UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes 

NEW! Invitation: Tribal Consultation on Nature-Based Solutions

August 15, 2022, | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM ET |  Register Here

We are inviting you to join the White House for a Tribal Consultation on August 15, 2022, from 4-5pm ET to discuss the forthcoming White House report on nature-based solutions. On April 22, 2022, President Biden signed Executive Order 14072 on “Strengthening the Nation’s Forests, Communities, and Local Economies.” In this Order, the President recognized that nature holds special importance to Tribal Nations, and recognized the significance of nature to sustain the plant and animal life fundamental to combatting the global climate and biodiversity crises.
The Executive Order called for a report ‐ led by the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, Council on Environmental Quality, and Domestic Climate Policy Office ‐ that identifies key opportunities for greater deployment of nature‐based solutions across the Federal Government, including through potential policy, guidance, and program changes. The Federal members of this effort recognize that the ideas shared in the report may affect Tribal Nations and acknowledge the experience Tribal communities have in applying nature‐based solutions, which often provide other communities and Federal agencies with examples and advances.

NEW! U.S. DOT Announces Thriving Communities Program

On August 5, 2022, DOT published a Thriving Communities Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register [Document Number 2022-16860] to hear directly from transportation professionals, local officials, community partners and other stakeholders about the specific issues and technical areas where those living and working in disadvantaged communities need more direct assistance from capacity building providers and the federal government to successfully access infrastructure funding and advance transformative transportation projects. The RFI can be viewed and comments submitted through August 26, 2022.

NEW! EPA: USEPA – SIGNED: Air Toxics Standards for Stationary Engines – Final Amendments to Address Court Vacatur

On August 4, 2022, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a final rule that amends the Code of Federal Regulations for two stationary engine rules. EPA does not expect any emissions changes as a result of this final action. The final action codifies a court mandate that has been in place since 2016 related to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Stationary Reciprocating Internal Combustion Engines (RICE) and the New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for Stationary Internal Combustion Engines (ICE). A pre-publication version of the notice and a fact sheet are available at https://www.epa.gov/stationary-engines and on the websites for each rule at:

·       https://www.epa.gov/stationary-engines/national-emission-standards-hazardous-air-pollutants-reciprocating-internal-0

·       https://www.epa.gov/stationary-engines/new-source-performance-standards-stationary-compression-ignition-internal-0

·       https://www.epa.gov/stationary-engines/new-source-performance-standards-stationary-spark-ignition-internal-combustion-0

EPA Seeking Nominations to Serve on the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee (Federal Advisory Committee)

EPA is seeking nominations from nonfederal representatives to serve on the Children’s Health Protection Advisory Committee (CHPAC). Established in 1997, the CHPAC Federal Advisory Committee provides independent advice to the EPA Administrator on a broad range of environmental issues affecting children’s health.

Candidates from diverse backgrounds include, but are not limited to, industry; tribal, state, county and local government; school systems; academia; health care providers (including pediatricians, obstetric professionals, occupational medicine practitioners and community nurses); and non-governmental organizations are encouraged to apply.

EPA values and welcomes opportunities to increase diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility on its Federal Advisory Committees. To obtain nominations of diverse candidates, EPA encourages nominations from a diverse pool of applicants in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, and geographic regions.

CHPAC members are appointed by the EPA Administrator for three-year terms with the possibility of reappointment to a second term. The Committee meets 2-3 times annually and the average workload is approximately 10 to 15 hours per month. Through its expert members from diverse stakeholder groups and from its various workgroups, CHPAC reviews and addresses a wide range of developments, issues and research areas such as pesticide exposures to children, environmental health in schools and child care settings, prioritization and data needs to protect children’s health under the Toxic Substances Control Act, childhood lead exposure prevention, and climate change impacts to children.

Nominations should be submitted by August 15, 2022. Please refer to the Federal Register Notice for more details on nomination submission. EPA is aiming to reach a diverse and qualified candidate pool and ask you to share this notice with organizations that you believe may have suitable candidates, or with individuals you believe will be an asset to the CHPAC. Vacancies are expected to be filled by March 1, 2023.

If you have any questions, please contact Amelia Nguyen, Designated Federal Officer for CHPAC at [email protected]. 

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 Webinar: EPA PFAS Strategic Roadmap: Research Tools and Resources

August 17, 2022, | 3:00 – 4:00 PM ET | Click Here to Register

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemicals that have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries in the United States and around the globe since the 1940s, and they are still being used today. There are thousands of different PFAS, some of which have been more widely used and studied than others. Due to their widespread production and use, as well as their ability to move and persist in the environment, PFAS can be found in surface water, groundwater, soil and air—from remote rural areas to densely-populated urban centers. A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that exposure at certain levels to specific PFAS can adversely impact human health and other living things.

