**This message contains important new details about forthcoming changes to the Exchange Network Authentication and Authorization Service (NAAS). The new information includes the migration date for the NAAS TEST environment.** 

As previously reported on March 8 and March 17, U.S. EPA is updating the Exchange Network’s security infrastructure known as the Network Authentication and Authorization Service (NAAS). The current NAAS application will be migrated to a new platform. The system will retain all existing functionality and the re-platforming should be transparent to most users.  

EPA will perform the cutover for the TEST version of the NAAS at 6:00 PM EDT on Monday March 29, 2021. At that time, EPA will decommission the existing TEST NAAS and deploy the new TEST NAAS in its place.

Here is what to expect:

• Beginning at 6:00 PM EDT on March 29, EPA anticipates approximately 2 hours of downtime before the new TEST NAAS becomes available. The actual timing may vary so please plan accordingly.
• The new TEST NAAS should be fully available for testing beginning on the morning of March 30, 2021. 
• As previously reported, the URL for the TEST NAAS will not change. After the deployment completes, you will still be able to access the TEST NAAS at https://naas.epacdxnode.net. 
• The IP address for the new TEST NAAS will change to: 204.47.254.135. If your agency has firewall rules that allow traffic only with specific IP addresses, you will need to update your settings to allow access to this new IP address. 

Beginning on the morning of March 30, partner agencies should begin testing their Nodes and data flows against the new TEST NAAS environment. Please report any anomalies, questions, or errors to the Node Help Desk at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1-888-890-1995 (Select Option 1 and then Option 5 from the menu) 
  Available 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eastern

EPA tentatively plans to deploy the new Production NAAS on April 19, 2021. Please begin making any necessary firewall adjustments and plan to adjust your data flow schedule to accommodate that timing. More details on precise migration date will be announced as soon as they are available.

• New Production NAAS IP Address: 204.47.254.197
• Production NAAS URL: https://cdxnodenaas.epa.gov

The application deadline for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Exchange Network (EN) Grant Program is quickly approaching! Applications are due to U.S. EPA by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday, March 31, 2021.

Applicants can find a copy of the Solicitation Notice (SN) on the Grants.gov website at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=331293. You can find additional guidance tools, including optional fillable templates, on both Grants.gov and on the EPA Exchange Network website. Remember to review the FY21 SN in full, as significant updates have been made since the FY20 version. 

For more information, please contact:

Erika Beasley
EN Grants Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
E: [email protected]

**This message contains important new details about forthcoming changes to the Exchange Network Authentication and Authorization Service (NAAS). The new information includes tentative migration dates and the new NAAS IP addresses. Please read this message in its entirety to understand if your agency or organization will be affected.** 

As previously reported on March 8, U.S. EPA is planning updates to the Exchange Network’s security infrastructure known as the Network Authentication and Authorization Service (NAAS). The current NAAS application will be migrated to a new platform in the coming weeks. The system will retain all existing functionality and the re-platforming should be transparent to most users. Here are some important highlights about this upcoming change:  

• The current URLs for the NAAS will not change. 
• The IP addresses for the NAAS will be changing, so agencies with strict firewall rules will need to update them for the new IP addresses. See below for details. 
• Server security certificates will not be changing during this migration, so agencies will not need to adjust for new certificates.

Please see below for more information about anticipated timing and other considerations. If you have any questions or comments please contact the Exchange Network Help Desk (see contact information below).

Schedule and Downtime 
The anticipated schedule for re-platforming the NAAS is:

• New NAAS Test Environment
  Tentatively available on March 29, 2021
  Deployment planned for weekend of March 27-28 (expect service downtime during the weekend)
   
• New NAAS Production Environment 
  Tentatively available on April 19, 2021
  Deployment planned for weekend of April 17-18 (expect service downtime during the weekend)

EPA anticipates that the NAAS will be unavailable for part of the deployment weekends. EPA will communicate more specifics about the amount of downtime anticipated as that information becomes available. Watch for more details in a future EN Alert email. Please take note of this anticipated downtime and inform your agency’s Exchange Network users that they will not be able to connect to the Exchange Network or NAAS-supported applications during the NAAS platform change.

Testing
Once the NAAS Test environment has been migrated to the new platform, EPA will notify the Exchange Network community in an EN Alert email. This will open an opportunity for the community to help verify that the re-platformed NAAS services are continuing to operate normally. During this testing period, partner agencies should:

• Verify that your nodes / dataflows remain operational and are working normally. Unless your agency is covered by one of the exceptional situations below, the NAAS services in the TEST environment should continue to work normally for you without any need for intervention on your part.
• Please report any anomalies, questions, or errors to the Node Help Desk (see information below).

Exceptional Situations
In most cases, the NAAS re-platforming will be completely transparent and users will not need to take any action. The exceptions to that rule are listed below. Please read on to determine if your organization will be impacted by one of these situations. If you have questions, please contact the Exchange Network Help Desk (see below).

