UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NEW! Department of Interior, Bureau of Indian Affairs Updates List of Federally Recognized Tribes

On January 30, 2020, the Department of Interior published the current list of 574 Tribal entities recognized by and eligible for funding and services from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) by virtue of their status as Indian Tribes. The list is updated from the notice published on February 1, 2019 (84 FR 1200).

NEW! Final rule: Air Toxics Standards for Asphalt Processing and Asphalt Roofing Manufacturing RTR

On January 30, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued minor amendments to the 2003 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Asphalt Processing and Asphalt Roofing Manufacturing facilities and determined that risks from these source categories are acceptable. In addition, the agency identified no developments in practices, processes or control technologies that would further reduce emissions of hazardous air pollutants. EPA is finalizing no significant changes to the original NESHAP for this source category and has determined the standards continue to provide an ample margin of safety to protect public health and the environment. EPA is finalizing minor amendments to the existing regulation. These amendments clarify that the standards are applicable during periods of startup, shutdown and malfunction and require electronic reporting of performance test results, notifications of compliance status and semi-annual reports. The amendments also provide more flexibility for the monitoring requirements and require compliance testing at least once every 5 years. For more information, including a pre-publication version of the final rule and a summary fact sheet, click here.

NEW! Final rule: Air Toxics Standards for Stationary Combustion Turbines RTR

On January 31, 2020, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued minor amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Stationary Combustion Turbines. EPA evaluated the risks remaining after fully implementing the 2004 NESHAP for Stationary Combustion Turbines and determined that risks from this source category are acceptable. In addition, the agency identified no developments in practices, processes or control technologies that would further reduce emissions of air toxics. EPA is not making significant changes to the original NESHAP for this source category and has determined the standards continue to provide an ample margin of safety to protect public health and the environment. EPA is finalizing only minor amendments to the existing regulation. These amendments clarify that the standards are applicable during periods of startup, shutdown and malfunction and require electronic reporting of performance test results. For more information, including a pre-publication version of the final amendments and a summary fact sheet, visit this link.

Marama Webinar Series: Air Pollution Meteorology & Modeling

PART 1 – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2020, 1:30 – 3:00 PM ET

PART 2 – WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020, 1:30 – 3:00 PM ET

This two-part webinar series provides an introduction to the basics of air-pollution meteorology and dispersion modeling using the USEPA reference model, AERMOD. Students will learn meteorological concepts as well as the mechanics of running AERMOD and the screening model AERSCREEN. A practical example will be included. Each webinar session will last approximately 1.5 hours. Please CLICK HERE to register for BOTH webinars in this series by Friday, January 31, 2020. After you register, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

NEW! ITEP Course: Composting Strategies and Tribal Food Security (apply by February 12)

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals will be offering a new course, “Compost Programs and Tribal Food Security,” in the Bay Area, California, March 31-April 2, 2020. This course is for employees of federally-recognized tribes and is intended to focus on creating compost to build healthy soils to grow traditional foods. This course will be taught by presenters from two different tribes that have been successful in starting their own composting programs and using that compost to help them grow food on their reservation. They will share their experiences, expertise, and tips for success on a variety of composting and growing operations. During this course, we will have the opportunity to visit two different sites: a larger scale composting project in the Bay Area that is incredibly efficient at turning inputs into sellable compost as well as a teaching garden focused on cross-tribal, cross-generational growing that incorporates traditional and culturally-significant foods. These field trips will allow participants to better determine the right size composting program for their Tribe as well as get information on how to get started. We will also have guest speakers to talk about the importance of culturally significant foods. Attendees will participate in small group activities, allowing them to work directly with fellow tribal professionals, putting into practice what they learn during the lectures. This course will be limited to twenty participants. We anticipate a high degree of interest in this course, so a maximum of two applications from any one tribe will be considered. The individuals selected will have their lodging covered by ITEP. All participants are responsible for their own travel and per diem. If you are interested in applying for this course please submit an application to Julie.Jurkowski@nau.edu by Wednesday, February 12. The application can be found on our training page.

Seeking nominations for Alaska’s Alternate Representative on the National Tribal Air Association Executive Committee!

