all mobile source pollution issues. | Thursday, May 7, 2pm ET
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| Wood Smoke Work Group: Join this work group every other month to address wood smoke issues in Indian Country. | Thursday, May 21, 2pm ET |
| Indoor Air Quality Work Group: Join this work group every other month to help support IAQ work throughout Indian Country. | Thursday, June 18, 2pm ET |
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professional’s (ITEP’s) Tribes and Climate Change Calendar includes conferences, trainings, webinars and other events related to tribes and climate change.
Click here for ITEP’s other trainings and events.
Click here for ITEP’s new Tribal Environmental Management and Planning Online Courses. New courses have been added, so check it out!
ITEP’s FY20 AIAQTP Course Schedule
| Course Title | Dates | Location | Course Level |
| 2020 | |||
| Air Pollution Technology (Postponed!) | TBD | Flagstaff, AZ | 2 |
| Meteorological Monitoring (Postponed!) | Fall 2020 | TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV | 3 |
| Air Pollution Modeling | Fall 2020 | TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV | 3 |
| Air Quality Outreach | TBD | TBD | 1 |
| National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) (Postponed!) | May 2021 | Tulsa, OK | n/a |
| Air Quality Planning for Wildland Smoke | Anytime | Series of 6 recorded webinars | n/a |
| Indoor Air Quality – Independent Study | Anytime | Independent Study | 1 |
| Building Performance: Improving IAQ in Cold Climates | Open | Online | 1 |
| Building Performance: Improving IAQ in Warm Climates | In development | Online | 1 |
| Residential Building Science Review | Open | Online | 1 |
| Radon Fundamentals | Open | Online | 1 |
| Quality Assurance Fundamentals (QA 101) | Open | Online | 1 |
| Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP) (QA 201-209) | Open | Online | 2 |
| Emissions Inventory Fundamentals | Open | Online | 2 |
| Emissions Inventory Advanced | Open | Online | 3 |
| Note: This schedule is subject to change. For up-to-date information, course descriptions, and applications please visit http://www7.nau.edu/itep/main/Training/training_air/ | |||
Climate Change / Energy
April 29, Noon (ET) – Ask the Expert
Every Wednesday ENERGY STAR holds a Portfolio Manager “Ask the Expert” session. It’s a live webinar that gives all users an opportunity to ask their questions directly to EPA experts in an open forum. Want to talk to a “real” person? Have a question about how Portfolio Manager calculates your score? Want to learn more about entering Green Power? Join ENERGY STAR, and they’ll answer all your questions about ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager in this public forum.
April 29, 11 AM (MT) – Developing your energy vision: what do you want your tribe’s energy vision to be?
Once the low-hanging fruit of energy efficiency has been addressed, longer-term planning on future energy needs and energy options is needed. If you don’t identify where you want to go, you can’t plot the course to get there. This webinar will explore how tribes can develop a vision for their energy future.
NEW! ITEP’s Cultural Resiliency Webinar, Part 1: Dr. Tommy Begay
Tuesday, May 5th, 1-2:15pm (PDT)
Please join us for part 1 of a 3-part cultural resiliency webinar series: Addressing Mental Health Impacts due to Climate Change. Part one is titled Sacred Wisdom: The Path to Balance and Natural Order, featuring Dr. Tommy Begay.
- Webinar Announcement Click Here
- Flyer Click Here
- Registration Link Click Here
Deadline Extended! Call for Proposals: National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference August 31-September 3, 2020, St. Paul, Minnesota
Proposals now due: May 29, 2020
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is honored to host the United States’ first Biennial National Tribal and Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) along with support from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Tribal Resilience Program. The NTICC is open to all US tribal nations and Indigenous Peoples from throughout the world, with an emphasis on including our Elders and
Youth. The NTICC will convene experts on climate change and will include a balance of Traditional Indigenous Knowledges and Western Science. We invite people to submit proposals discussing climate-related impacts, assessments, tools, adaptation planning, mitigation and actions in one or more of the following tracks:
- Indigenous Knowledges
- Air, Health & Well-Being
- Land
- Water
- Relocation
- Infrastructure
- Energy Systems
- Food Sovereignty
- Ecosystems and Biodiversity
CC 202 Online Course: Tribal Hazard Mitigation Planning
Application deadline extended to May 1
Course dates: October 2020-September 2021
Course goal: To support Tribe’s hazard mitigation planning through peer-to-peer learning and knowledge exchanges in a facilitated cohort focused on the process of developing or updating a Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plan, which looks “at natural hazards that may affect tribal governments and suggests actions to reduce losses from those hazards” (FEMA Tribal Mitigation Planning Resources). The course will be based around FEMA’s hazard mitigation plan requirements and will connect participants to resources, tools, information, and additional specialized expertise on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, various natural hazards, climate change in the context of natural hazards, FEMA’s four-phases of emergency management (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery), cultural considerations, Tribal/Indigenous Knowledges, community outreach and engagement, hazard identification and risk assessment, asset inventorying, and developing and implementing an action plan. Follow this link to find out more information and to register. Contact Karen.Cozzetto@nau.edu with questions.
