Top Stories

NTAA has released a Tribal Template Letter to comment on EPA’s Proposed Emissions Guidelines to Reduce Methane from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. You can find NTAA’s new fact sheet on NTAA’s Policy Resource Kit page here. Last week, NTAA’s Chairwoman Carol Kriebs testified during EPA’s public hearing last week. You can read her remarks here. Deadline extended: Comments are now due to the EPA on January 31^st, 2022 (previously January 14^th) Comment here!

NTAA Presents the NTAA Monthly Video Update from Executive Committee Member for Region 9 with Primary Rep. Syndi Smallwood and Alternate Rep. Leonard Bruce. If you don’t have time to dive deep into the NTAA Weekly Update, watch the quick video update to help give you the latest news from NTAA and learn more about the Tribes in each region. You can also find this video and previous video from other NTAA EC members on the NTAA website, www.NTAATribalAir.org. Thanks to Happy Accidents Video Production!

Submit your 2022 NTFAQ Presentation Abstract | Google Form

The National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) aims to support Tribal programs by fostering information-sharing and networking opportunities that are focused on building Tribal capacity in air quality management. The event’s agenda is driven by Tribal input and priorities, with a focus on increasing Tribal engagement in air quality initiatives that are relevant to tribal communities across the nation.

The NTFAQ is scheduled for May 2-5, 2022. Sample topic for presentations or trainings may include but is not limited to:

• Air Quality & Grants
• Air Quality Policy & Regulations
• Indoor Air Quality
• Air Quality Health and Research
• Technical: air monitoring, data management & analysis, emission inventories
• Tribal Case Studies: examples of Tribes implementing air quality projects & programs
• Climate Change & Air Quality
• Community engagement: youth, elders, and community leaders
• Tribal/Traditional Knowledge

If you have questions about the agenda, presentation options, or other ways to participate in the event, please contact [email protected].
Timeline:

• Call for Presentations Opens: December 1st, 2021
• Presentation Proposals Due: January 15th, 2022
• Letter of Notification (will include instructions and timeline): February 17th,
• 2022
• Presentation Materials Deadline: March 28 (if pre-recorded) April 15 (if in-person)

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

USA Today – ‘We can expect more’: Did climate change play a role in the deadly weekend tornadoes?

EPA – EPA Opens $20 Million Grant Competition for Community Air Pollution Monitoring  

The Guardian – How much air pollution do you live with? It may depend on your skin color

Harvard Kennedy School’s Ash Center – Story of Igiugig: Patrick Lynch MC/MPA 2019 partnered with Indigenous filmmakers to tell the story of native sovereignty in Alaska.

Washington Post – Native Americans’ farming practices may help feed a warming world

National Law Review – EPA’s Fall 2021 Unified Agenda Includes TSCA Rulemakings

Reuters – High rates of methane spewing from U.S. Permian oilfield operations – report

Block Club Chicago – City Delays Permit For Southeast Side Metal Scrapper After EPA Says Another Polluter Raises ‘Significant Civil Rights Concerns’

The Guardian – ‘Gushing oil and roaring fires’: 30 years on Kuwait is still scarred by catastrophic pollution

E&E – Consultant who downplayed PFAS risks pivots on EPA resignation

E&E News – EPA’s watchdog plans climate, environmental justice probes

Inside Climate News – Coal powered the industrial revolution. It left behind an ‘absolutely massive’ environmental catastrophe

9 News – Aspen testing program that uses artificial intelligence to detect wildfire smoke

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update

Climate Change/Energy

Politico – Biden order requires net-zero federal government emissions by 2050

E&E News – Senate Dems huddle on climate as reconciliation deadline nears

NPR – The exact link between tornadoes and climate change is hard to draw. Here’s why

Thomas Reuters Foundation – ‘Silent financier’: How Bangladesh’s poor are paying the costs of climate damage

Canary Media – Don’t Look Up: A movie about climate change that is actually good

Texas Tribune – Texas electricity regulators say most power generation facilities are ready for winter. That alone won’t stop a blackout.

Inside Climate News – The West Sizzled in a November Heat Wave and Snow Drought

Science Daily – How we measure the effects of methane matters for climate policy

Bloomberg – Arctic Fires Are Melting Permafrost That Keeps Carbon Underground

Toxics/Mobile Sources

The Hill – Harris rolls out plan for electric vehicle charging network

News Medical – Deaths attributable to air pollution have dropped with reductions in vehicle emissions, study shows

Gizmodo – Most of Amazon’s Pollution-Spewing Warehouses Are Built In Communities of Color

E&E – Toxicologist who belittled PFAS risks resigns from EPA role

Axios – The race for electric vehicle materials

Indoor Air Quality

E&E News – NYC set to enact gas ban with national implications

ACHR News – Experts Expect Interest in IAQ to Continue after COVID

Top Stories

NEW! Submit your 2022 NTFAQ Presentation Abstract | Google Form

The National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) aims to support Tribal programs by fostering information-sharing and networking opportunities that are focused on building Tribal capacity in air quality management. The event’s agenda is driven by Tribal input and priorities, with a focus on increasing Tribal engagement in air quality initiatives that are relevant to tribal communities across the nation.