This webinar will provide a brief overview of EPA’s PFAS Strategic Roadmap and ongoing efforts by EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) to address key PFAS research needs for environmental decision-making. ORD scientists will highlight two recently released data sources: EPA’s PFAS Thermal Treatment Database, which contains information on the treatability of PFAS via various thermal processes, and Systematic Evidence Maps for PFAS, which summarize available toxicity evidence for approximately 150 different PFAS. Recent updates to other PFAS resources will also be shared.

EPA Clean School Bus Program – 2022 Rebates

Click here to register

EPA is offering $500 million in rebates for electric and low-emission school buses. Register Today for the Webinars Below! Program Now Open!

SUMMER WEBINAR SERIES

• August 10 – U.S. Department of Agriculture: Rural Electric Cooperatives Infrastructure Funding All webinars will be held at 1:00 PM Eastern.
• Submit Your Rebate Application by August 19, 2022 ATTENTION:
• Applying for a Rebate? Be sure to get an Active SAM.gov Account First!

CSB Rebates Application deadline is August 19, 2022. SAM.gov entity registration required.

• Click hereto view the program guidance and a list of eligible/priority applicants.
• Click hereto begin the 2022 Clean School Bus Rebate Application process.
• Click hereto sign-up for the Clean School Bus News listserv and add [email protected] to your email contacts to guarantee you receive regular program updates and our messages don’t go to your spam folder.
• Click hereto access the EPA Clean School Bus website to learn more about the program and the benefits of clean school buses.
• Email [email protected]with any questions or feedback to improve the program.

Important Dates

Activity	Date
2022 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebates open. EPA begins accepting online application submissions here.	August 19, 2022 (Application Deadline)
EPA reviews applications and begins the selection process.	September 2022
EPA notifies applicants of selection status and posts list of applicants and selectees online. Selectees can proceed with purchasing new buses and eligible infrastructure.	October 2022
Selectees submit Payment Request Forms with purchase orders demonstrating that new buses and eligible infrastructure have been ordered.	October 2022 – April 2023
Project period deadline for selectees to receive new buses, install eligible infrastructure, replace old buses, and submit Close Out Forms.	October 2024

The Earth to Sky Interagency Partnership, in collaboration with the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals and Grand Canyon National Park, is excited to announce an upcoming course for interpreters, informal educators, and Tribal professionals on the Colorado Plateau.

September 6 – 9, 2022 | Click Here for Application | Click Here to Learn More

This course is offered by the Earth to Sky Interagency Partnership in collaboration with the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals and Grand Canyon National Park. Together we will provide participants a foundation in climate science and effective climate communication and interpretation; an understanding of the connections between global and local processes; and perspectives on the interdependence of culture and climate on the Colorado Plateau. The course emphasizes a supportive, collegial learning environment. You will:

• Meet with NASA and regional scientists to learn about the latest global and regional climate research and discuss their insights on understanding and responding to changing climate
• Observe, practice, and discuss techniques for successful climate change interpretation and communication
• Hear Native perspectives on climate change and learn about Tribal resilience and adaptation strategies
• Experience first-hand evidence of and responses to local climate change impacts on a field trip
• Meet colleagues from around the region and join a community of interpreters, informal educators, and Tribal professionals committed to communicating regional climate issues and solutions
• Depart with cutting-edge knowledge about climate change, and a plan for bringing the climate story to your visitors in relevant, engaging, inspiring, and hopeful ways
• Learn how you can stay connected with these scientists, fellow climate communicators, and the national Earth to Sky community of practice over the long term. You’re not alone in your efforts!

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 ([email protected]) and/or Loren Fox ([email protected]) 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 [email protected] 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.