The nomination deadline has been extended to February 14, 2020. For more information on this opportunity, please contact Kayla Krauss at krauss.kayla@epa.gov, Ann Wyatt (NTAA’s current Alaska representative) at 907-755-2265 or annwyatt@klawocktribe.org, or Andy Bessler at 928-523-0526 or andy.bessler@nau.edu.

Request for Applications for EPA’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program, RFA#: EPA-OAR-IO-20-03, Closing Date: March 13, 2020

EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation (OAR) is soliciting applications from eligible entities to provide comprehensive air quality policy and regulatory analysis including support and national coordination activities to assist tribes in understanding, participating in, and responding to OAR’s policy and regulatory activities. The total estimated funding for this competitive opportunity is approximately $8,000,000 over five years. EPA anticipates awarding one cooperative agreement from this announcement, subject to availability of funds, the quality of applications received, and other applicable considerations.

Interested in Strategic Planning? Community Outreach? Enroll in ITEP’s online courses!

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is pleased to offer professional development training to new and seasoned tribal professionals through interactive online courses. The Tribal Strategic Planning/ETEP and Partnerships & Community Outreach courses will be available February 13 – March 20, 2020. The two online courses listed here are fee-based and have instructors to ensure your individual questions are answered in a timely manner during the course period.

Instructors:

Sharon Hausam, Ph.D., AICP, Pueblo of Laguna, Planning Program Manager
Ondrea Barber, former Director for the Gila River Indian Community’s Department of Environmental Quality and Manager for the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community’s Environmental Protection & Natural Resources Division

These online courses contain assignments, quizzes, videos, examples, and other resources. You will continue to have access to course materials after the course end date. Learn more and register for the two courses using the following links:

Virgil Masayesva Excellence Award and TAMS Steering Committee

The TAMS Center is announcing a call for nominations for the Virgil Masayesva Tribal Air Programs Excellence Award and three (3) positions on the TAMS Steering Committee. Further information and the nomination forms are online and can be accessed at: Virgil Masayesva Excellence Award Nomination Form and TAMS Steering Committee Nomination Form. The deadline to submit the nominations is February 28, 2020. We sincerely appreciate your time to consider submitting a nomination. For further information, please contact either Farshid Farsi, TAMS-EPA Codirector (Farsi.Farshid@epa.gov or 702-784-8263), or Christopher Lee, TAMS-ITEP Codirector (christopher.lee@nau.edu).

Ogden, Murphy, Wallace 21st Annual Tribal Environmental Seminar

Our 21st Annual OMW Tribal Environmental Seminar program will take place in Seattle, over a one and one-half day period, on Wednesday, March 25 and Thursday, March 26, 2020. Tribal leaders, Tribal environmental program managers, and Tribal in-house counsel are invited to attend the OMW Tribal Environmental Seminar as our guests at no charge. The theme for the 2020 Seminar is “Using Federal, Tribal and State Law to Protect the Tribal Homeland and Preserve Tribal Rights and Resources.” For more information and to reserve your place at the table please give Jennifer Sanscrainte or Melody Wasley a call at 206.447.7000.

Air Quality Awareness Week: May 4-8, 2020

On behalf of our AirNow partners – NOAA National Weather Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Forest Service, and U.S. Department of State – EPA is pleased to announce that Air Quality Awareness Week 2020 will be celebrated May 4 – 8. Our theme this year is Better Air, Better Health! Our goal is to promote events that increase air quality awareness and the effects of air quality on health, as well as encourage people to check the AQI daily. We plan to focus on the following daily topics this year, featuring one each day on the AQAW website:

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.)

We will release the website on Monday May 4, the first day of AQAW (see www.airnow.gov/airaware). We would love to help spread the word about your Air Quality Awareness Week programs and events. Please send information about your events to lee.debra@epa.gov as soon as you have it available, and we will post it on our events page. (For examples from 2019, visit this link.) Don’t forget to tag @airnow in your social media posts! We’ll be using the hashtag #AQAW2020 this year. You are welcome to post comments to the AirNow Facebook page to let everyone know how your events are going.