The NTFAQ is scheduled for May 2-5, 2022. Sample topic for presentations or trainings may include but is not limited to:

• Air Quality & Grants
• Air Quality Policy & Regulations
• Indoor Air Quality
• Air Quality Health and Research
• Technical: air monitoring, data management & analysis, emission inventories
• Tribal Case Studies: examples of Tribes implementing air quality projects & programs
• Climate Change & Air Quality
• Community engagement: youth, elders, and community leaders
• Tribal/Traditional Knowledge

If you have questions about the agenda, presentation options, or other ways to participate in the event, please contact [email protected].
Timeline:

• Call for Presentations Opens: December 1st, 2021
• Presentation Proposals Due: January 15th, 2022
• Letter of Notification (will include instructions and timeline): February 17th,
• 2022
• Presentation Materials Deadline: March 28 (if pre-recorded) April 15 (if in-person)

NTAA has released a Fact Sheet on EPA’s Proposed Emissions Guidelines to Reduce Methane from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. You can find NTAA’s new fact sheet on NTAA’s Policy Resource Kit page here. Last week, NTAA’s Chairwoman Carol Kriebs testified during EPA’s public hearing last week. You can read her remarks here. Comments are due into EPA by January 14^th by commenting here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

AZ Daily Sun – Indigenous leaders speak on climate change, COVID-19 pandemic

NAU – Creating a home away from home: Ora Marek-Martinez uses the past to build a better future for Indigenous students

E&E News – EPA advisers favor stronger soot standards

Bloomberg Law – Environmental Justice, Climate Change Enforcement is Ramping Up

Desert News – Is air quality in the West getting better or worse? The data may surprise you  

CNN – Thousands of Americans will still be without power and heat this winter despite call for utility companies to prevent shutoffs

E&E News – FEMA wants to track race of disaster victims for the first time

Energy Monitor – Emissions at sea: Are new fuels the key?

Climate Change/Energy

The Hill – Virginia board denies permit to extend fracking pipeline into North Carolina

The Washington Post – Blizzard predicted to plaster Hawaii’s high peaks amid major storm

MSNBC – “Energy 2.0”: Secretary Granholm on the future of clean infrastructure and green jobs

Grist – Black and Latino neighborhoods pay more for energy despite far lower emissions

Popular Science – 4 myths about climate change – and how to debunk them

E&E News – ‘We aren’t going to just roll over’: GOP eyes climate cuts

E&E News – Dems’ spending bill taps small banks for climate justice

The Wall Street Journal – Climate Change Data Deluge Has Scientist Scrambling for Solutions

Canary Media – Chart: The top 10 solar states include some unexpected contenders

Toxics/Mobile Sources

The Hill – EPA proposes lowering past blending requirements for gasoline, rejecting waivers

Eurasia Review – Pollution Trends and US Environmental Policy: Lessons from the last half century – Analysis

Reuters – Alaska agency commits to more spending on Artic oil plans

The Guardian – US lags un electric vehicle sales despite Biden administration’s push

Axios – Electric car prices could go up before they come down

Indoor Air Quality

The Hill – EPA union announces agreements with agency expanding work from home

Business Wire – Indoor Air Quality Leader Wynd Launches Air Quality Optimization Service Suite as Employees Return to Office

PR Newswire – Indoor Air Quality Meters Market Size to Grow by USD 1.60 Billion | 17,000+Technavio

Top Stories

TODAY! NTAA Leaders to speak at EPA’s Public Hearing on the Proposed Standards of Performance for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources and Emissions Guidelines for Existing Sources: Oil and Natural Gas Sector Climate Review

December 1, 2021, 2pm – 5pm EST | Click here to see the speaker list

To join the call, click on this YouTube link

Submit your 2022 NTFAQ Presentation Abstract | Google Form

The National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) aims to support Tribal programs by fostering information-sharing and networking opportunities that are focused on building Tribal capacity in air quality management. The event’s agenda is driven by Tribal input and priorities, with a focus on increasing Tribal engagement in air quality initiatives that are relevant to tribal communities across the nation.  The NTFAQ is scheduled for May 2-5, 2022.

Sample topic for presentations or trainings may include but is not limited to:
•        Air Quality & Grants
•        Air Quality Policy & Regulations
•        Indoor Air Quality
•        Air Quality Health and Research
•        Technical: air monitoring, data management & analysis, emission inventories
•        Tribal Case Studies: examples of Tribes implementing air quality projects & programs
•        Climate Change & Air Quality
•        Community engagement: youth, elders, and community leaders
•        Tribal/Traditional Knowledge
If you have questions about the agenda, presentation options, or other ways to participate in the event, please contact [email protected].
Timeline:
• Call for Presentations Opens: December 1st, 2021
• Presentation Proposals Due: January 15th, 2022
• Letter of Notification (will include instructions and timeline): February 17th, 2022
• Presentation Materials Deadline: March 28 (if pre-recorded) April 15 (if in-person)

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

AZ Daily Sun – Indigenous leaders speak on climate change, COVID-19 pandemic

Anthropocene Mag – Scientists solve two problems at once—turning methane pollution into sustainable fishmeal

GreenWire – EPA forces natural gas plants to make pollution data public

The Hill – With Build Back Better, Dems aim to correct messaging missteps

AP – Thousands lose power on Thanksgiving in Southern California

NPR – Fighting Fires and Family Secrets

NY Times – This fire-loving fungus eats charcoal, if it must

Reuters – Brazil faces economic pain as Amazon forest destruction dries up water supplies

Thomas Reuters Foundation – EXPLAINER: What is ‘net zero’ and why does it matter?

