UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NEW! On Friday, September 16, 2022,  the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final determinations of attainment status for air quality standards for smog. Here is a link to the press release.  

As required by the Clean Air Act, EPA is finalizing determinations for whether certain areas have attained the National Ambient Air Quality Standards that EPA established for ground-level ozone in 2008 and 2015 by the deadlines required under the law. Breathing ozone can cause coughing and a sore or scratchy throat, make it more difficult to breathe, inflame and damage airways, make lungs more susceptible to infection, aggravate lung diseases such as asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis and increase the frequency of asthma attacks. These determinations are an important step in ensuring that all areas of the country achieve healthy levels of ozone air quality, and that areas of the country that are not currently achieving health-based standards adopt additional measures required by the Clean Air Act to reduce ozone pollution. Summary fact sheets and prepublications of each rule can be found through the announcements box at:  https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution.

NEW! Office of Indian Energy Policy and Programs; Your Tribal Nation by the Numbers: Census Bureau Webinar

September 27, 2022, | 3:00 PM EDT | Register Here

During this U.S. Census Bureau training you will learn how to access demographic, socioeconomic, and housing data about American Indian and Alaska Native populations, reservations, and trust lands. The workshop will teach novice data users, grant writers, and planners to navigate and use Census Bureau data products from the Decennial Census and the American Community Survey to benefit tribal communities. 

Register today for EPA’s series of webinars, listed below, for grant applicants and recipients in September! Participants will hear from EPA staff about key aspects of the grants process and have the opportunity to submit questions. Additional information on each webinar as well as registration information can be found below. Advance registration is required, and you must register for each webinar separately. 

September 22, 2022 | 2;00 PM – 3:00 PM ET | Register Here

Learn how to identify key policies and procedures to be a grant recipient that effectively expends and documents the use of EPA grant funds.

NEW! U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) FY2022 Appropriations

To View Report Click Here.

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.

Tribal Forestry Student Summit: Investing in the Future of Tribal Forest Resources Management and Wildland Fire

October 12–14, 2022 | Click Here for More Details

Mark your calendars for this hybrid event, featuring in-person and virtual participation options, to address tribal workforce development. This summit is designed for students in forestry or related resource management programs across the country. For more info, including agenda and summit details, please visit eri.nau.edu/tribal-forestry-student-summit.

NC Radon Program Social Media Toolkit

The NC Radon Program has created a free Radon Social Media Toolkit for your use. The materials are in both English and Spanish. All of the materials are in a Google Docs folder. To access this social media toolkit folder      

EPA’s Community and Tribal Programs Group has a publicly facing Tribal Actions and Events calendar for all to use!

This calendar is also linked under the “Tribal Air and Climate Resources” webpage under the “Policy and Planning” heading available at https://www.epa.gov/tribal-air. The purpose of the calendar is to ensure that our Tribal partners are kept apprised of EPA activities that are relevant to them. If you have any questions about the calendars or any recommendations on how EPA can improve upon the calendars please do not hesitate to reach out to Toni Colon (colon.toni@epa.gov) and/or Loren Fox (fox.loren@epa.gov) with any feedback.

New Air Knowledge E–Learning Content

The Air Knowledge training team is pleased to announce the availability of new air quality training materials!

These e-learning courses and modules are at the foundational learning level and are available to tribal, state, and local air agencies through our learning management system (LMS) and to the public here. The website was recently enhanced to provide additional self-instructional and instructor-led training materials.

The new materials include:

  • A course that explains the key historic events that led to air pollution control legislation and describes progress made with air pollution control since the passage of the Clean Air Act,
  • A course that explains the basic components of state and tribal implementation plans,
  • A module that generally defines the transport and fate of air pollutants and how transport and fate are influenced by meteorology and topography,
  • A module that explains the basic aspects of an air emissions inventory, and
  • A module that explains the purposes and types of air emissions inventories, including the inventories that the EPA develops.

More detailed information about the contents of these new materials can be found in the attached document.

