TOP STORIES
Read, listen, watch, and learn in this story map about the native people of the Grand Canyon region. Jim Enote (Zuni), Nikki Cooley (Navajo), Leigh Kuwanwisiwma (Hopi), Coleen Kaska, (Havasupai), and Loretta Jackson-Kelly (Hualapai) share what the Grand Canyon means to them and what they know in their hearts to be true.
Indian Country Today – Tribes ‘cannot afford to lose’ the National Environmental Policy Act
Editor’s Note: The NTAA has posted a Policy Resource Kit, including a Tribal Template Letter, to aid your Tribe in commenting on the NEPA proposed changes. Comments are due into the White House by March 10, 2020.
Deadline for submitting proposals for the NTFAQ has been extended to March 20, 2020
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals and the National Tribal Air Association invite you to submit a proposal to present or conduct a session during the upcoming National Tribal Forum on Air Quality, scheduled for May 27-29, 2020 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The deadline for submitting proposals has been extended to March 20, 2020! We accept requests from tribal organizations, federal and local government agencies, colleges and universities, and other public and private sector representatives working in the field of air quality. In addition to traditional presentations or panel sessions, we encourage proposals with interactive elements, including demonstrations, roundtable discussions, listening sessions, workshopping opportunities, educational activities, special caucuses or other stakeholder meetings. To submit a request to present, or for more details on options, please visit this link.
EPA Announces Supplement to Science Transparency Proposed Rule
The NTAA commented on the original proposal, Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science, on August 13, 2018. Once this supplement is published in the Federal Register, there will be a 30 day comment period. The NTAA will be publishing a Fact Sheet, Tribal Template Letter, and Comment Letter as quickly as possible. Stay tuned!
HEADLINES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
The Hill – Lawmakers grill EPA chief over push to slash agency’s budget
Inside Climate News – Breathing Polluted Air Shortens People’s Lives by an Average of 3 Years, a New Study Finds
US News – US Judge Cancels Oil and Gas Leases on Some Sage Grouse Land
Native Sun News – LaCreek, Pass Creek vote to accept KXL Pipeline money
Indian Country Today – Tribal leader: Border wall is ‘needlessly destructive’
Indian Country Today – Pebble Mine is on the ‘fast track’
Yes Magazine – Indigenous Blockades Don’t Just Decry Destruction – They Affirm Life
ENN – CO2 Tracking in Space
Daily Herald – Doctor’s orders: Does air pollution cause depression?
Gizmodo – China’s Air Pollution Rates Plummet after Coronavirus Lockdown
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
Utility Dive – Spending more on renewables ‘inappropriate,’ as technology is already viable: DOE Secretary
Grist – What would it take to get more farmers fighting climate change?
Reuters – Canada’s Trudeau to seek industry, indigenous input to define climate plan
WPR – Dairy State: Cheese Producers Wrestle with Climate Change amid Already Struggling Industry
Omaha World Herald – Will simple economics deal fatal blow to long-delayed Keystone XL pipeline?
The Guardian – Vital COP26 climate talks could be derailed by coronavirus
NPR – Better Late Than Never? Big Companies Scramble to Make Lofty Climate Promises
Ensia – 3 Ways to tell if Corporations are Genuine about Fighting Climate Change
NPR – Alaska Feels the Brunt as Investors Promise Retreat on Fossil Fuels
Indian Country Today – Scientists have long warned about link between pandemics and climate change
Yes Magazine – An Aspirational Vision of Life after Fossil Fuels
NY Times – Oil Industry Tool to Spare Polar Bears Is More Miss than Hit
NY Times – How a Trump Insider Embeds Climate Denial in Scientific Research
Toxics/Mobile Sources
US EPA – Agency Releases Annual Automotive Trends Report Showing Marginal Increases in Fuel Economy
Bloomberg – China’s Megacity Drivers Leading New Push to Cheap EV Batteries
NPR – Citing Climate Commitments, U.K. Court Blocks New Runway at Heathrow Airport
Reveal News – EPA scientists found a toxic chemical damages fetal hearts. The Trump White House rewrote their assessment.
Indoor Air Quality
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins
