TOP STORIES/HEADLINES: Week of July 20 – 24, 2020
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Open in new tab TOP STORIES/HEADLINES: Week of June 22-26, 2020
TOP STORIES
NTAA Releases the 2020 Status of Tribal Air Report
The NTAA’s STAR is an annual publication intended to provide an understanding of the importance and impact of Tribal air programs. You can access the STAR on NTAA’s website here. To help readers navigate the nearly 150-page report, NTAA will be hosting a national webinar on Wednesday, June 24th at 11 am PT / 2 pm ET.
This webinar will provide an overview of the STAR, share the stories within the STAR, and provide the specific recommendations for national leadership to advance air quality on and around Tribal lands. All members of the public are welcome to join the webinar. Follow this link to register to the event.
HEADLINES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
*NTAA in the news** The Guardian—Wood heaters too dirty to sell are clean enough to give to tribes, says EPA
EPA—EPA Grants First-Ever Petition to Add to Hazardous Air Pollutants List Under Clean Air Act
EPA—Final Taconite Iron Ore Processing Risk and Technology Review
Yes! Magazine—“It’s About Terrorizing Us”: Environmental Racism Experts Draws Parallels With Police Brutality
Native News Online—Sunday COVID-19 Navajo Nation Update: 27 New Cases and One New Death
Native Sun News Today—Moldy PPE reportedly used at Oyate Health Center
The Hill Op-Ed – The EPA’s emissions rollbacks will be devastating for Americans’ health
EPA—EPA Provides Additional Funding to Help Reduce Excess Nutrients in the Gulf of Mexico Watershed
EPA—EPA Proposal Strengthens Regulations and Protects Children from Exposure to Lead-Contaminated Dust
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
ENN—Lasers and Bubbles: Solving the Arctic’s Methane Puzzle
CarbonBrief—In-depth: BP data reveals clean electricity matched coal for the first time in 2019
New York Times—Climate Change Tied to Pregnancy Risks, Affecting Black Mothers Most
Yes! Magazine—The Myth of Economic Sacrifice: Indigenous Artists Use Technology to Tell Stories About Their Ancestral Lands
Ensia—As Climate Change Makes Growing Seasons Less Predictable, Scientists Dig Into a Novel Approach to Boost Crop Resilience
NPR—Soil Prof Hits Pay Dirt: $250K Prize for Helping Farmers, Fighting Climate Change
Toxics/Mobile Sources
The Hill – Nevada adopting California’s tough car pollution rules, pushing back against Trump administration
ENN—Dust Traverses the Atlantic Ocean
US News—States See Uptick in Young Virus Patients
Yes! Magazine—How to Get Off Fossil Fuels Quickly and Fairly
The Hill – Ford aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050
NPR—‘Like Poking a Beehive’: The Worrisome Link between Deforestation and Disease
ICCT—NOx and CO2 emissions from trucks: What trade-off?
Indoor Air Quality
The Herald Journal—Commercial building owners and managers focusing on ways to reduce the spread of workplace illness while maintaining energy efficiency
International Environmental Technology—How to Minimize Indoor Air Pollution During Lockdown
Forbes—5 Easy-To-Grow Houseplants That Improve Indoor Air Quality
NPR Interview—Amid Confusion About Reopening, An Expert Explains How to Assess COVID-19 Risk
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins
TOP STORIES/HEADLINES: Week of June 8-12, 2020
TOP STORIES
TODAY!!
The National Tribal Air Association, in partnership with the California Air Resources Board Presents an Informational Webinar for Tribes on
EPA’s Proposed NAAQS Review of Particulate Matter on Wednesday, June 10, 2020 at 2 pm ET. To register, listen in and view documents discussed on the webinar, click here.
This informational webinar is part of NTAA’s Policy Resource Kit to respond to EPA Proposed Updates to the NAAQS for Particulate Matter. On April 14, 2020, the EPA announced its proposal to retain the NAAQS for particulate matter (PM) without changes. This includes both fine (PM2.5) and coarse (PM10) particles. The EPA is required to review these standards every five years and to revise them, if appropriate, to provide the required protection for public health and welfare.
This proposal was published in the Federal Register on April 30, 2020 and can be viewed here. The deadline for comments is June 29, 2020. You can access NTAA’s Policy Resource Kit, including a template letter your Tribe can use to submit comments on NTAA’s website here.