IAQ Work Group: Join the bi-monthly calls of the NTAA IAQ work group. Attend by clicking here. The call this week has been cancelled, so next call will take place on June 16th at 2pm ET.	Thursday, August 18, 2 pm ET
Wood Smoke Work Group: Join this work group every other month to address wood smoke issues in Indian Country. Attend by clicking here.	Thursday,  August 18,  2 pm ET
Mobile Sources Work Group: This next work group will be a special session of the Mobile Sources Work Group. See NTAA news for more information.	Thursday, September 1, 1:30 PM ET
Alaska Air Work Group: Join this work group to hear updates from EPA and Alaskans working on air quality. Contact [email protected] to join the call!	Thursday, TBA, 10 am AK or 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

DOC NOAA’s Transformational Habitat Restoration and Coastal Resilience Grants Under the IIJA – $85 million |Applications Due: September 6, 2022|

Eligible Entities: County governments, state governments, city or township governments, small businesses, nonprofits, for profit organizations, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), private institutions of higher education, public and state controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)

The principal objective of this solicitation is to support transformational projects that restore marine, estuarine, coastal, or Great Lakes ecosystems, using approaches that enhance community and ecosystem resilience to climate hazards. Funding will prioritize habitat restoration actions that: demonstrate significant impacts; rebuild productive and sustainable fisheries; contribute to the recovery and conservation of threatened and endangered species; promote climate-resilient ecosystems, especially in tribal or underserved communities; and improve economic vitality, including local employment.

• For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

DOC Coastal Habitat Restoration and Resilience Grants for Underserved Communities, Under the IIJA – $10 million | Applications Due: September 30, 2022|

Eligible Entities: County governments, state governments, city or township governments, small businesses, nonprofits, for profit organizations, Native American tribal governments (federally recognized), private institutions of higher education, public and state controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)

The principal objective of this solicitation is to support opportunities for underserved communities, tribes, and/or tribal entities to meaningfully engage in coastal habitat restoration activities. Through this funding opportunity, NOAA intends to support capacity building and restoration project activities that have the greatest potential to lead to habitat restoration that enhances resilience of underserved communities in marine, estuarine, coastal, and Great Lakes areas. Meaningful engagement of underserved communities is intended to ensure that communities are integral to the visioning, decision-making, and leadership for coastal habitat restoration projects; to ensure that the scope of such projects are inclusive of the priorities and needs of communities; and/or to ensure that the benefits of such projects flow back to underserved communities.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

DOE Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment – $13 million Applications Due: October 11, 2022

Eligible Entities: Unrestricted

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the Community Geothermal Heating and Cooling Design and Deployment Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), which will award $300,000–$13 million for projects that help communities design and deploy geothermal district heating and cooling systems, create related workforce training, and identify and address environmental justice concerns. The FOA will support the formation of U.S.-based community coalitions that will develop, design, and install community geothermal heating and cooling systems that supply at least 25% of the heating and cooling load in communities.

• For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

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.

NOAA RESTORE Science Program 2023 – $15 million

Applications Due: November 15, 2022

Eligible Entities: Institutions of higher education; not-for-profit institutions; for-profit organizations; local governments, state governments, tribal governments; and U.S. territories

NOAA RESTORE Science Program is open for proposals for projects up to five years in duration. This announcement invites proposals that request funding from researcher, resource manager, and stakeholder partnerships to execute a previously planned, collaborative research project, develop its findings and products, transfer them to an identified resource manager or management body, and apply them to a specific Gulf of Mexico natural resource management decision. A letter of intent for this proposal is due by August 16, 2022.

For more information, visit the funding opportunity description.

EPA has updated the Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool

EPA’s free, spreadsheet-based Tribal Greenhouse Gas Inventory Tool, first launched in 2013 and updated annually, is based on nationally and internationally recognized GHG accounting and reporting principles.

            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:

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jonathan Reichental

August 18th, 2022, | Register Here

Dr. Jonathan Reichental is a multiple-award-winning technology and business leader whose career has spanned both the private and public sectors. He’s been a senior software engineering manager, a director of technology innovation, and has served as chief information officer at both O’Reilly Media and the City of Palo Alto, California. Reichental is currently the founder of advisory, investment, and education firm, Human Future, and also creates online education for LinkedIn Learning. He has written three books on the future of cities: Smart Cities for Dummies, Exploring Smart Cities Activity Book for Kids, and Exploring Cities Bedtime Rhymes.

Cosponsored by the EPA and ICMA, Brownfields 2022 will be taking place: August 16-19, 2022, in Oklahoma City, OK

Toxics/Mobile Sources

SmartWay Logistics Tool Demonstration

August 17, 2022, | 2:00 PM ET | Click Here to Register

This webinar is for third-party logistics companies and Partners who want to learn how to use SmartWay’s ONLINE Logistics Tool. During the webinar, SmartWay staff will review how Logistics Partners can use the 2022 Tool to obtain an emissions profile for their clients, carriers, and their own operations. This webinar begins with some background on SmartWay, walks you through the tool in a live demonstration, and provides insights on how you can use tool outputs to evaluate where performance can be improved.

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 

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!