Save the Date: 21^st Annual National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) on May 27-29, 2020, hosted by the Muscogee (Creek) Nation in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The NTFAQ provides environmental professionals from tribes, EPA, and other organizations an opportunity to meet and discuss current policies, regulatory initiatives, and technical topics in air quality. The NTFAQ is a cooperative endeavor co-sponsored by The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) and the National Tribal Air Association (NTAA), made possible by funding from US EPA and our generous sponsors. We are soliciting tribal co-hosts for the 2020 NTFAQ! Stay tuned to the ITEP website for information on registration, scholarships, and more.

Save the Date: Tribal Lands and Environment Forum on August 17-20, 2020

This year’s Tribal Lands and Environment Forum: A National Conversation on Waste and Response Strategies, will take place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, August 17-20, 2020. Registration, session proposal forms, travel information, and field trip announcements will all be coming soon. Stay tuned! www.nau.edu/TLEF

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.

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, February 5, 2 pm ET
Mobile Sources Work Group: This monthly work group addresses all mobile source pollution issues.	Thursday, February 6, 2pm ET
Indoor Air Quality Work Group: Join this work group every other month to help support IAQ work throughout Indian Country.	Thursday, February 20, 2pm ET
EPA Policy Call: Call in to hear updates from EPA on policies, actions, and tools relevant to Indian Country and Air Quality.	Thursday, February 27, 2pm ET
Wood Smoke Work Group: Join this work group every other month to address wood smoke issues in Indian Country.	Thursday, March 19, 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 Quality Computations	February 11-14	Phoenix, AZ	1
Fundamentals of Air Monitoring	February 25-27	TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV	2
Indoor Air Quality Diagnostic Tools in Alaska	March 3-6	AK – TBD	2
Air Pollution Technology	March 10-13	Flagstaff, AZ	2
Meteorological Monitoring	April 14-16	TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV	3
National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ)	May	TBD
Air Pollution Modeling	Fall 2020	TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV	3
Air Quality Outreach	TBD	TBD	1

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

NEW! February 5 and 19, Noon (ET) – Ask the Expert

Every other 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.

NEW! February 11, 1 PM (ET) – Portfolio Manager 201

Continue to learn about EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool with a deeper dive into more advanced functionalities such as: editing property data; correcting and updating property use details; using the data quality checker; and sharing property data.

NEW! February 12, 1 PM (ET) – ENERGY STAR and Green Building Rating Systems

Learn how to use EPA tools and resources to help meet requirements for green building rating systems such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the Green Globes system, and others.

NEW! February 13th, 3 PM (ET) – Groundwork Climate Safe Neighborhoods Program Webinar

What does race have to do with urban heat islands, flooding and other climate-related impacts? Join this webinar to learn about the Groundwork Climate Safe Neighborhoods program and how Groundwork communities are documenting the relationship between historical race-based housing segregation and the current and predicted impacts of climate change. Hear from Groundwork Richmond, California and Groundwork Elizabeth, New Jersey about methods for collecting and sharing data in their communities.

NEW! February 26, 2 PM (ET) – Portfolio Manager 301

With a good background on the basic functionality of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager tool, learn about some advanced features including: using spreadsheet upload templates to update property data; setting goals and targets to plan energy improvements for properties; creating custom reports; and using the Sustainable Buildings Checklist.

NEW! February 26, 11 AM (MT) – Energy Efficiency Basics

When trying to lower energy bills or reduce environmental impact from energy generation, the first step is to look for opportunities to increase energy efficiency. This webinar will define what energy efficiency is and explore how to identify potential measures to reduce Tribal energy use.

NEW! 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! National Tribal & Indigenous Climate Conference August 31-September 4, 2020

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is honored to host the

United States’ First annual 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, which will include a balance of Western Science and Traditional Indigenous Knowledges. Topic areas will address: impacts, assessments, adaptation, mitigation, implementation, and solutions. This conference will allow an opportunity to share information and support one another. We welcome all to join us in 2020!

Location: Minneapolis/St. Paul area
Registration fee: $200
Deadline: TBD
NTICC info here!

ITEP’s Climate Change Adaptation Training Courses registration is online! Learn more about the courses and register here.

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Experts to Gather to Discuss the Public Health Threat from Gasoline Aromatics

Thursday, February 6, 2020, 8am-5pm EST

A live webcast will be streamed at www.eesi.org/livecast

The discussion will highlight alternatives to gasoline aromatics that benefit public health, the environment/climate change, national security, and the economy. These solutions could be implemented in the upcoming Safer Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule. Panel highlights include discussions on gasoline aromatics and EPA’s duty to control them, how gasoline aromatics are the new lead, new science emphasizing corn ethanol’s low carbon intensity factors and more.

NEW! Draft EPA Port-Related Emission Inventory Methodologies Document Available

The public draft of the “Methodologies for Estimating Port-Related and Goods Movement Mobile Source Emission Inventories” is now available. This document describes the latest, state-of-the-science methodologies for preparing a port-related emissions inventory for six mobile source sectors: ocean-going vessels, harbor craft, recreational marine, cargo handling equipment, onroad vehicles, and rail. This draft document reflects new data sources and model availability, and integrates the lessons learned from practical experience with EPA-Port Everglades Partnership and National Port Strategy Assessment. This document supersedes EPA’s 2009 “Current Methodologies in Preparing Mobile Source Port-Related Emission Inventories.” Interested stakeholders can send any feedback on this draft to talkaboutports@epa.gov by March 31, 2020. In addition, EPA encourages stakeholders to use this document when developing inventories. EPA will consider any feedback received on the public draft in a future revision to this document. EPA will be hosting a public webinar on February 25^th, 2020 at 2pm Eastern (webinar calendar invite attached) to provide a background of the work leading to this update, approach and scope of the update, and updated methodologies by mobile source sector. For more information, please visit this link.

Federal Register Publication Notice: EPA’s Cleaner Trucks Initiative — Advance Notice of Proposed Rule

The EPA’s Advance Notice of Proposed Rule (ANPR) titled “Control of Air Pollution from New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine Standards” has been published in the Federal Register. Please note that the 30-day comment period for this ANPR began Monday, January 21, 2020, and all comments must be submitted on or before February 20, 2020. The EPA websites, ANPR: Control of Air Pollution from New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine Standards

and Cleaner Trucks Initiative will be updated, replacing the earlier “pre-publication” version of the ANPR with the official version in the link above. The NTAA will be submitting a request for comment extension as well as developing a Policy Resource Kit.

Green Transportation Summit & Expo and the West Coast Collaborative Partners Meeting April 13-15, 2020

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 in Tacoma this April 13-15. 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 10^th 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

The Human Forest: Volatile Chemical Products Contribute to Urban Air Pollution

Wednesday, February 5, 2020, 1:00-2:00pm EST

Recent work in Los Angeles has shown that emissions from consumer product and industrial solvent use – collectively, volatile chemical products (VCPs) – contribute as much to the abundance of urban volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as the emissions from motor vehicles. VCP emissions are predominantly emitted to the indoor environment, but are then transported to the outdoors via building exhaust. In this presentation, we will show that VCP emissions are ubiquitous in U.S. cities and correlate with urban population density.

Join the webinar here.

EPA’s Residential Wood Smoke Workshop in New Orleans, March 10-12, 2020

Workshop Background Information: Workshop participants will include state, local, tribal, federal and non-profit organization personnel. Workshop participants will discuss residential wood heating/combustion program issues, opportunities, challenges, lessons learned, and partnerships as outlined in the draft agenda. This Workshop will be held in conjunction with the Hearth, Patio and Barbeque Association (HPBA) Trade Show/Expo, which offers Workshop participants a valuable opportunity to tour the Trade Show floor and meet with industry representatives. At the Expo a wide variety of hearth technologies are on display including cordwood, wood pellet, coal and gas stoves, wood-fired central heating system. You do not need to register for the HBPA Expo – by registering for the Wood Smoke Workshop you will receive a name tag-pass for the Expo. The Workshop is being coordinated and supported by EPA, the Western States Air Resources Council, the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management and National Tribal Air Association. More information can be found here, or contact Larry Brockman, brockman.larry@epa.gov, 919-541-5398.

Be sure to subscribe to CodeTalk, HUD’s Office of Native American Programs newsletter, for webinars and opportunities!