The NTAA is hosting a webinar to present the 2020 Status of Tribal Air Report (STAR) on Wednesday, June 24, 2020 at 2pm ET. You can register, listen in and view the STAR discussed on the call here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6170570713217956108
Each year, NTAA publishes the STAR to highlight the dedicated work and contributions from Tribal air quality programs to advance air quality across the nation. The STAR will be published on June 22 on NTAA’s website and the webinar on the 24th will provide an overview of the STAR and detail the many stories within the STAR.
HEADLINES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
U.S. EPA – EPA Celebrates 50 Years of Protecting Our Nation’s Air
Bloomberg – Rethinking Air Pollution after the Virus
New York Times – On Tribal Lands, a Time to Make Art for Solace and Survival
Las Vegas Sun – Tribal nations keep their distance to preserve their culture
Indian Country Today – Mashpee Wampanoag ruling a ‘win for all of Indian Country’
Indian Country Today – Investigation reveals a consistent picture: ‘It’s really hard to vote in Indian country’
The Colorado Sun – Ute tribes reimagine Bear Dances, a key ceremony of renewal, as coronavirus locks down Colorado reservations
U.S. EPA – EPA Proposes Honest Accounting Standard to Improve Future Clean Air Act Rules
Lexology – U.S. EPA Proposes Rule Governing Cost Benefit Analysis for Significant CAA Regulations
NRDC – Amid Pandemic, EPA Proposal Distorts the Benefits of Reducing Air Pollution
The Charlotte Post – Activists: Communities of color most at risk from EPA air standard policy as proximity leads to more incidences
NPR – As EPA Steps Back, States Face Wave Of Requests For Environmental Leniency
The Hill – In Trump response to coronavirus, left sees environmental injustice
The Hill – EPA faces third lawsuit after suspending enforcement of pollution monitoring
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
Yale Climate Connections – By paying attention, tribes in the Northwoods are leading the way on climate change
New York Times – E.P.A. Limits States’ Power to Oppose Pipelines and Other Energy Projects
The Hill – Climate agency reports May was hottest on record worldwide
Nexus News Media – Report Finds the United States Could Get to 90 Percent Clean Power by 2035
Grist – How renewable energy could emerge on top after the pandemic
Toxics/Mobile Sources
Ecowatch – EPA Likely to Approve Mine That Threatens Alaska’s Largest Salmon Nursery
St. Louis Post-Dispatch – EPA says farmers can use existing supplies of dicamba even though a court blocked sales and use of the weed killer
Indoor Air Quality
Discover – Can This Cheap, DIY Air Pollution Sensor Help the World Get Clean Air?
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins
TOP STORIES/HEADLINES: Week of June 1-5, 2020
TOP STORIES
2020 Clean Air Excellence Awards
Applications and nominations for EPA’s 2020 Clean Air Excellence Awards Now Being Accepted! Application deadline is July 31, 2020. For nomination information, click here.
The Clean Air Excellence Awards Program, established at the recommendation of the Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, periodically recognizes and honors outstanding innovative efforts to help make progress in achieving cleaner air. Award-winning entries must directly or indirectly reduce pollutant emissions, demonstrate innovation, offer sustainable outcomes, and provide a model for others to follow.
National Indian Health Board & National Tribal Air Association are partnering for a webinar on Public Health and Clean Air
June 4, 1 PM (ET). Register here.
This webinar will describe the importance of clean air to public health; the basics of the landmark federal law regulating air quality, the Clean Air Act; and how Tribes can work with EPA and other partners to monitor air quality on Tribal Lands. Presented by Wilfred J. Nabahe, Chairman of the National Tribal Air Association and Director of the Colorado River Indian Tribes’ Environmental Protection Office
Welcome to NTAA’s latest Policy Advisory Committee member Bill Droessler!
Bill Droessler is the Program Development Officer at Environmental Initiative (EI), a nonprofit organization that works with businesses, communities, and nonprofit and government leaders to develop collaborative solutions to environmental problems. For nearly 20 years, he has also been leading EI’s Clean Air Minnesota (CAM), a nationally award-winning public-private-community partnership focusing on developing, administering, and funding voluntary emission-reduction projects across Minnesota and other states.