Climate Change/Energy

The Hill – Biden administration approves second offshore wind project off Rhode Island

CNN – White House creates new climate-focused division within Office of Science and Technology Policy

NPR – British Columbia faces floods after a month’s worth of rain fell in two days

Climate Signals – Extreme Precipitation Increase

Nexus – Social Unrest In Iran Worsened By Drought

The Advocate – When it rains, it can pour sewage in Baton Rouge. These residents bear the brunt of it.

The Guardian – Activists take court action against Boris Johnson over climate crisis

Climate Wire – Flood funding slashed in reconciliation package

Toxics/Mobile Sources

AP – Biden sets out oil, gas leasing reform, stops short of ban

HuffPost – Biden Gulf Oil Sale Means More Drilling Within Legacy Chemical Dump Site

LA Times – Can lithium cure what ails the Salton Sea?

NY Times – Hunt for the ‘blood diamond of batteries’ impedes green energy push

AP – Colorado debates bonding for closing, cleaning orphan wells

Inside Climate News – Biden’s Infrastructure Bill Includes Money for Recycling, But the Debate Over Plastics Rages On

Indoor Air Quality

Mountain Democrat – 7 indoor air quality myths debunked

Yahoo Finance – New Research Outlines Importance of Air Purifiers to Reduce Indoor Pollution

IndyStar – Scrub Hub: Can indoor air quality hurt my health more than the outdoor air?

Top Stories

NTAA Releases its White Paper on Wood Heater Emission Pilot Project for Indian Country

This White Paper is based on an earlier proposal on Wood Heaters Emissions Reduction Act otherwise known as WHERA. The Act is no longer considered in this year’s budget process even though much of Indian Country still rely on wood heaters as a main source for heating their homes. A pilot effort to support changeouts modeled after WHERA, would be appropriate to support and protect public health in Indian Country as well as to identify and resolve issues common with other areas in the country to support future changeout programs. The paper was developed by NTAA Policy Advisory Committee Member, Laura McKelvey. Discussion of this paper will be provided on Thursday’s WSWG call at 2pm EST. Don’t miss out!

You are invited to join a national training on EPA’s draft methane rule being held by EPA’s OAQPS on Wednesday, November 17, 2021.                                        

You can view the agenda here. You can register for either day using the November 17^th registration link and the November 18^th registration link. More information on EPA’s training can be found here. NTAA will be hosting a 45-minute feedback breakout session as part of the training starting at 3:30 pm ET, so be sure to attend if you wish to share your feedback on EPA’s proposed rule. NTAA will be sharing a quick summary of initial feedback on the rule as part of NTAA’s policy analysis for Tribes. You can view tomorrow’s slide deck from NTAA here.

The EPA just recently posted their draft New Source Performance Standards Updates, Emissions Guidelines to Reduce Methane and Other Harmful Pollution from the Oil and Natural Gas Industry. EPA will be holding a public hearing on this draft rule on November 30 and December 1, 2021 to provide the public the opportunity to present comments and information on the Agency’s proposed New Source Performance Standards and Emissions Guidelines for the oil and natural gas industry. The proposal would expand and strengthen emissions reduction requirements that are currently on the books for new, modified and reconstructed oil and natural gas sources, and would require states to reduce methane emissions from hundreds of thousands of existing sources nationwide for the first time. To register to speak at the hearing, please click the link: Eventbrite/Oil and Gas Virtual Hearing

• Dates of hearing: Tuesday, November 30, 2021 and Wednesday, December 1, 2020.
• Time: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time both days. Registration closes November 24, 2021.

NTAA will provide opening remarks for an EPA Training on this draft methane rule today on November 17, 2021. you can view a PDF of the slide show here. The NTAA Fact Sheet will be published soon as well as a NTAA template letter for Tribes to use to comment. Finally, NTAA will submit a comment letter on the comment deadline.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

White House Tribal Summit – WH Tribal Fact Sheet

White House Tribal Summit – WH Tribal Nations Summit Progress Report

US News – Biden Signs $1T Infrastructure Bill

E&E News – States press EPA for environmental justice guidance

Vox – Animals need infrastructure, too

Greenwire – EPA to preserve Trump-era airplane emissions rule

NY Times – How Much Are Countries Pledging to Reduce Emissions?

NPR – New Delhi’s air pollution is so bad, officials are calling for a citywide lockdown

High Country News – The nation’s last uranium mill plans to import Estonia’s radioactive waste

Cronkite News – Q&A: Navajo woman starts nonprofit to improve maternal health

NY Times – Biden to Bar New Drilling Around a Major Native American Cultural Site

Here’s where you’ll find this week’s NACAA Washington Update !

Climate Change/Energy

NY Times – 6 takeaways from the U.N. Climate Conference.

Democracy Now – Walkout: Outraged by New COP26 Pact, Civil Society Holds People’s Plenary & Leaves Climate Summit

Reuters – How a dispute over coal nearly sank the Glasgow Climate Pact

The Guardian – ‘The pressure for change is building’: reactions to the Glasgow climate pact

NY Times – Baby Born 19 Weeks Early Defies Long Odds and Astonishes Doctors

Thomas Reuters Foundation News – EXPLAINER: What did vulnerable countries fight for at the COP26 climate summit?

Climatewire – A coal plant fights to stay open. It could enrich Manchin

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Grist – Midwest tribes awarded $6.6 million to build their own EV charging network

Electrek – Congress passes $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill, $12,500 EV tax credit still awaits passage

Forbes – EV Incentive Hike Faces Tortuous Path Through Congress

White House – FACT SHEET: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Boosts Clean Energy Jobs, Strengthens Resilience, and Advances Environmental Justice

NBC News – Company maps minerals from the sky for electric vehicle batteries

Oil Price – U.S. Consumers To Foot The Bill For Surge In Natural Gas Exports, The World’s Largest LNG Exporter

Grist – Natural gas company goes to great lengths to avoid saying the word ‘pipeline’

Utility Dive – Global EV sales rise 80% in 2021, as automakers including Ford, GM commit to zero emissions: BNEF

CNBC – ‘Too risky’ to not use both battery electric and hydrogen tech, Daimler Truck CEO says

Indoor Air Quality

Air Quality News – National Air Quality Conference: The Report

ACHR News – Experts Expect Interest in IAQ to Continue after COVID

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins

Top Stories

Axios – Draft COP26 deal targets fossil fuels, aims to strengthen Paris plan

E&E News – Pelosi to Glasgow: Congress has Biden’s back on climate 

The Guardian – What happened at Cop26 – day nine at a glance

Nature – COP architects furious at lack of climate justice at pivotal summit

Indian Country Today – Holding their feet to the fire: Indigenous and people of color activists take the stage at #COP26 demanding action

Indian Country Today – A preview: 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit

NTAA has released Policy Resource Kits including two new template letters for Tribes to use in responding to several EPA proposed actions including:

• EPA’s draft Strategic Plan for FY 2022-2026. Comments are due into EPA by November 12^th.
• EPA’s proposed guidance for PM and Ozone modelling. Comments are due into EPA by November 19^th.

Don’t forget to fill out NTAA’s Air Quality Baseline Needs Assessment for Tribes by December 31, 2021! The purpose of the survey is to collect information from all 574 federally recognized Tribes to enable NTAA to comprehensively describe Tribal ambient and indoor air quality needs. This information will then be used to identify the range of Tribal air quality needs and priorities and build Tribal air quality management capacity. Your participation in this survey is voluntary and you are free to decline to answer any question you do not wish to answer. The survey will take between 15 – 20 minutes to complete.

If you would like to take the survey by phone, please email Sydney Janssen at [email protected] to set up a time, or call 800-717-2118, Ext. 105. If you would like to familiarize yourself with air quality funding sources and concepts mentioned in the survey, please review the glossary PDF. The deadline extended to Friday, December 31, at 5:00pm PST.

TO BEGIN THE SURVEY, CLICK HERE. (If the link does not automatically open, please cut and paste this link into your browser:  https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6420470/NTAA-Baseline-Needs-Assessment)

For a Microsoft Word version of the survey, click here. Upon completing the survey, ‘save as’ and change the document name as *YOUR_NAME_BNA* and email it to: [email protected]. If you have any question or difficulty completing this form, please email Sydney.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

The Hill – Massive gap found between nations’ reporting, actual emissions: analysis

Santa Fe Reporter – EPA Could Learn From NM on Methane

ProPublica – How We Created the Most Detailed Map Ever of Cancer-Causing Industrial Air Pollution

Washington Post – World’s top economies responsible for millions of pollution deaths, mostly in poor countries

NY Times – ‘Justice for my daughter’: Parents issue a plea on air pollution

NASA – An Extra Air Pollution Burden

Medical News Today – Heart attacks declined during lockdowns, reduced pollution likely a key factor

PNAS – Air pollution interacts with genetic risk to influence cortical networks implicated in depression

Here’s where you’ll find this week’s NACAA Washington Update !

Climate Change/Energy

CNN – New high-resolution climate model predicts more extreme weather events in the future

Clean Technica – EDF & McGill University Document 81,000 Orphan Oil & Gas Wells In US

Indian Country Today – Are carbon markets the new gaming for tribes?

Markets Insider – The Navajo Nation Is Mining Bitcoin With Sustainable Energy. Here’s How

The Hill – Hawaii governor urges bolder climate action: Net zero is ‘not good enough’

Yale Climate Connections – Supreme Court to weigh EPA authority to regulate greenhouse pollutants

NPR – Obama criticizes Russia and China, some of the largest emitters, at climate talks

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Green Car Reports – Infrastructure bill: $7.5B toward nationwide network of 500,000 EV chargers

AP – Biden hypes $1T bill impact on electric cars

Greenwire – USGS proposal yanks uranium from critical minerals list

Indoor Air Quality

EPA – EPA Announces Winners of Cleaner Indoor Air During Wildfires Challenge

Engadget – Amazon’s Alexa-powered indoor air quality monitor alerts you to pollution

CNBC – Healthy buildings can help stop Covid-19 spread and boost worker productivity

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins

Top Stories

NEW! NTAA has released Policy Resource Kits including two new template letters for Tribes to use in responding to several EPA proposed actions including:

• EPA’s draft Strategic Plan for FY 2022-2026. Comments are due into EPA by November 12^th.
• EPA’s proposed guidance for PM and Ozone modelling. Comments are due into EPA by November 19^th.

NEW! EPA’s Community and Tribal Programs Group has been working on a webpage with publicly-facing Tribal Actions and Events calendar

This calendar includes the following information:

• Upcoming outreach activities (e.g., rulemaking webinars, trainings)
• National Tribal Council (NTC) monthly meetings,
• National Tribal Air Association (NTAA) meetings,
• Regional Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC) meetings, and
• Upcoming regulatory dates (e.g., expected rule proposal dates).

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 calendarsor any recommendations on how EPA can improve upon the calendars please do not hesitate to reach out to Toni Colon ([email protected]) and/or Tanya Abrahamian ([email protected]) with any feedback.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NY Times – Forced Relocation Left Native Americans More Exposed to Climate Threats, Data Show “In the past, we used to go to the high country, where we had our summer camps. That’s where we would cool off,” Nikki Cooley, co-manager of the Tribes & Climate Change Program at Northern Arizona University and a citizen of the Diné (Navajo) Nation, in what is now northern Arizona. “We don’t have that, because all of the high-elevation communities are off the reservation.”

U.S EPA – U.S. to Sharply Cut Methane Pollution that Threatens the Climate and Public Health

The White House – Fact Sheet: President Biden Tackles Methane Emissions, Spurs Innovations, and Supports Sustainable Agriculture to Build a Clean Energy Economy and Create Jobs

The Hill – EPA to consider tighter air quality standards for smog

ProPublica – Poison in the Air: The EPA allows polluters to turn neighborhoods into “sacrifice zones” where residents breathe carcinogens. ProPublica reveals where these places are in a first-of-its-kind map and data analysis.

Nature Communications – Consumption in the G20 nations causes particulate air pollution resulting in two million premature deaths annually

Law 360 – Business Groups Urge Stay On Vacating Trump Water Rule

PBS – Native American tribes land buybacks start a commercial approach to social justice

KLCC – Ancient Native American forest practices demonstrated in burn near Eugene

NDN Collective – LANDBACK Movement

Tulsa World – Tulsa, Owasso join state in seeking to overturn McGirt ruling

Here’s where you’ll find this week’s NACAA Washington Update!

Climate Change/Energy

NBC – At U.N.’s COP26 climate summit, Indigenous voices are calling for more than lip service

Reuters – COP26 coalition worth $130 trillion vows to put climate at heart of finance

BBC – COP26 climate change summit: So far, so good-ish

Reuters – G20 offers little new on climate, leaving uphill task for COP26

Washington Post – Democrats accuse Big Oil execs of ‘obviously lying’ about climate change in historic hearing

The Washington Post – He’s the youngest Chief in his First Nation’s history. Now he’s leading their fight against climate change.

Law 360 – Draft Plan Illuminates EPA’s Enviro Justice, Climate Priorities

Reuters – U.S. EPA to draft power plant emissions rules despite court ruling

AP – China offers few new climate targets ahead of UN conference

The Guardian – $555bn in climate action but no new tax on billionaires: what’s in Biden’s plan?

AZ Central – Indigenous peoples seek greater voice and more influence at COP26 climate conference

Toxics/Mobile Sources

The Guardian – Coal pledges and a methane deal: what could Cop26 achieve?

The Hill – National emissions to be a factor in drilling lease sales

Great Lakes Now – Enbridge temporarily stops Michigan pipeline due to protests

NY Times – G20 Nations Agree to New Limits on Coal-Burning Power Plants

Environmental Health News – Environmental groups petition EPA to rescind factory farms’ “free pass to pollute”

Indoor Air Quality

The Washington Post – How and when to check indoor air quality in your home

NBC News – How to improve indoor air quality in apartments and small spaces

eSchool News – Schools are getting creative as they strive to improve indoor air quality

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins

Top Stories

The NTAA has been working with California Tribes and the California Air and Resource Board to create a PRK on information regarding Supplemental Environmental Projects, known as SEPs. NTAA is today releasing a new Policy Resource Kit (PRK) for California Tribes to help access CARB’s Supplemental Environmental Program (SEP).

The NTAA PRK includes:

• NTAA Fact Sheet with CARB Resources
• La Jolla Band of Mission Indians’ SEP

Tribal Templates for SEP projects including:

• Minimizing Asthma in Home and Schools
• Tribal Microgrid-EV Charging Station
• Tribal Green Roof Projects
• CARB SEP Budget Template

On NTAA’s website you will find SEP Project examples to see if your potential project will fit CARB’s program. For more information on CARBs SEP Program, visit https://bit.ly/CARBSEPS or contact CARB at [email protected].

NTAA Region 8 Monthly Video Update is now available!

The short video includes updates from Region 8 Primary Representative, Randall Ashley with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes! Click here to watch the video and get all of the latest updates from NTAA!

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

Yale Climate Connections – Tiny Leaks, big impacts: New research points to urban indoor methane links

High Country News – How tribal leaders want Chuck Sams to lead the Park Service

E&E – The key for EPA rules? Inside the methane tech revolution

NPR – Greenhouse gas levels reached record highs in 2020, even with pandemic lockdowns

Bloomberg – The Methane Hunters

Axios – 10,000 trees near giant sequoia groves to be removed after fires

High Country News – The White Sands discovery only confirms what Indigenous people have said all along

Here’s where you’ll find this week’s NACAA Washington Update!

Climate Change/Energy

NPR – The COP26 summit to fight climate change is about to start. Here’s what to expect

The Sacramento Bee – The records are in: Here’s how much rain fell Sunday from Sacramento’s ‘bomb cyclone’ storm

NY Times – Comb Cyclone and ‘Atmospheric River’ Pummel California With Rain and Wind

NY Times – Yes, There Has Been Progress on Climate. No, It’s Not Nearly Enough.

Toxics/Mobile Sources

New Mexico Political Report – Navajo group alleges U.S. violated human rights in uranium mine licensing

E&E – EPA Deems ‘Forever Chemical’ Haunting N.C. Toxic to Humans

Reuters – Rocky Mountain high: U.S. looks to Colorado for methane emissions policy

Grist – Report: Plastic is on track to become a bigger climate problem than coal

Indoor Air Quality

Regional Foundation Repair – Everything You Need To Know About Radon

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins

Top Stories

The NTAA has been working with California Tribes and the California Air and Resource Board to create a PRK on information regarding Supplemental Environmental Projects, known as SEPs. NTAA is today releasing a new Policy Resource Kit (PRK) for California Tribes to help access CARB’s Supplemental Environmental Program (SEP).

The NTAA PRK includes:

• NTAA Fact Sheet with CARB Resources
• La Jolla Band of Mission Indians’ SEP

Tribal Templates for SEP projects including:

• Minimizing Asthma in Home and Schools
• Tribal Microgrid-EV Charging Station
• Tribal Green Roof Projects
• CARB SEP Budget Template

On NTAA’s website you will find SEP Project examples to see if your potential project will fit CARB’s program. For more information on CARBs SEP Program, visit https://bit.ly/CARBSEPS or contact CARB at [email protected].

The NTAA Executive Committee has extended the deadline for NTAA’s Baseline Needs Assessment of Tribal air quality needs, issues and priorities to December 31, 2021.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1. What’s the Purpose of the Survey? The information you provide will enable NTAA to comprehensively describe Tribal ambient and indoor air quality needs. This information will then be used to identify the range of Tribal air quality needs and priorities and build Tribal air quality management capacity.
2. Is it Voluntary? Yes! Your participation in this survey is voluntary and you are free to decline to answer any question you do not wish to answer.
3. How Long Will It Take? The survey will take between 15 – 20 minutes to complete.
4. Is There an Incentive? Actually yes! The first 50 respondents to submit a completed survey will receive a $10 Starbucks or $10 Amazon ​gift card. (This is made possible through the donation of an NTAA non-profit partner, not federal funds.)
5. What if My Internet is Connection is Poor? We are happy to conduct the survey with you by telephone. If you would like to take the survey by phone, please email Sydney Janssen at [email protected] to set up a time, or call 800-717-2118, Ext. 105
6. What if I am Not Familiar to Air Quality? If you would like to familiarize yourself with air quality funding sources and concepts mentioned in the survey, please review the glossary PDF.
7. When Does the Survey Close? The survey closes on Friday, December 31. 2021 at 5:00pm PST.

TO BEGIN THE SURVEY, CLICK HERE. (If the link does not automatically open, please cut and paste this link into your browser: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6420470/NTAA-Baseline-Needs-Assessment)

For a Microsoft Word version of the survey, click here. Upon completing the survey, ‘save as’ and change the document name as *YOUR_NAME_BNA* and email it to: [email protected].

Contact Information – If you have questions about the survey, please contact Sydney Janssen, Survey Coordinator, at [email protected] or at 1-800-717-2118, Ext.105.  If you have any questions about how your responses and survey data will be used by NTAA, please contact Andy Bessler at [email protected].

Welcome and Congratulations to the newly elected NTAA Executive Committee members for Region 9, Syndi Smallwood of the Jamul Indian Village and Leonard Bruce of the Gila River Indian Community ! To learn more about the NTAA Executive Committee, please visit NTAA’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

EPA – BIA Announces Tribal Climate Resilience Grants Totaling $13.84 Million Awarded For FY 2021

NBC News – Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ are everywhere. The EPA has a new plan to crack down.

