The RTOC and NTOC are partnerships between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and elected Tribal representatives, with missions to serve as forums for federally recognized Tribes to work with EPA senior leadership on policy and resource matters related to Tribal capacity building, and environmental program development and implementation in Indian country.

EPA Region 10 is seeking nominations from federally recognized Tribal governments in for a Tribal representative to serve on the National Tribal Operations Committee (NTOC) and Region 10 Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC) for the following positions:

NTOC Positions

NTOC Alaska Position 2

NTOC Idaho, Eastern Washington, and Eastern Oregon

Nominees should meet the membership requirements as described below and be willing to serve a three-year term on the NTOC starting January 1, 2025.

National Tribal Caucus Membership Criteria

Members and alternates should meet all criteria under either (1) the environmental experience option OR (2) the elected official option. If members meet the environmental experience option and are not Tribal elected officials, they must be designated in writing by their tribal leadership to act on behalf of their Tribe.

Environmental Experience Option:
At least 3 years’ experience as an environmental director, deputy director, or an equivalent position for a federally recognized Tribe;
Experience managing the implementation of a variety of tribal environmental programs for a federally recognized Tribe; and
Experience working with, or interacting with, EPA senior managers at the Regional or Headquarters levels; this interaction could include involvement with regional Tribal partnership groups.

Elected Official Option:
Serves as an elected official or a traditionally appointed representative of a federally recognized Tribe with broad responsibilities that include oversight of environmental, natural resources or human health issues.

If your Tribe would like to provide a nominee to serve on the NTOC, please email the enclosed nomination form, including a brief description of each nominee’s background and qualifications, to EPA by November 1, 2024. Lucas DuSablon is available to answer any questions. He can be reached at DuSablon.Lucas@epa.gov or 206 553 2573.

RTOC Positions

RTOC Alaska Position 3

RTOC Idaho

RTOC Western Washington

Nominees should meet the membership requirements as described within the letters linked above and be willing to serve a three-year term on the RTOC starting January 1, 2025.

The RTOC is a partnership between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and elected Tribal representatives. The mission of the RTOC is to serve as a forum for federally recognized Tribes to work with EPA senior leadership on policy and resource matters related to Tribal capacity building, and environmental program development and implementation in Indian country. Further, the RTOC identifies mechanisms for federally recognized Tribes and EPA to facilitate actions that protect human health and the environment in Indian country.

Lucas DuSablon is available to answer any questions. He can be reached at DuSablon.Lucas@epa.gov or 206 553 2573.

EPA is hiring a data analyst for a 6-month full-time or 12-month part-time temporary assignment via the Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA). This assignment is an ideal opportunity for an employee who works for a Tribal government with a research or analytical skillset to gain transferable experience in data management principles, data analysis, and training development. This opportunity would not be issued as a grant, but rather as an agreement between EPA and the Tribal agency where EPA would agree to pay for the salary and benefits of the individual for the duration of the IPA assignment. There may be an opportunity for an extension. This is a telework position. Some travel may be required to events or training opportunities at EPA’s expense.

• Apply.

The President’s Task Force on Environmental Health and Safety Risks to Children is the focal point for coordinating federal government efforts to explore, understand, and act together to improve children’s safety and environmental health. The Task Force website features a wide array of events and resources.

• Join the email list.

EPA developed the Safer Choice label to help consumers and businesses find cleaning and other products that are safer for you, your family, and the environment. Every ingredient must meet strict safety criteria for both human health and the environment, including carcinogenicity, reproductive/developmental toxicity, toxicity to aquatic life, and persistence in the environment. Last week, EPA released a new Outdoor Use Safer Choice label that identifies outdoor use products — like pet care products, fire defense products, and car, boat, or grill cleaners — that meet EPA criteria to protect waterways. In addition to the Outdoor Use label, labels are also available for fragrance-free products and products with business or industrial/institutional purposes.

EPA has announced the finalization of national discharge standards to control the release of pollutants and invasive species from approximately 85,000 vessels operating in U.S. waters. These standards, issued through EPA’s Vessel Incidental Discharge National Standards of Performance final rule, address discharges that occur with normal operation of large vessels. EPA’s final rule will help address harmful pollutants, including bacteria, pathogens, oil, grease, and metals while reducing the spread of invasive species that can damage ecosystems and infrastructure.

• Read the press release.

On September 25, EPA and AmeriCorps launched the Environmental Justice Climate Corps, a new partnership designed to open doors to careers that benefit disadvantaged and other low-income communities. The partnership will support more than 250 AmeriCorps VISTA members nationwide over three years, with each member completing a one-year term of service.Members will be paid a living allowance and reimbursed for selected expenses.

• Applications for the Environmental Justice Climate Corps will open in early 2025. Subscribe to receive updates.

The Environmental Justice Climate Corps is part of the American Climate Corps, a workforce training and service initiative support by the White House, AmeriCorps, the US Department of Agriculture, US Department of Commerce, US Department of Energy, US Department of Interior, US Department of Labor, and EPA.

• Explore opportunities with the American Climate Corps.

If you have new staff on board, please direct them to our New Staff Toolkit, designed to help new Tribal environmental staff understand the typical activities in the first year and throughout their GAP career. Another superb resource for new and continuing staff is EPA’s Grants Management Training for Applicants and Recipients, which offers six online modules that you can complete at your leisure. When you complete a module, you can send the certificate to your Project Officer as a deliverable.