He has worked on environmental issues for major international corporations, state and federal agencies, and nonprofits. He holds a BA in Government and History from Beloit College and a law degree from the Environment and Energy Law Program at Chicago Kent – College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology. Learn more about NTAA’s Policy Advisory Committee here.
HEADLINES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
Air Quality News—Vehicles type particles ‘significant’ source of marine microplastic pollution
Chemical & Engineering News—How air pollution messes with our minds
EPA—President Trump Delivering on Promise to Protect Our Nation’s Air
CNN – Scientists say they have found the cleanest air on Earth
NOLA—Lawsuit: EPA lags in enforcing air pollution rules in Ville Platte, other poor communities
Reuters – U.S. EPA moves to curb state powers to deny permits for energy projects
Washington Post – EPA opts not to delay controversial Alaska mine for now
Eurek Alert – Study demonstrates association between exposure to air pollution and vascular damage
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
E&E News—Global CO2 has risen for a century. That appears to be over
Climate Signals—Climate Change & Wildfires
New York Times—EPA Limits State’s Power to Oppose Pipelines and Other Energy Projects
E&E—Rough economy, Trump rollbacks could hike methane emissions
The Guardian—The Collapse of coal: pandemic accelerates Appalachia job losses
EPA—EPA proposes that no additional measures are necessary pursuant to Clean Air Act (CAA) section 211(v) to mitigate the adverse air quality impacts of the renewable fuel volumes required under CAA section 211(o).
Axios – The alarm over climate financial risk gets louder because of coronavirus
Toxics/Mobile Sources
NPR Podcast—The Pandemic Cut Down Car Traffic. Why Not Air Pollution?
EPA—EPA announces a virtual public hearing to be held May 28, 2020, on its proposal for the “Fuels Regulatory Streamlining Rule,” which was signed on April 13, 2020.
Indoor Air Quality
Scientific American—Coronavirus Lockdowns May Raise Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins
TOP STORIES/HEADLINES: Week of May 25-29, 2020
TOP STORIES
The NTAA has published the 2020 Update to A White Paper Detailing the Science and Connections Between Air Pollution, Tribes, and Public Health
The NTAA originally published this white paper in 2019 as a resource to Tribes. The white paper has now been updated to reflect research that has been published since then on the connection between air quality and health, as well as the emerging connections between air pollution and health outcomes from COVID-19. The 2020 update can now be found using the above link or by going directly to the NTAA’s website, and will be included as an attachment to the NTAA 2020 Status of Tribal Air Report (STAR), which will be published June 22.
HEADLINES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
Drilled – Trump Is Racing to Finalize Environmental Rollbacks. This Obscure Regulation May Be One Reason Why
Forbes – America’s Air Is Getting Worse: Here’s Why
National Law Review – U.S. EPA Proposes Rule That Would Transform the Guidance Process
E&E News – EPA starts ‘measured and deliberate’ reopening
E&E News – Air Pollution: Lawsuit marks first step in legal brawl over toxics rule
E&E News – Army Corps makes last-minute change in Pebble plan
Air Quality News – Air pollution linked to Parkinson’s disease
Bloomberg Law – Insight: What’s at Stake in EPA’s MATS Finding Reversal
Biomass Magazine – EPA opens comment period on wood heater proposal
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
Independent – Trump administration slows on fracking plans after outcry for impacted Navajo Nation
Reuters – Help us protect the headwaters of the Amazon from oil companies, elders say
Inside Climate News – New York’s Use of Landmark Climate Law Could Resound in Other States
New Orleans Public Radio – ‘There Is No Way Back Anymore’: Louisiana’s Coastal Land Loss Is Inevitable
E&E News – Wis. utility to close coal plant blamed for high costs
E&E News – What’s next for oil? 3 questions answered
E&E News – Trail of spills haunts Dakota Access developer
NY Times – ‘Expect More’: Climate Change Raises Risk of Dam Failures
NY Times – What a Week’s Disasters Tell Us About Climate and the Pandemic
CarbonBrief – Webinar [recording]: What impact is Covid-19 having on global CO2 emissions?
ENN – Marine Species Are Outpacing Terrestrial Species In The Race Against Global Warming
Toxics/Mobile Sources
The Hill – Automakers fight effort to freeze fuel efficiency standards
AP – Democrats protest removal of Transportation watchdog
NPR – Our Pandemic Habits Cut Carbon Emissions, But It’s Not Clear They’ll Last
NPR – On Nearly Emptied Roads, Motor Vehicle Fatality Rate Spikes By 14% In March
EPA – EPA Takes Next Step to Implement PFAS Legislation
E&E News – Tesla’s ‘Battery Day’: Business as usual or an EV coup?
