UPCOMING CALLS/EVENTS/NOTICES

Ambient Air Quality/EPA/NTAA/Tribes

NEW! Smoke, Air, Fire, Energy (SAFE) Symposium – Rural and Tribal Community Resilience Strategies for Action Day-long symposium on March 1st, 2023 that will bring together Tribal leaders, researchers, and practitioners who are working on the interrelated topics of wildfire smoke, air quality, fire risk, and clean energy solutions. The goal is enhancing climate resilience of rural and Tribal communities. There is no cost to attend this event. Click HERE for more information and RSVP HERE.

EPA Seeks Feedback on Inflation Reduction Act Programs

Comments are due by January 18, 2023. In addition, the agency will conduct extensive public engagement as it works to implement the law.

EPA has announced initial public engagement and input opportunities for a subset of new and existing programs funded by President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act. These programs, which include funding for air quality and climate projects addressing clean energy, transportation, methane emissions, and climate super-pollutants, will advance the President’s bold agenda to combat the climate crisis, protect public health and advance environmental justice.

EPA’s engagement strategy for these programs includes:

Request for Information (RFI): Issuing a request for public input to inform program design;
Expert Input: Soliciting expert input on key program design questions from EPA’s Federal Advisory Committees including the Local Government Advisory Committee, Clean Air Act Advisory Committee, and the National Environmental Justice Advisory Committee;
Listening Sessions: Launching a stakeholder listening session series to enable key stakeholders including environmental justice communities, state and local governments, clean energy advocates, labor, and others to provide input directly to EPA staff; and
New Webpage: Creating a one-stop shop for information on the implementation of Inflation Reduction Act programs managed by EPA’s Office of Air and Radiation.

EPA has published a Request for Information (RFI) seeking public comment on six public dockets that correspond to Inflation Reduction Act provisions in the law.

Public Encouraged to Review and Comment in Six Public Dockets

REMINDER! The White House: FACT SHEET: How the Inflation Reduction Act Helps Tribal Communities

By signing the Inflation Reduction Act, President Biden is delivering on his promise to meet the climate crisis and build an economy that works for working families, including Tribal nations and American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian families. The Inflation Reduction Act lowers prescription drug costs, health care costs, and energy costs. It’s the most aggressive action we have taken to confront the climate crisis. It’ll lower the deficit and ask the super wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share. And no one making under $400,000 per year will pay a penny more in taxes. Click Here for FACT SHEET.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) FY2022 Appropriations

To View Report, Click Here.

This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role.

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 Loren Fox ([email protected]) with any feedback.

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 for NTAA webinars* When you register for 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 time. For other NTAA calls, NTAA will be transitioning to Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent with calendar invites for future NTAA work group calls.

Woodsmoke Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in woodsmoke issues in Tribal communities. Contact [email protected] to join the call!	Thursday, January 5, 10 am AK or 2 pm ET
Mobile Sources Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in mobile source issues in Tribal communities. Contact [email protected] to join the call!	Thursday, December 8, 10 am AK or 2 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!	January 25, 10 am AK or 2 pm ET (tentative)
NTAA / EPA Air Policy Update Call: Join this monthly meeting to hear updates from EPA on important air quality and climate policy updates as well as updates around the country related to Tribal Air Programs. Calls are usually on the last Thursday of every month unless it falls on a national holiday. Contact [email protected] to join the call!	Thursday, January 26, 10 am AK or 2 pm ET
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Work Group: This work group meets Bi-Monthly and includes Tribal and EPA professionals with an interest in indoor air quality in Tribal homes and other buildings. [email protected] to join the call!	Thursday, February 16, 10 am AK or 2 pm ET

The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (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.

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

The first in-person National Tribal and Indigenous Climate Conference (NTICC) was an absolute success! We are excited to announce that the session recordings, the highlight reel, and the slide deck overview are now available. A special thanks to all who attended and made NTICC 2022 possible. For more information, check out the NTICC website.

RFI EPA Climate Pollution Reduction Grants – $5 billion

Deadline: January 18, 2023

This RFI is for a program to help eligible entities to help plan and implement climate pollution reduction strategies. Click here for more information.

REMINDER!

USDA Seeks Input from Tribal Leaders on Advancing Clean Energy for Tribal Communities Through the Inflation Reduction Act

WASHINGTON, Nov. 23, 2022 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Xochitl Torres Small today announced that USDA will host a Tribal consultation on Thursday, Dec. 15, 2022, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

Tribal leaders and their proxies are invited to give input on new funding authorities under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that will help advance clean energy for people living in Tribal communities. Tribes, Tribal enterprises, Tribal utilities and other non-Tribal applicants may be eligible for funding under the IRA programs offered by USDA.

To attend the consultation, visit the Tribal Consultation on the IRA webinar registration page [lnks.gd]. To learn more, read the full Tribal Consultation Notification [lnks.gd].

Toxics/Mobile Sources

NEW! Opportunity to provide input: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is developing a proposed rulemaking to review the Clean Air Act (CAA) New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and Emission Guidelines (EG) for the Large Municipal Waste Combustors (LMWCs) source category (40 CFR part 60 subpart Eb, and 40 CFR part 60, subpart Cb, respectively). Pursuant to the EPA’s Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes, the Agency is initiating pre-proposal consultation with federally recognized Indian tribes to obtain input on the upcoming action to update regulatory requirements for the Large Municipal Waste Combustors (LMWCs). If you are interested in requesting government-to-government consultation with EPA during the pre-proposal period, please contact Regina Chappell at (919) 541-3650 or email at [email protected]. Please contact us before February 3, 2023, to request the consultation. EPA will strive to accommodate the requests as time and resources permit. Tribes may also submit OFFICE OF AIR QUALITY PLANNING AND STANDARDS written comments at https://www.regulations.gov/, Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2022-0920, any time during the pre-proposal tribal consultation process and until June 6, 2023. If there are any questions, please email Charlene Spells at [email protected]. Additional background information about the air regulations for LMWCs can be found at: https://www.epa.gov/stationary-sources-air-pollution/large-municipal-waste-combustors-lmwc-new-source-performance

Indoor Air Quality

New! Notice of Intent – DOE Grants for Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities – $80 million

Deadline: Available until expended Eligible Entities: Consortium of One Local Education Agency and one or more Schools, Non-Profits, For-Profits, and Community Partners. This funding is the first tranche of funding in a $500 million investment, to make clean energy improvements in K-12 public schools. Funds will empower school districts to make upgrades that will lower facilities’ energy costs and improve student learning environments. Visit HERE for more information.

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!