GAP Deadlines
As we start a new fiscal year (October 1-September 30), it seems a good time to provide some reminders about GAP grant requirements. As stated in last year’s Notice of Funding Availability, the following reports are required for all grantees. Column 4 lists some EPA resources to help you get them done.

News sites are now calling Hurricane Helene one of the deadliest storms of the century. Communities along Helene’s path may take years to recover from the devastation. Federal aid comes in varied forms, but federal aid starts with a federal disaster declaration. Did you know that Tribes can request a presidential emergency or major disaster declaration independent of a state? FEMA has this site with more information.

https://www.fema.gov/disaster/how-declared-tribal-nations

Today, September 25, in commemoration of Climate Week NYC, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and AmeriCorps announced the Environmental Justice Climate Corps, a new partnership launched as part of President Biden’s American Climate Corps to open doors for people to serve in careers that benefit disadvantaged and other low-income communities.

This partnership will support more than 250 AmeriCorps VISTA members nationwide over three years, with each new participating member completing a one-year term of service.This historic initiative is the largest environmental partnership in AmeriCorps’ history and EPA’s first nationwide service effort. The Environmental Justice Climate Corps represents the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing commitment to tackling the climate crisis and advancing environmental justice. It also reaffirms the Administration’s commitment to creating pathways to middle class jobs and a step to implement the Biden-Harris Administration’s Executive Order to Promote Good Jobs by supporting workforce development through the American Climate Corps.

Environmental Justice Climate Corps members will be paid a living allowance and reimbursed for selected living expenses. In total, this allowance is equivalent to receiving more than $25 per hour throughout their year of service. Members will obtain the benefits of AmeriCorps VISTA service—including the Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, which is valued at $7,395 in FY24, and streamlined pathways into certain federal jobs—as well as gain mentorship and professional development opportunities. This program aims to recruit participants from communities disproportionately impacted by environmental justice challenges and seeks to recruit individuals with an interest in environmental justice careers.

The Environmental Justice Climate Corps is part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s American Climate Corps—a workforce training and service initiative that will ensure more young people have access to the skills-based training necessary for good-paying careers in the clean energy and climate resilience economy. The American Climate Corps will mobilize a new, diverse generation of more than 20,000 Americans in the initiative’s first year, putting them to work conserving and restoring our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and advancing environmental justice—all while creating pathways to high-quality, good-paying clean energy and climate resilience jobs in the public and private sectors after they complete their paid training program.

Applications for the Environmental Justice Climate Corps will open in early 2025, with a goal for its first cohort to start later that year. To sign up for updates on the program, visit EPA’s Environmental Justice Climate Corps Program website.

The Alaska Forum on the Environment (AFE) will be held both virtually and in person in Anchorage, AK. The conference will feature sessions on climate change, energy, environmental regulations, cleanup and remediation, fish and wildlife, solid waste, sustainability, and more. For a lower price, register before October 31 using the discount code EARLYBIRD at checkout.

• Register.

AFE also offers more than 100 technical breakout sessions and keynote events throughout the year. With an All Access Conference Pass, you can attend AFE, as well as bi-weekly sessions throughout the year.

• View AFE 2025’s pricing structure.

The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (commonly called the Uniform Guidance) is a government-wide framework for grants management and an authoritative set of rules and requirements for federal awards. The National Policy, Training and Compliance Division (NPTCD) in EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment has provided a summary of major changes to 2 CFR Part 200, which is the basis for the Uniform Guidance. See the attachment for details.

Is this a subtle way to remind you that the Office of Management and Budget will be hosting a listening session on changes to the Uniform Guidance on September 30? You bet it is! 😊

• Register for the listening session.

Weather-related and man-made emergencies can create a range of hazards in indoor environments. EPA has published a new Emergencies and Indoor Air Quality website where you can learn how to protect yourself and your community before, during, and after emergencies. Learn about indoor air quality impacts from emergencies, wildfires, flood cleanup, power outages, extreme heat, and winter weather.

The American Meteorological Society’s annual State of the Climate report provides a detailed update on global climate indicators, notable weather events, and other data collected by environmental monitoring stations and instruments located on land, water, ice, and in space.

The Arctic Chapter summarizes decades-long trends observed across the Arctic, including warming surface air and sea-surface temperatures, decreasing snow cover, diminishing sea ice, thawing permafrost, and continued mass loss from the Greenland Ice Sheet and Arctic glaciers. These changes are driving a transition to a wetter, greener, and less frozen Arctic, with serious implications for Arctic peoples and ecosystems, as well as for low- and mid-latitudes.

• Read selected highlights. Just a few highlights include:
  • Earth’s greenhouse gas concentrations were the highest on record.
  • Ocean heat and global sea level were the highest on record.
  • Antarctica sea ice sets record lows throughout 2023.
• See the Quick Guide to Climate Reports for a comparison of 5 major climate reports.

In preparation for National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week (October 20-26), EPA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have released a wide range of materials to help plan local events and activities that educate communities about preventing lead exposure. 

• Outreach materials include an information kit, sample social media package, flyers, web banners, lead-free kids icons, a printable banner, and more.
• EPA’s Lead Awareness in Indian Country: Keeping our Children Healthy! Curriculum provides a starting point to hold informed conversations about lead with parents and caregivers in Tribal communities and to take steps to protect children from potential lead exposure.
• Learn about EPA webinars that will be held during National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week and EPA’s Get the Lead Out technical assistance.