South Central Climate Adaptation Science Center: Earth to Sky Workshop
Earth to Sky is a partnership between NASA, NPS, and USFWS that enables and encourages informal educators to access and use relevant NASA science, data, and educational and outreach products in their work. The partnership’s focus is on climate change science and communication. Join us for three days of training with native informal educators from across the South Central region who recognize the importance of teaching climate change. The workshop will take place July 15-17 in Sulphur, OK. Learn more here.
Save the Date: Southwest Tribal Climate Resilience Camp
Date: July 26-31, 2020
Location: Navajo Technical University – Crownpoint, NM
The Tribal Climate Resilience Camp will support teams of Tribal Leaders, climate change coordinators, planners, and program managers to build skills, gather information, and develop Tribal policies and plans needed for Tribal Nations to address climate change impacts. Information about travel, lodging, and registration will be available soon. You may contact Althea Walker, Tribal Climate Science Liaison, at AWalker@aihec.org or (480) 258-3963 with questions.
SEEKING TRIBAL DELEGATES
We are currently recruiting 10 Southwest Tribes to participate in the 2020 Camp. Each Tribe should identify three delegates per Tribe. The delegates must participate for the entire week curriculum. Delegates may include climate change staff, tribal policy leaders, Tribal Council, natural resource and environmental managers and staff, administrators, department staff from health, public works, education, housing, and other relevant departments that should engage in climate change planning. FOR APPLICATIONS Visit this link.
Save the Date: Shifting Seasons Summit 3, October 6-8, 2020, Keshena, WI
Contingency dates: March 2021
The Shifting Seasons Summit is a gathering that focuses on climate resilience planning and implementation within Tribes and across Tribal ceded territories in the Northeast Region. This summit will also include network-building opportunities and initiatives developed outside of the Northeast by capacity building organizations, academic institutions and Tribes. Visit www.NICRN.org for more details.
ITEP’s Climate Change Adaptation Training Courses registration is online! Learn more about the courses and register here.
Toxics/Mobile Sources
EPA is postponing the Toxic Substances Control Act Science Advisory Committee on Chemicals (SACC) peer review virtual meeting scheduled for April 27-30, 2020, due to recent changes in the availability of members for this peer review. While the Agency does not anticipate extending the written public comment period on the draft risk evaluation past the June 2, 2020, due date, as needs arise EPA will review and respond appropriately. All written comments received by June 2nd will be provided to the SACC for their review prior to the meeting. Once EPA has selected a new date for the meeting, the Agency will provide an update on public commenting, including registering to provide oral public comments during the SACC meeting. EPA remains committed to completing this process as expeditiously as possible. To find information about the SACC meeting, and links to related documents, visit the TSCA SACC website at https://www.epa.gov/tsca-peer-review/peer-review-draft-risk-evaluation-asbestos.
Postponed: Green Transportation Summit & Expo and the West Coast Collaborative Partners Meeting has been postponed until August 24-26, 2020
After careful consideration of the growing public health concerns associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Green Transportation Summit & Expo and the US EPA West Coast Collaborative is postponing our GTSE | WCCPM event until
August 24 – 26, 2020, at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center in Tacoma, WA.
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) and the Green Transportation Summit & Expo (GTSE) have partnered to provide 25 complimentary full-conference passes to the Green Transportation Summit & Expo. The GTSE is the Pacific Northwest’s premier clean fleet and transportation event, focusing on fleets, fuels, technologies, policy & practice, with a regional focus and a national scope. We will provide you the opportunity to see, touch, drive, and learn about new transportation technologies firsthand, such as electric, hydrogen, natural gas and propane-powered heavy-duty vehicles, off-road utility vehicles, generators, and others. Workshops on DERA, VW funding, other federal funding opportunities, and alternative fuels will be presented. Please join us at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center for the 10th annual GTSE to learn about clean transportation, how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, pollutants, and costs in your fleet operations. To learn more about the conference, check out our website. To receive the code for the complimentary passes, please contact ITEP’s Dara Marks Marino at Dara.Marks-Marino@nau.edu.
Indoor Air Quality
NEW! 2020 National Home Performance Conference
Live sessions begin April 27, 2020
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Indoor airPLUS program is a proud sponsor of the 2020 National Home Performance Conference (HPC), which is newly virtual. Connect with the Indoor airPLUS team next week and hear from indoor air quality and home performance experts. The 2020 National Home Performance Conference helps keep businesses on the cutting edge of what’s successful right now in the home performance world. This online conference offers educational content on a variety of topics, networking with thousands of industry peers, and the space to connect with sponsors and exhibitors from across the country. Interested in attending? There is still time to register for the HPC virtual conference!
Be sure to subscribe to CodeTalk, HUD’s Office of Native American Programs newsletter, for webinars and opportunities!