NPR – To improve wildfire resistance, researchers look to beavers

The Hill – Federal officials warning of increase in home heating costs this winter

E&E – EPA keeps Trump-era air permitting change — for now

National Law Review – EPA Places Environmental Justice Front and Center

Bloomberg – Over 90% of Firms Aren’t Measuring Emissions Correctly BCG Says

Democracy Now – Police Arrest Another 90 Activists as Climate Protests Continue in Front of White House

E&E – EPA unveils plan to address tribal water woes

Here’s where you’ll find this week’s NACAA Washington Update!

Climate Change/Energy

Politico – Dems scramble for climate Plan C as Manchin dashes their dreams

NPR – With Biden’s climate plan in jeopardy, can America lead on climate change?

Huffpost – Sea Otters Are Adorable Stewards Of Underwater Sea Grass Meadows

The Hill – Fossil fuel production must be cut in half to control global warming: study

Arizona Republic – New EPA report confirms what south Phoenix’s residents of color know: Climate change discriminates

The Guardian – China, coal and COP26: Can the world’s biggest emitter give up its dirty habit?

The Guardian – ‘I have never felt so hopeless’: millions in US fear utility shutoffs as debts rise

NY Times – What’s Behind the Energy Crunch in Britain and Europe

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Environmental Health News – As masses of plaintiffs pursue Roundup cancer compensation, migrant farmworkers are left out

Gizmodo – Shell CEO Roasted at TED Climate Conference He Was Foolishly Invited to Speak At

Washington Post – Despite spills and air pollution, fossil fuel companies award CEOs for environmental records

LA Times – Experts ask Congress for more offshore oil oversight as California cleanup continues

Wall Street Journal – Banks promised to cut funding for arctic oil drilling. Money flowed anyway.

Washington Post – Abandoned wells are a huge climate problem

Indoor Air Quality

Bloomberg – Schools Begin to Lift Mask Mandates as U.S. Covid Spread Slows

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins

TOP STORIES

FACT SHEET: President Biden Restores Protections for Three National Monuments and Renews American Leadership to Steward Lands, Waters, and Cultural Resources

People – Interior Secretary Deb Haaland Honors Indigenous Peoples (and Bests Her Personal Goal) at Boston Marathon

NPR – Indigenous People’s Day is a federal holiday now. Activists want to drop Columbus Day

The White House – A Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, 2021

The Hill – EPA finds evidence for tightening key air quality standard

U.S. EPA – EPA Publishes its 2021 Climate Adaptation Action Plan

The National Tribal Air Association invites you to participate in a baseline needs assessment of Tribal air quality needs, issues, and priorities. All Tribes are encouraged to submit their survey.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1. What’s the Purpose of the Survey? The information you provide will enable NTAA to comprehensively describe Tribal ambient and indoor air quality needs. This information will then be used to identify the range of Tribal air quality needs and priorities and build Tribal air quality management
2. Is it Voluntary? Yes! Your participation in this survey is voluntary and you are free to decline to answer any question you do not wish to
3. How Long Will It Take? The survey will take between 15 – 20 minutes to
4. Is There an Incentive? Actually yes! The first 50 respondents to submit a completed survey will receive a $10 Starbucks or $10 Amazon gift card. (This is made possible through the donation of an NTAA non-profit partner, not federal funds.)
5. What if My Internet is Connection is Poor? We are happy to conduct the survey with you by telephone. If you would like to take the survey by phone, please email Sydney Janssen at [email protected] to set up a time, or call 800-717-2118, Ext. 105
6. What if I am Not Familiar to Air Quality? If you would like to familiarize yourself with air quality funding sources and concepts mentioned in the survey, please review the glossary PDF.
7. When Does the Survey Close? The survey closes on Friday, October 29th at 5:00pm Pacific Standard

TO BEGIN THE SURVEY, CLICK HERE. (If the link does not automatically open, please cut and paste this link into your browser: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6420470/NTAA-Baseline-Needs- Assessment). You can also find the survey on NTAA’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

The Hill – California to ban gas lawn mowers, leaf blowers

NBC News – Map: Air pollution kills millions worldwide. In the western U.S., the air is only getting worse.

NBC Today – Al Roker talks to EPA administrator about extreme weather, ‘air inequality’ and more

E&E  News – Biden EPA to tighten soot standards Trump left unchanged

E&E News – EPA agrees to further phase down superpollutant

Indian Country Today – Boston honors Indigenous marathon runners

Indian Country Today – Top 10 Indian Country stories for week ending October 9, 2021

High Country News – How the U.S. legal system ignores tribal law

AP – Biden appoints Debra Shore to lead EPA Midwestern office

Climate Change/Energy

CNN – Scientists looked at more than 100,000 studies and found the world has a giant climate-crisis blind spot

Nature – Climate action and just transition

Marketplace – Thirty countries agree to methane emissions cuts to protect the climate

Sierra Magazine – Abandoned Oil and Gas Sites Are Leaking Methane Across the Country

E&E News – Biden readies federal agencies for climate risks

E&E News – Grid operators: ‘Safety valve’ needed for Dems’ clean energy plan

The Hill – Biden faces pressure to pass infrastructure bills before climate summit

Nevada Current – EPA confirms climate impacts are more adverse for racial minorities in the Southwest

Toxics/Mobile Sources

Reuters – Factbox: EV and battery makers target $24 billion for southern U.S. plants

The Hill – Democrats’ electric vehicle push sparks intense lobbying fight

Indoor Air Quality

Discover – Children and COVID-19: How Should We Consider the Risks?

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins

TOP STORIES

The National Tribal Air Association invites you to participate in a baseline needs assessment of Tribal air quality needs, issues, and priorities. All Tribes are encouraged to submit their survey.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

1. What’s the Purpose of the Survey? The information you provide will enable NTAA to comprehensively describe Tribal ambient and indoor air quality needs. This information will then be used to identify the range of Tribal air quality needs and priorities and build Tribal air quality management
2. Is it Voluntary? Yes! Your participation in this survey is voluntary and you are free to decline to answer any question you do not wish to
3. How Long Will It Take? The survey will take between 15 – 20 minutes to
4. Is There an Incentive? Actually yes! The first 50 respondents to submit a completed survey will receive a $10 Starbucks or $10 Amazon gift card. (This is made possible through the donation of an NTAA non-profit partner, not federal funds.)
5. What if My Internet is Connection is Poor? We are happy to conduct the survey with you by telephone. If you would like to take the survey by phone, please email Sydney Janssen at [email protected] to set up a time, or call 800-717-2118, Ext. 105
6. What if I am Not Familiar to Air Quality? If you would like to familiarize yourself with air quality funding sources and concepts mentioned in the survey, please review the glossary PDF.
7. When Does the Survey Close? The survey closes on Friday, October 29th at 5:00pm Pacific Standard

TO BEGIN THE SURVEY, CLICK HERE. (If the link does not automatically open, please cut and paste this link into your browser: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6420470/NTAA-Baseline-Needs- Assessment). You can also find the survey on NTAA’s website here.

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

E&E News – EPA strategic plan touts climate, environmental justice goals

E&E News – Top EPA Air Appointee Offloaded Oil Stocks

CNN – EPA moves to block controversial mine that threatened salmon habitat in Alaska

The Hill – White House proposes reversing parts of Trump rewrite of bedrock environmental law implementation (NEPA)

NY Times – In Arizona, Drought Ignites Tensions and Threatens Traditions Among the Hopi

To’ Nizhoni Ani – Diné Residents of Black Mesa tell why they support Build Back Better Plan

Grist – Here’s how Congress could hold the EPA accountable for its ‘dereliction of duty’

The Wall Street Journal – The Colorado River Is in Crisis. The Walton Family Is Pushing a Solution.

Environmental Health News – We’re miscalculating the cancer risk from a massive class of chemicals: MIT Study

Andover Technology Partners – Analysis of PM and Hg Emissions and Controls from Coal-Fired Power Plants

Here’s your link to this week’s NACAA Washington Update.

Climate Change/Energy

Time – Climate Pressure Mounts for Biden As a Major Conference Looms

Climate Signals – Arctic Amplification: The Arctic is warming twice to three times as fast as the rest of the planet due to sea ice loss—a phenomenon known as Arctic amplification

Bloomberg Green – The Cheap and Easy Climate Fix That Can Cool the Planet Fast

Grist – Study: The rich can spur climate action — or uphold the status quo

AP – Physics Nobel rewards work on climate change, other forces

The Guardian – Giant sequoias and fire have coexisted for centuries. Climate crisis is upping the stakes

The Hill – Warming Arctic could spread nuclear waste, unknown viruses: report

NPR – Pushed to the edge, tribe members in coastal Louisiana wonder where to go after Ida

TIME – U.S. Fishermen Are Making Their Last Stand Against Offshore Wind

The Hill – Greenpeace ad asks if climate change is racist

Toxics/Mobile Sources

EPA – EPA Announces $4.5 Million in Grants Available for Tribes to Replace Diesel Equipment and Reduce Harmful Emissions

NPR – 5 Midwestern governors agree to create a network to charge electric vehicles

Washington Post – GM sets earlier deadline for all-renewable energy

The Hill – Five things to know about the California oil spill

The Hill – Plastics company agrees to $23M settlement in drinking water pollution case

Reuters – Explainer: What’s behind the wild surges in global LNG prices and the risks ahead

Gizmodo – Oil Starts Flowing Through Line 3 on Friday, But Water Protectors Will Keep Fighting It

Reuters – Energy lawsuits pact seen threatening Paris climate deal

Earther – The ABCs of Big Oil: The Fossil Fuel Industry’s Century-Long Quest to Invade Elementary Schools

E&E – How Dems’ clean electricity plan hits nuclear, gas, FERC

ABC15 Arizona – Southwest Gas releases data on frequency of Driscopipe 8000 leaks

Indoor Air Quality

New York Times – Is Bad Indoor Air Dulling Your Brain?

Be sure to subscribe to EPA’s IAQ Bulletins