The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Resources Webpage provides a wide range of solid waste resources. Here are a few of note:

• DEC’s Waste Index: DEC uses the Waste Index to score landfill sites when they do inspections. This Excel spreadsheet may provide you with some great ideas to improve the landfill in your community. Click on the link, then scroll down to Landfill Operator Tools.
   
• Solid Waste Integrated Management System (SWIMS) Database: SWIMS contains information on landfills, solid waste treatment facilities, and solid waste storage facilities in Alaska. Here’s where you’ll find your latest inspection report, which will tell you exactly what DEC thinks you need to do to raise your landfill inspection score!Find your community, then click on these tabs to learn a whole lot more: 

• Rural Landfill Specialists: If your community has a Class III landfill, visit the list to find the Rural Landfill Specialist assigned to your community. Questions about solid waste? They know all.

EPA’s Superfund and Brownfields programs have assembled resources to help interested parties assess the viability of Superfund site properties and brownfield sites for redevelopment as possible locations for Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers or other facilities related to AI infrastructure or development. 

A reminder that the Tribal Superfund Working Group Quarterly Meeting will discuss this topic on Feb. 26: 

• Join the Zoom meeting at 10:00 Pacific.

Need assistance uploading water quality data? EPA’s WQX Helpdesk can answer your questions about data submission and retrieval. If you have a basic question, the fastest way to get an answer is to chat via email WQX Helpdesk (wqx@epa.gov). You may also request an appointment by emailing wqx@epa.gov or calling the WQX Helpdesk 1-800-424-9067. (No appointment is needed for allowable domain values, services, or questions).

• Learn more

This free workshop hosted by the Oneida Nation will provide in-depth detail and hands-on experience in assessing, inspecting and evaluating all facets of underground storage tank (UST) system installation and operation. The workshop will be held in person in Arlington, TX. 

• Register by March 12.

If you want to keep up with changes to Grants.gov, subscribe to the Community Blog, a monthly update. 

• Read past issues, including Year in Review: Your Round Up of Changes to Grants.gov in 2025.

The American West is experiencing increasing drought, which affects water resources and fish. Check out Drought.gov’s Tribal Nations webpage for U.S. drought maps with reservation boundaries, studies on resilience planning, and more.

The National Center for Disaster Preparedness has developed an array of tools and resources to help communities prepare for and respond to disasters. Just two examples: the US Natural Hazards Index and the presentation, “How to Survive a Disaster in 5 Easy Action Steps.”

This handbook provides an overview of natural hazards in Alaska, from tsunamis to volcanic eruptions. It covers potential impacts to communities and homeowners, best practices for preparing your home and surrounding area, how to prepare for an evacuation event, and what to expect when you return home.

• Download the handbook

EPA’s Farm, Ranch, and Rural Communities Committee (FRRCC) provides independent policy advice, information, and recommendations to the EPA Administrator on a range of environmental issues and policies of importance to agriculture and rural communities. Committee members include representatives from academia, industry (e.g., agriculture and allied industries), non-governmental organizations, and state, local, and Tribal governments. 

• To be considered for an appointment, submit an application to FRRCC@epa.gov by March 2. 

The Native American Fish and Wildlife Society assists Native American and Alaska Native Tribes with the conservation, protection, and enhancement of their fish and wildlife resources. Their annual conference will be held in person in Verona, NY. Abstracts, requests for student travel scholarships, requests for travel funding assistance, and national award nominations are due by March 6.

• Learn more

EPA hosted a webinar on how to apply for a competitive grant on December 17. The webinar presentation and helpful links are now available on the Competition Process Webinar webpage. The recording should be posted soon. 

Find recordings and materials for other EPA Grants Webinars under Past Webinars.

Check out EPA’s Asthma Triggers Infographics to learn how to reduce exposure to indoor environmental asthma triggers. Some of these triggers are especially prominent in winter, when we spend more time indoors. The six infographics cover mold, secondhand smoke, pets, dust mites, pests and woodsmoke. Addressing these triggers can reduce the symptoms of asthma and other lung diseases.

If you’re looking for ideas for your FY27 (or CY27) GAP work plan, you may wish to visit the 2022 GAP Technical Assistance Handbook, which provides a roadmap of activities that may be useful when developing environmental programs. The handbook contains sections on building:

• Core environmental programs
• Ambient and indoor air quality programs
• Water quality programs
• Drinking water programs
• Solid waste, hazardous waste, and underground storage tank programs
• Contaminated site remediation and emergency response programs
• Chemical safety and pollution prevention programs 

Note that the handbook provides examples; you are welcome to propose other activities.

If you decide to use ideas from the handbook, please make them your own, tailoring them to the needs of your Tribe.

Provided by the Northwest Environmental Business Council (NEBC) and the Washington Department of Ecology, this event will convene regulated companies, governments, solution providers, and regulators to discuss stormwater management. The conference will be held in Tacoma, WA.

• Register 

So, how long do you have to hang on to those pesky old grant records? Per 2 CFR 200.334, most records pertinent to federal award must be retained for three years from the date of submission of the final financial report.

IndigenousACCESS, provided by the Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians (ATNI), is a rapid-response tool to help users locate information and resources related to extreme hazards and severe weather events in the Pacific Northwest. The website’s PNW Tribal Flood Response Dashboard provides real-time updates and resources, emergency alert monitoring, and other information specific to the severe flooding and atmospheric river event occurring now, including:

• Active weather alerts for Tribal lands and surrounding areas
• Current conditions and impacts across the region
• Local resources and emergency contacts
• Situational awareness tools for emergency managers

The Tribal Technical Assistance to Brownfields (TAB) program supports Indigenous communities in protecting and restoring sacred lands and accomplishing their revitalization goals. TAB is a collaborative partnership between Kansas State University, the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. If you’re interested in addressing brownfields issues in your community, check out their new website. 

The National Center for Disaster Preparedness is offering a web-based training on the impacts of extreme weather events and the associated risks and hazards on emergency management, with a specific emphasis on Tribal Nation protocols. The course will teach tailored strategies Tribal Nations can use to prepare for extreme weather events and enhance their adaptation to the changing environment.

If you complete the course, include the training certificate as a deliverable with your progress report.

• Register

The Alaska Tribal Conference on Environmental Management (ATCEM) will be held March 24-27, 2026, in Anchorage, AK. The organizers are seeking abstracts for trainings and workshops for the six tracks: capacity building, community infrastructure, contaminated sites, health, resilience, and solid & hazardous waste.

• Submit an abstract by Jan. 5.

Heads up to an issue we recently learned about: A “deficiency” will be logged in SAM.govagainst a grantee for failure to submit final grant reports within one year of the end of the grant cycle.

2 CFR 200.344 says:

• (h) The Federal agency must make every effort to complete all closeout actions no later than one year after the end of the period of performance…
• (i) If the recipient does not comply with the requirements of this section, including submitting all final reports, the Federal agency must report the recipient’s material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the Federal award in SAM.gov…

A report of non-compliance in SAM.gov can negatively impact an organization’s ability to receive future federal grants or contracts. So…. get those final reports in on time, folks! 

• Our handy-dandy calendar can help you keep the deadlines straight.
• Visit our page on closeouts for more details.