E&E News – Commuter are adapting to the virus. What it means for CO2
CarbonBrief – Fuel savings in US cars have ‘cut 17bn tonnes of CO2 since 1975’
Indoor Air Quality
National Herald – Indoor air quality and asthma during COVID-19
Fast Company – We spend 90% of our time inside – why don’t we care that indoor air is so polluted?
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins
TOP STORIES/HEADLINES: Week of May 18-22, 2020
TOP STORIES
The NTAA Submitted Comments on EPA’s Transparency in Science SNPRM
The NTAA submitted a comment letter on EPA’s Transparency in Science supplemental proposal on May 18, 2020. You can view the letter here, as well as access all of NTAA’s Policy Resource Kits here. Also, the following article highlights other responses to this proposal: Inside Climate News – EPA’s ‘Secret Science’ Rule Meets with an Outpouring of Protest on Last Day for Public Comment
HEADLINES
Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes
NPR – Traffic Is Way Down Because Of Lockdown, But Air Pollution? Not So Much
The Hill – EPA effort to limit guidance could undermine past administration policy
The Hill – Trump orders agencies to cut regulations that ‘inhibit economic recovery’
Reuters – In Brief: 9th Circuit won’t stay ruling canceling Keystone XL pipeline permit
PBS – Keystone pipeline project proceeds amidst COVID-19 pandemic
The Hill – House Democrats seek to codify environmental inequality mapping tool
Earther – ‘I’m Scared’: Study Links Cancer Alley Air Pollution to Higher Death Rates From Covid-19
Yes Magazine – What’s in a Social Justice Diet?
Washington Post – The Energy 202: Public hearings on Zoom have Native Americans worried they won’t be heard on oil projects
The Guardian – Canada: Wet’suwet’en sign historic deal to negotiate land rights
Reuters – Judge tosses CERCLA lawsuit against U.S. Steel over coke plant emissions
Heated – A deadly re-opening. The Grand Canyon is re-opening, apparently without informing visitors of the Navajo Nation’s strict lockdown.
Reuters – Court rules U.S. environment agency must protect states from upwind air pollution
National Association of Clean Air Agencies – Washington Update
Climate Change/Energy
Al Jazeera – A moment of reckoning – when coronavirus meets climate change
Reuters – Trump admin slaps solar, wind operators with retroactive rent bills
The Guardian – Coal industry will never recover after coronavirus pandemic, say experts
Wyoming Public Media – Employment, Revenue Threatened With “Multi-Year Low” Natural Gas Pricing
NY Times – Natural Gas Exports Slow as Pandemic Reduces Global Demand
Axios – The post-coronavirus greenhouse gas emissions bounce back
Mother Jones – There’s a Lot Less Pollution But Climate Change Is Still Getting Worse
Time – As the Rest of the World Plans a Green Recovery, America Is Once Again Falling Behind
Earther – Looming Landslide in Alaska Could Trigger Enormous Tsunami at Any Moment, Scientists Warn
NY Times – In the Shadows of America’s Smokestacks, Virus Is One More Deadly Risk
Toxics/Mobile Sources
Washington Post – EPA staff warned that mileage rollbacks had flaws. Trump officials ignored them.
Bloomberg Law – California Sues EPA, Highway Agency Over Emissions Waiver
The Guardian – Is the Covid-19 crisis the catalyst for greening the world’s airlines?
E&E News – Justices reject renewable fuel standard, NEPA disputes
Bloomberg Law – Round-the-Clock Cremations Stoke Mercury Fears for Neighborhoods
Utility Dive – Energy storage poised to tackle grid challenges from rising EVs as mobile chargers bring new flexibility
NY Times – The Pandemic Will Permanently Change the Auto Industry
Grist – Will social distancing kill car-free culture?
Reuters – Exclusive: Tesla’s secret batteries aim to rework the math for electric cars and the grid
Indoor Air Quality
E&E News – EPA packs ‘economic relief’ for industry into stove rule
American Council on Science and Health – Air Pollution And COVID-19: Stay In Or Get Out?
Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins