UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

 

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 sjanssen@thhnw.org 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: sjanssen@thhnw.org. If you have any question or difficulty completing this form, please email Sydney.

 

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

This calendar is also linked under the “Tribal Air and Climate Resources” webpage under the “Policy and Planning” heading available at https://www.epa.gov/tribal-air.

The purpose of the calendar is to ensure that our Tribal partners are kept apprised of EPA activities that are relevant to them. If you have any questions about the calendars or any recommendations on how EPA can improve upon the calendars please do not hesitate to reach out to Toni Colon (colon.toni@epa.gov) and/or Tanya Abrahamian (abrahamian.tanya@epa.gov) with any feedback.

 

NEW! Addressing Air Quality in Tribal Communities (for Beginners)

January 25-27, 2022 | 9am-2pm PDT; 10am-3pm MDT; 12pm-5pm EDT

(2-hour session, 1-hour break, 2-hour session, Daily)

Apply Now: https://forms.gle/1S3amRpocRphTMuX7

Course capped at 12 participants

Topics:

• Identifying air quality sources and concerns in a community
• Tribal Air Program Case Studies
• Resources for tribal air quality professionals

The application is due on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. Applicants will be notified of their acceptance to the workshop via email by Tuesday, January 18. Those accepted to participate in the workshop will receive the Zoom link and password to join the workshop. The link and password are unique and should not be shared with others.

 

EPA releases new report on Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in the United States: A Focus on Six Impacts

EPA’s new report quantifies the degree to which four socially vulnerable populations— defined based on income, educational attainment, race and ethnicity, and age—may be more exposed to the highest impacts of climate change. The report quantifies six types of impacts: air quality and health, extreme temperature and health, extreme temperature and labor, coastal flooding and traffic, coastal flooding and property, and inland flooding and property. Access the report. To download the report’s findings related to the disproportionate risks of climate change to American Indian and Alaska Natives. To find more information about climate change: https://www.epa.gov/climate-change

 

NTAA Upcoming Calls

Contact Andy.Bessler@nau.edu if you have any questions about any call! *Registration instructions* When you register for the GoToWebinar, please remember to include your Tribe, Region, or Organization in parenthesis after your last name. This allows you to see everyone on the call and prevents us from conducting a roll-call, ultimately saving everyone’s time.

 

Mobile Sources Work Group: This monthly work group addresses all mobile source pollution issues. Attend by clicking here.	Thursday, January 6, 2pm  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, January 20, 2pm ET
EPA Policy Call: Call in to hear updates from EPA on policies, actions, and tools relevant to Indian Country and Air Quality. Attend by clicking here.	Thursday, January 27, 2pm ET
STAR Work Group: Join the Status of Tribal Air work group to provide input on the report. Attend by clicking here.	Wednesday, January 12, 2pm ET
Indoor Air Quality Work Group: Join this work group every other month to help support IAQ work throughout Indian Country. Attend by clicking here.	Thursday, February 17, 2pm 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.

 

Climate Change / Energy

 NEW! Applications open for the Arctic Rivers Summit, March 2022

Scheduled to take place at the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, Alaska, March 29-31, 2022. The Summit is part of the Arctic Rivers Project funded by the National Science Foundation’s Navigating the New Arctic Program. The Summit will be an in-person workshop to discuss the current and potential future states of Alaskan and Yukon rivers and fish and how we can adapt. It will bring together up to 150 Tribal and First Nation leaders, community members, managers, and knowledge holders, academic, Indigenous, federal, state, and provincial researchers, non-governmental organizations, and others.  

Applications are due by January 23, 2022. For more information, please visit the Arctic Rivers Summit website.

 

ITEP’s Climate Change Adaptation Training Courses registration is online!

Learn more about the courses and register here.

 

Toxics/Mobile Sources

 NRC invites comment on Draft Programmatic Agreement on protection of archaeological sites affected by proposed placement of mine waste repository on top of reclaimed Church Rock uranium mill tailings deposit: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is requesting comment on a draft Programmatic Agreement (PA) between the NRC, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), Navajo Nation Tribal Historic Preservation Office (NNTHPO), New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office (NMSHPO), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and United Nuclear Corporation (UNC). The purpose of this draft PA is to resolve any adverse effects to historic properties identified during consultation for a proposed license amendment application for the UNC Mill Site.
Submit comments by January 21, 2022.
> Federal Register (TBA)
> Download: Draft Programmatic Agreement  , Nov. 30, 2021 (PDF)
> Access Docket ID NRC-2019-0026 

  

Indoor Air Quality

NEW! Choose the Right Portable Air Cleaner for the Home

Whether you are in the market for a portable air cleaner for your home or you were thinking about gifting one this holiday season, EPA’s Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home can help you make a well-informed decision.

