UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES

NEW! EPA’s Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (OAQPS) signed two actions on January 14, 2020:

 

Final Revisions to the Petition Provisions of the Title V Permitting Program

After 20 years of experience in implementing the title V petition process, EPA has identified general trends in petition content and aspects of the petition review process that pose challenges for providing efficient responses to petitions. Three key areas are covered in this final rule, each of which should aid EPA’s review and increase stakeholder understanding of the petition process. This rule provides direction on how petitions should be submitted to the agency, including encouraging the use of an electronic submittal system established by EPA as the preferred method to submit title V petitions. In addition, the rule establishes content and format requirements for title V petitions. Further, the rule requires permitting authorities to respond in writing to significant comments received during the public comment period (when applicable) for draft title V permits, and to provide that response in the form of a response to comments document with the proposed title V permit to EPA for the agency’s 45-day review period.

A pre-publication version of the final rule and a summary fact sheet are available at: https://www.epa.gov/title-v-operating-permits/current-regulations-and-regulatory-actions

 

Final Petroleum Refinery Sector Reconsideration

Today, the U.S. EPA issued the final rule, “National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Petroleum Refinery Sector.” This action finalizes the reconsideration of the 2015 final rule, “Petroleum Refinery Sector Risk and Technology Review and New Source Performance Standards.” EPA granted reconsideration of five specific issues raised by petitioners that the Agency did not provide an adequate opportunity for notice and comment regarding the 2015 final rule. In addition, today’s final rule provides corrections to drafting errors made in the 2018 Refinery MACT 1 and 2 technical amendments. A pre-publication version of the final rule and a summary fact sheet will be available at: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/petroleum-refinery-sector-rule-risk-and-technology-review-and-new

 

Student and Teacher Award Programs

Applications due: January 15, 2020

EPA’s Office of Environmental Education is now accepting applications for the 2020 President’s Environmental Youth Awards (PEYA) and Presidential Innovation Awards for Environmental Educators (PIAEE). Winners will be invited to Washington, D.C. in mid-2020 to be honored by the agency and present their work in a poster session. Established by the 1990 National Environmental Education Act (NEEA), PEYA recognizes outstanding environmental stewardship projects from Kindergarten to 12th grade, by promoting environmental awareness and encouraging community involvement. Also established by the 1990 National Environmental Education Act, PIAEE recognizes outstanding K-12 grade educators who integrate environmental and place-based, experiential learning into school curricula and school facility management across the country. Under NEAA, the White House Council on Environmental Quality assists EPA in administering the PIAEE awards program.

 

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).

 

NCAI and Center Indian Country Development to Present Webinar Series on Increasing Homeownership in Indian Country

NCAI’s Partnership for Tribal Governance and the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis’s Center for Indian Country Development (CICD) are partnering to present a four-part webinar series in January on increasing homeownership across Indian Country. Based on CICD’s Tribal Leaders Handbook on Homeownership, the series will inform tribal leaders, tribal housing staff, and their partners about best practices for homeownership program development and growth. NCAI Contact: Tyler Scribner, Policy Analyst, tscribner@ncai.org. The remaining webinars are as follows:

  • Thursday, January 16, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EST: ASSESSING COMMUNITY NEEDS. Topics will include the evolution of housing programs in Indian Country; navigating land issues; assessing tribal members’ needs; and preparing families for homeownership. To register, click here.
  • Thursday, January 23, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EST: PARTNERSHIPS AND FINANCING. Topics will include partnering on homeownership, and lending processes to optimize homeownership. To register, click here.
  • Thursday, January 30, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EST: MAKING HOMEOWNERSHIP AFFORDABLE. Topics will include making homeownership affordable, home design and construction: making the right choices, and manufactured homes: an affordable homeownership option. To register, click here.

 

Tribal Consultation Opportunity Announcement: EPA’s Draft Principles for Consulting with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Corporations

Lead Office: OITA

Open Dates: 12/16/2019 – 4/14/2020

More information on the TCOTS site.

 

Early bird registration extension for the Air Sensors International Conference

Early bird registration has been extended to January 31, 2020, for the Air Sensors International Conference. The ASIC, taking place May 12-15, 2020, will bring together stakeholders from academia, government, communities, and commercial interests to promote and advance air pollution sensors, improve the data quality from these sensors, expand the pollutants measured, and foster community involvement in monitoring air quality. More information can be found here.

 

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, January 22, 2 pm ET
Wood Smoke Work Group: Join this work group every other month to address wood smoke issues in Indian Country. Thursday, January 23, 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, January 30, 2pm 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

 

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    
Indoor Air Quality Diagnostic Tools January 28-31 TAMS Center, Las Vegas, NV 2
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

Tribal Climate Health Project 2020 Webinar Series: eight webinars on the third Tuesday of the month (9-10:30am PT) from January 21 – August 18

The Tribal Climate Health Project, an initiative of the Pala Band of Mission Indians/Pala Environmental Department, is pleased to announce the 2020 Tribal Climate & Health Adaptation Regional Cohort Webinar Series. Please visit our website for more information on how to register for this informative and engaging webinar series. This FREE interactive training is offered through a series of eight live webinars scheduled on the third Tuesday of the month (9:00 – 10:30am PT) from January 21, 2020 through August 18, 2020. The training will provide steps, tools, templates, case studies, and other resources that seek to streamline the adaptation planning process and make it easier for tribal health and environmental professionals to understand and address human health exposures and impacts within tribal communities. This training will summarize the latest data and literature on the exposures and impacts of climate change that may impact the health of tribal community members. It will also describe how to identify and select appropriate strategies to address these exposures and impacts.

 

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!

 

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

 

Toxics/Mobile Sources 

Cleaner Trucks Initiative – Advance Notice of Proposed Rule

The EPA is publishing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rule (ANPR) titled “Control of Air Pollution from New Motor Vehicles: Heavy-Duty Engine Standards.” In this ANPR, we are sharing the Agency’s early views on possible elements of the “Cleaner Trucks Initiative” and inviting comments from the public on all aspects of this future rulemaking. A pre-publication copy of this ANPR is available at this website. We are also using this opportunity to launch a new website dedicated to the Cleaner Trucks Initiative.   EPA will use this website as one means to keep stakeholders informed of the development of the Cleaner Trucks Initiative program, including periodic updates on the technical work EPA is sponsoring to help inform this regulatory development program. The Cleaner Trucks Initiative website can be found here.

 

Indoor Air Quality

January 2020 National Radon Action Month Webinar Series

Four webinars will be conducted in January. Space is limited, so register here soon! The remaining webinars are:

  • January 16, 11-11:30am ET. Radon Resources for Health Care Providers
  • January 21, 11-11:30am ET. ANSI Standards Now Available for FREE
  • January 30, 11-11:30am ET. Elevated Radionuclides in Private Wells

 

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!