To access the courses and modules on the LMS (https://epaapti.csod.com), tribal air agencies and organizations can register, log in, and refer to the “What’s New” section on the home page. All other users (the public, international community, academia, industry, EPA staff, etc.) can access the courses and modules on the Air Knowledge interim website.

NTAA Upcoming Calls

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 rollcall, ultimately saving everyone’s time.

Woodsmoke Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in woodsmoke issues in Tribal communities. Contact andy.bessler@nau.edu to join the call! Thursday, September 22, 2:00 PM ET
Alaska Air Work Group: Join this work group to hear updates from EPA and Alaskans working on air quality. Contact andy.bessler@nau.edu to join the call!  

Wednesday, September 28, 10 am AK or 2 pm ET
NTAA / EPA Air Policy Update Call: Join this monthly meeting to hear updates from EPA on important air quality and climate policy updates as well as updates around the country related to Tribal Air Programs. Calls are usually on the last Thursday of every month unless it falls on a national holiday. Contact Carolyn.Kelly@nau.edu to join the call! Thursday, September 29, 2 pm ET
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in indoor air quality in Tribal homes and other buildings. Contact andy.bessler@nau.edu to join the call! Thursday, October 20, 2 pm ET.

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professional (ITEP)

Click Here for ITEP’s new Tribal Environmental Management and Planning Online Courses. Sign up for a self-paced course hosted by ITEP’s Waste and Response and Tribal Air Quality programs.  New courses have been added, so check it out!

ITEP’s American Indian Air Quality Training Program (AIAQTP) hosts the Building Performance: Improving IAQ in Cold Climates, Residential Building Science Review, Radon Fundamentals, Quality Assurance Fundamental, Writing a Quality Assurance Project Plan, Emissions Inventory Fundamentals, and Emissions Inventory Advanced.

AIAQTP Schedule and Registration 

Recorded Webinars

Looking for more information check out the Tribal Air Quality Media Space Channel. Recent webinars include an Introduction to Air Quality Programs, Emissions Inventories, Remote Professional Assistance, and Woodstoves in Indian Country. Older classics include a series on Air Quality Planning for Wildland Smoke, Tribal Air Program and Grants, Data Management, and the Clean Air Act.

ITEP’s Tribes and Climate Change Calendar includes conferences, trainings, webinars, and other events related to tribes and climate change.

EPA Tools and Resources Webinar Series

Click here to see all past and upcoming webinars hosted by the EPA.

Climate Change / Energy

The Climate Adaptation Forum will host an event on the negative impacts of climate change on the U.S. housing market, potential opportunities, and the need for affordable, climate-resilient housing. September 30, at 9:00 am ET. 

ENERGY STAR Webinar Series: ENERGY STAR will offer several webinars on Portfolio Manager. These webinars explain how to navigate different parts of Portfolio Manager, from basics to advanced features.

September 7 – 21, 2022, All Times in ET | Click Here For More Information and Registration

NEW! Department of Energy (DOE) Better Buildings: Show Me the Money: Financing Decarbonization Projects

September 27, 2022, | 11:00 AM ET | Register Here

            You’ve received approval for a decarbonization project, but how will you fund it? Learn about the carbon financing mechanisms Better Buildings Financial Allies use in their firms and others along with practical steps to identify and source capital from grants, third party investors, bonds, and more.

EPA has updated the Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool

EPA’s free, spreadsheet-based Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool

            This year’s updates include:

  • An optional market-based method to calculate Scope 2 emissions from electricity purchased through contractual instruments, such as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs).
  • Revised Emissions & Generation Resource Integrated Database (eGRID) factors from 1990 through 2019, as available.
  • Updated default stationary energy emission factors and heat contents.
  • Kerosene and distillate fuel oil as additional stationary energy fuel types.