Tips for selecting and using a portable air cleaner:

• Never buy or use an air cleaner that generates ozone, a lung irritant.
• Choose an air cleaner with a clean air delivery rate (CADR) that is large enough for the size of the room. The higher the CADR the more particles an air cleaner can capture and remove from the air and the larger the room it can be used in.
• Running your air cleaner at a higher speed and for a longer time will help improve the air cleaner’s effectiveness.
• Place your air cleaner in the rooms where you spend more of your time such as your living room or bedroom.
• Replace filters regularly and follow all air cleaner manufacturing maintenance instructions.

Read EPA’s Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home for more details and tips.

 

Resources

1. New Research on DIY Air Cleaners to Reduce Wildfire Smoke Indoors– also see guidance below!
2. Wildfire Smoke Employer Training Checklistsfor employee safety in OR and WA
3. Updated EPA webpage on Emergencies and Indoor Air Quality: Includes tips on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from weather-related and man-made emergencies and disasters that affect indoor environments, including Wildfires, Volcanic Eruptions, and Dust Storms, Power Outages, Hurricanes and Flooding, Extreme Heat, Snow and Ice, Earthquakes
4. Two books for Indigenous Youth on COVID-19: Our Smallest Warriors, Our Strongest Medicine, developed by Tribes and partners at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health (these are really well done – order copies here)
5. New interagency hosted ed.gov website–  inventory of resources promoting healthy school environments
6. 2021 State of Our Schools Reportfrom the 21st Century School Fund, the International WELL Building Institute, and the National Council on School Facilities released
7. Consumer warning from FDA:Consumers that use of the Max-Lux Safe-T-Lite UV WAND may expose the user or any nearby person to unsafe levels of ultraviolet-C radiation and may cause injury to the skin, eyes, or both after a few seconds of use. Consumers may use the wand to try to disinfect surfaces and kill germs in the home or similar spaces. The FDA recommends that consumers consider using safer alternative disinfection methods.

 

Improving Environmental Health in Schools White Paper

The authors of this white paper are environmental health academics who recognize the importance of in-school education. However, we also understand that infectious disease transmission in schools is an existential challenge affecting the health of local communities and ultimately, society at large. We have extensive experience implementing environmental improvements both before and during the current pandemic. We wish to persuade the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the lead Agency for protecting human health and the environment, that now is the time to revive and expand their School Integrated Pest Management (SIPM) initiative to improve environmental health in schools and document the tangible benefits that follow.

 

U.S. Department of Education Encourages Use of American Rescue Plan Funds to Improve Ventilation and IAQ in Schools

Indoor air quality is critical to reopening schools safely and keeping them open. The U.S. Department of Education has released new guidance encouraging the use of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to improve ventilation systems and make other indoor air quality improvements in schools to prevent the spread of COVID- 19 and tackle longstanding school ventilation improvement needs. The new Department of Education guidance highlights EPA resources to support investments in improved ventilation and indoor air quality. Use the following resources from EPA to supplement the information in the guidance:

• Indoor Air and Coronavirus (COVID-19): Visit this page for the latest guidance on best indoor air practices to limit the spread of COVID-19.
• Ventilation and Coronavirus (COVID-19): Ventilation is an important approach to lowering concentrations of indoor air pollutants, including viruses. Increase the ventilation in your school with outdoor air when possible.
• Air Cleaners, HVAC filters, and Coronavirus (COVID-19): Air cleaners and HVAC filters can help to reduce viruses and pollutants in the air. Consider upgrading the HVAC filters in your system and using safe, effective portable air cleaners to supplement HVAC filtration. Note: Do

not use air cleaners that intentionally generate ozone in occupied spaces.

• Implementing a Layered Approach to Address COVID-19 in Public Indoor Spaces: A layered risk reduction approach is best to limit airborne transmission of COVID-19 – learn how to combine increased ventilation and filtration with other CDC recommendations, such as wearing masks and social distancing.

 

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