Find the updated Tribal community and government operations modules and users’ guides here. Are you a long-time inventory tool user with questions about the new updates? Or is this your first GHG inventory? Join this webinar or upcoming offices hours to learn more and ask questions:

 Toxics/Mobile Sources

NEW! U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) EV Grid Assist: Accelerating the Transition initiative Webinar Series

September 8 – November 10, 2022

            This webinar series is part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) EV Grid Assist: Accelerating the Transition initiative. It aims to support decision makers by providing timely information on a wide range of topics important to the integration of electric vehicles and the grid.  To learn more about the EVGrid Assist initiative or to download a recording of past webinars, visit  www.energy.gov/evgridassist.

  • Charging Station Design – Part 1, September 27, 2022, 3:00 PM – 4:30 EDT, Register Here
  • Load Forecasting, October 3, 2022, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT, Register Here
  • Rates and Incentives, October 25, 2022, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT, Register Here
  • Planning for the future, November 10, 2022, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT, Register Here

EPA Past SmartWay Webinars and Events

To address these trends and challenges, EPA developed the SmartWay program.

Launched in 2004, this voluntary public-private program:

  • provides a comprehensive and well-recognized system for tracking, documenting and sharing information about fuel use and freight emissions across supply chains
  • helps companies identify and select more efficient freight carriers, transport modes, equipment, and operational strategies to improve supply chain sustainability and lower costs from goods movement
  • supports global energy security and offsets environmental risk for companies and countries
  • reduces freight transportation-related emissions by accelerating the use of advanced fuel-saving technologies
  • is supported by major transportation industry associations, environmental groups, state and local governments, international agencies, and the corporate community

View the SmartWay timeline and learn about the program’s achievements and key milestones reached since SmartWay’s launch in 2002. Our progress to making freight in the supply chain more sustainable and efficient is due to the vision, commitment and hard work of SmartWay Partners and Affiliates! Two Decades of Progress: SmartWay Partnership Milestones (PDF)(1 pg, 345 K, June 2021, EPA-420-H-21-001). Click Here to view past webinars and upcoming webinars

Indoor Air Quality

NEW! EPA Webinar: Improve Indoor Air and Breathe Healthier Air in Houses of Worship & Other Facilities

September 20, 2022, | 6:30 PM (ET) | Register Here

            This webinar will focus on how Houses of Worship can improve and protect the indoor air of their worship centers and facilities, to make the indoors safe and healthy for members of the faith communities and those working in faith facilities. The webinar will include a discussion on effective ways to improve indoor air quality, including reducing indoor pollutants such as mold, safer chemical use and integrated pest management, as well as the importance of outdoor air, ventilation and other topics. There will be up to 60 minutes of presentation and at least 30 minutes of Q and A for participants to engage with the presenters.

National Radon Training Event in Seattle, Washington

October 24 – 26, 2022, | Register Here

The Conference of Radiation Control Program Directors invites you to join us for our National Radon Training Event in Seattle, Washington October 24 – 26, 2022. It’s an exciting time as we get to meet again in person!

Available Now: An Introduction to Radon Gas in Homes Webinar Recording

EPA’s Indoor Environments Division recently hosted a webinar to provide an overview of the key basic facts of radon – what it is, what it does to us, how we measure it, how we reduce our exposure, and where to find resources and additional information. A recording of An Introduction to Radon Gas in Homes is now available online. The recorded webinar features a presentation by Bruce Snead, Director of Engineering Extension at Kansas State University and director of the National Radon Program Services effort for EPA since 2009.

EPA: A Fact Sheet for Tribes on State and Tribal Indoor Radon Grants

EPA’s Indoor Environments Division is pleased to announce the State and Tribal Indoor Radon Grants (SIRG) Program Fact Sheet. This fact sheet has information on SIRG eligibility, matching requirements, allowable activities, EPA contacts, and more. EPA works collaboratively and values our tribal partnership to support healthy indoor air quality (IAQ) in tribal communities. We work together to develop tools and resources that address the health and the safety of tribal members when it comes to indoor air quality.

Please visit the Indoor Air Quality in Tribal Communities or State Indoor Radon Grants (SIRG) Program and Resources pages to learn more and download the fact sheet.

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