• Firewall Rules – After the migration, the IP addresses for the Test and Production NAAS will change. If you have an outbound firewall rule from your system to the current NAAS IP addresses, your agency will need to update your firewall rules to allow access to the new NAAS IP addresses below:

  
  Test NAAS
  New IP Address: 204.47.254.135
  URL: https://naas.epacdxnode.net
  Planned Effective Date: March 29, 2021

  Production NAAS
  New IP Address: 204.47.254.197
  URL: https://cdxnodenaas.epa.gov 
  Planned Effective Date: April 19, 2021
   

• Secure Authentication Key (SAK) – If your system communicates with the Exchange Network using a SAK, you will need to contact the Node Help Desk to obtain a new SAK.

Exchange Network Help Desk 
For any questions or comments, or to report testing issues, please contact the Exchange Network Help Desk at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1-888-890-1995 (Select Option 1 and then Option 5 from the menu) 
  Available 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eastern

**This message contains important information about forthcoming changes to the Exchange Network Authentication and Authorization Service. Please read this message in its entirety to understand if your agency or organization will be affected.** 

U.S. EPA is planning updates to the Exchange Network’s security infrastructure known as the Network Authentication and Authorization Service (NAAS). As part of a longer-term modernization effort, the current NAAS application will be migrated to a new platform in the coming weeks. The system will retain all existing functionality and the re-platforming should be transparent to most users. Here are some important highlights about this upcoming change:  

• The current URLs for the NAAS will not change. 
• The IP addresses for the NAAS will be changing, so agencies with strict firewall rules will need to update them for the new IP addresses. 
• Server security certificates will not be changing during this migration, so agencies will not need to adjust for new certificates.

Please see below for more information about anticipated timing and other considerations. Some details are still forthcoming, so watch for more information in future EN Alert emails. If you have any questions or comments please contact the Exchange Network Help Desk (see contact information below).

Timeline and Downtime 
The tentative schedule for re-platforming the NAAS is:

• NAAS Test Environment –  March 2021 (exact weekend dates TBA) 
• NAAS Production Environment – April 2021 (exact weekend dates TBA)

EPA anticipates that the NAAS will be unavailable for part of the cutover weekend. EPA will communicate more specifics about the dates and the amount of downtime anticipated as that information becomes available. Watch for more details in a future EN Alert email. Please take note of this weekend downtime and inform your agency’s Exchange Network users that they will not be able to connect to the Exchange Network or NAAS-supported applications during the NAAS platform change.

Testing
Once the NAAS Test environment has been migrated to the new platform, EPA will notify the Exchange Network community in an EN Alert email. This will open an opportunity for the community to help verify that the re-platformed NAAS services are continuing to operate normally. During this testing period, partner agencies should:

• Verify that your nodes / dataflows remain operational and are working normally. Unless your agency is covered by one of the exceptional situations below, the NAAS services in the TEST environment should continue to work normally for you without any need for intervention on your part.
• Please report any anomalies, questions, or errors to the Node Help Desk (see information below).

Exceptional Situations
In most cases, the NAAS re-platforming will be completely transparent and users will not need to take any action. The exceptions to that rule are listed below. Please read on to determine if your organization will be impacted by one of these situations. If you have questions, please contact the Exchange Network Help Desk (see below).

• Firewall Rules – After the migration, the IP addresses for the Test and Production NAAS will change. If you have an outbound firewall rule from your system to the current NAAS IP address, your agency will need to update your firewall rules to allow access to the new NAAS IP addresses. EPA will announce the new NAAS IP addresses in an EN Alert as soon as they are available. EPA will make every effort to provide this information at least 3 weeks prior to the cutover to allow time for partner agencies to adjust their firewall rules.
   
• Secure Authentication Key (SAK) – If your system communicates with the Exchange Network using a SAK, you will need to contact the Node Help Desk to obtain a new SAK.

Exchange Network Help Desk 
For any questions or comments, or to report testing issues, please contact the Exchange Network Help Desk at:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 1-888-890-1995 (Select Option 1 and then Option 5 from the menu) 
  Available 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM Eastern

In support of the FY 2021 Exchange Network (EN) Grant cycle, the EPA is currently hosting a series of webinars to assist interested applicants. There are two remaining sessions scheduled, one on March 1^st (for tribal applicants) and one on March 8^th (for all applicant types). Please note that the connection information for the remaining webinars has been updated and is listed below.

The Exchange Network Grant Program website also hosts a copy of the webinar presentation document, accessible here: https://www.epa.gov/exchangenetwork/exchange-network-grant-program#Resources. A recording of a prior webinar session will also shortly be made available. Potential applicants are also encouraged to review the FAQs posted to this section of the website.   

Tribal SN Webinar Session:
Monday, March 1, 2021, 3:00 – 4:30pm ET

• TEAMS Presentation Link (Recommended Format) – Click here to join the meeting
• Dial-In Option (Audio Only) – Number:  1(202) 991-0477; Conf. ID: 859131039#

General SN Webinar Session:
Monday, March 8, 2021, 11:00 – 12:30pm ET

• TEAMS Presentation Link (Recommended Format)- Click here to join the meeting
• Dial-In Option (Audio Only) Number: 1(202) 991-0477; Conf. ID: 99735969#

Please direct any questions to Erika Beasley, Exchange Network Grants Program Manager, at [email protected].

Although not mandatory, EPA would appreciate if you would pre-register for webinar sessions by sending an email to Shela Poke-Williams ([email protected]) indicating the session you plan to attend and listing the participant name(s), organization, and state, tribe, or territory. Please note that EPA will maintain these records internally and they will not be shared with any third parties.

In support of the FY 2021 Exchange Network (EN) Grant cycle, U.S. EPA will host three webinars to assist interested applicants. The webinars will be held on February 22nd, February 25th, and March 8th. Each webinar will include the same presentation on the following topics: a brief overview of the EN Grants Program and FY 2021 timeline, critical elements of the Solicitation Notice, notable changes from FY 2020, an overview of new guidance materials and optional templates, and common mistakes to avoid. This will be followed by a question and answer session with participants. Please note that the sessions will end when all the participants’ questions have been addressed.
 
Notes on Joining the Webinars

• Note: The webinars will be given through Microsoft Teams, which can be joined by clicking the links provided below. Please note these links are different for each webinar.

• Note: To enter a meeting, click the appropriate link below; you will be prompted to ‘choose your video and audio options’. Select your audio preference (e.g. ‘computer audio’), ensure your camera is turned off, mute yourself, and then click ‘join meeting’.
  • During the call, you can unmute yourself to ask a question by clicking on the microphone icon (top of the screen).
  • Questions can also be typed into the TEAMS “Meeting Chat”.

Webinar Details and Connection Information

Monday, February 22, 2021, 2:00 – 3:30pm ET

• TEAMS Presentation Link (Recommended Format) – https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YmJhYWM1YjItN2VlZi00ZDM1LTkwNWEtNDM2MTE0YTU3NWIz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2288b378b3-6748-4867-acf9-76aacbeca6a7%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c4bb078b-f507-47fe-9134-2f1d27f2a185%22%7d
• Dial-In Option (Audio Only) – Number: 1(202) 991-0477; Conf. ID: 641194269#

 
Thursday, February 25, 2021, 2:00 – 3:30pm ET

• TEAMS Presentation Link (Recommended Format)- https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YmJhYWM1YjItN2VlZi00ZDM1LTkwNWEtNDM2MTE0YTU3NWIz%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2288b378b3-6748-4867-acf9-76aacbeca6a7%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c4bb078b-f507-47fe-9134-2f1d27f2a185%22%7d
• Dial-In Option (Audio Only) Number: 1(202) 991-0477; Conf. ID: 985220193#

 
Monday, March 8, 2021, 11:00 – 12:30pm ET

• TEAMS Presentation Link (Recommended Format)- https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZDcxZjFjMGQtZDMzZC00ZTY0LTg4MTQtOWZkYThlYmIwMzEy%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2288b378b3-6748-4867-acf9-76aacbeca6a7%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22c4bb078b-f507-47fe-9134-2f1d27f2a185%22%7d
• Dial-In Option (Audio Only) Number: 1(202) 991-0477; Conf. ID: 99735969#

 
Please direct any questions to Erika Beasley, Exchange Network Grants Program Manager, at [email protected].
 
Although not mandatory, U.S. EPA would appreciate if you would pre-register for webinar sessions by sending an email to Shela Poke-Williams ([email protected]) indicating the session you plan to attend and listing the participant name(s), organization, and state, tribe, or territory. Please note that EPA will maintain these records internally and they will not be shared with any third parties.

Please be advised that U.S. EPA will be conducting system maintenance and infrastructure improvements on Sunday, February 14, 2021 from 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM EST. During this time, the Exchange Network, Shared CROMERR Services, and the EPA Central Data Exchange (CDX) may experience extended service outages or interruptions. Please plan accordingly and reschedule any activity planned during this window. 

If you have questions, you may contact the Exchange Network Help Desk. 

The Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Exchange Network (EN) Grant Program Solicitation Notice (SN) has been published to Grants.gov and is available here: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=331293. Applications are due to EPA by 11:59 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday, March 31, 2021. Additional guidance tools, including optional fillable templates, are available for applicants both on Grants.gov and on the EPA Exchange Network website. Applicants are encouraged to review the new FY21 SN in full, as significant updates have been made since the FY20 version. Information on applicant webinars will be provided shortly.

The purpose of Exchange Network (EN) grants are to foster better environmental management and decision-making through increased access to timely, high quality, environmental information. An applicant’s proposed project goals and outputs should align with one or more funding areas in the SN and EPA’s FY 2018-21 Strategic Plan Goal 3: Greater Certainty, Compliance, and Effectiveness, Objective 3.4: ‘Streamline and Modernize’.

EPA expects to award 25-35 grants of up to $400,000 each, totaling approximately $8,000,000 in FY21. Most awards will be in the $50,000 to $200,000 range. The exact number of grants will depend on the number of applications submitted to EPA by the application deadline, the amounts of proposed project budgets, and the quality of proposals.

EPA only accepts project proposals for EN grants submitted electronically through Grants.gov, unless applicants have a waiver. EPA anticipates that it will announce selection decisions around August 2021, and tentatively plans to issue awards by September 30, 2021.

For more information, please contact:

Erika Beasley
EN Grants Program Manager
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
E: [email protected]

The Interstate Technology & Regulatory Council (ITRC) is recruiting members for a new project team on Environmental Data Management Best Practices.  The Team will produce a toolkit and online trainings that focus on the fundamentals of environmental data management practices, so that organizations can progress toward more modern and efficient data management. The team will launch in 2021 and operate for one to two years. E-Enterprise and Exchange Network partners from states, tribes, and EPA can consider lending their perspectives and expertise to this effort. 

To learn more, visit the project team’s webpage or follow a related discussion on the E-Enterprise Community Inventory Platform.

To apply for membership on the team, visit the ITRC website and create a new member profile. 

The ITRC is a state-led coalition working to reduce barriers to the use of innovative air, water, waste, and remediation environmental technologies and processes. ITRC produces documents and training that broaden and deepen technical knowledge and expedite quality regulatory decision making while protecting human health and the environment. For more information on the ITRC, visit the ITRC website or Frequently Asked Questions.

The next and final installment of the EE2020 webinar series is set for Thursday, December 17 at 1:00 PM Eastern! Visit the EE2020 Meeting Website to reserve your spot today.

Deploying Drones for Environmental Results
Date: December 17, 2020
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern
Register:  https://www.eenationalmeeting.net/december-2020

The link to join the webinar will be distributed to registrants via email shortly before the webinar begins.  

The next installment of the EE2020 webinar series is set for Thursday, November 19 at 1:00 PM Eastern! Visit the  EE2020 meeting website to reserve your spot today.

Do We Even Need Programmers? Low-Code Software and the Future of Environmental Protection Systems
Date: November 19, 2020
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM Eastern
Register: https://www.eenationalmeeting.net/november-2020-1

The link to join the webinar will be distributed to registrants via email shortly before the webinar begins.  

Are you a tribal official who works with environmental data? Interested in streamlining or enhancing your data management capacity? The Exchange Network Tribal Governance Group and the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) invite you to join their 2020 Virtual Data Academy and Conference. 

The conference portion of the event is being held from October 26-28 (open to all interested attendees) and will demonstrate how tribes can benefit from participating in the EN through live discussions and a showcase of tribal projects and tools. The series of workshops comprising the data academy are from November 2-12 (open to tribal officials only) and will offer practical lessons for tribes working with environmental data.

Interested? Please check out the resources outlined below or visit the meeting webpage for more information.

AGENDA

• Presentations and interactive discussions.
• Professional development workshops and mentoring sessions with peers.
• Featured speakers include members of the Tribal Governance Group, Tribal Exchange Network users, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

PRE-REGISTRATION

By pre-registering, you will be granted priority access to event sessions and added to our announcements email list which will share updates about the upcoming event and notifications about conference recordings. Conference Sessions are open to the public, workshop sessions are open to tribal employees only and require pre-approval.

Register for Workshops after submitting your pre-registration form. Session details can be found in the  Agenda. Workshops include:

• Data Carpentry – Ecology Curriculum (R emphasis) – 20 seats
• The E-Enterprise Community Inventory Platform (EECIP): A Live Demo & Workshop for Tribes – 20 seats
• The Quality Review and Exchange System for Tribes (QREST) – 15 seats
• Introduction to ESRI Field Operations – 15 seats

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Additional Questions? Contact [email protected] or visit www.tribalexchangenetwork.org.

Please be advised that the EPA is experiencing intermittent network connectivity issues. This may impact access to the Central Data Exchange (CDX), the Exchange Network (EN) and Shared CROMERR Services (SCS). Please know that actions are being taken to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. 

The next installment of the EE2020 webinar series is set for Thursday, October 8 at 1:00 PM Eastern! Visit the meeting website to reserve your spot today. 

EE2020 Webinar on Community Science

Date: October 8, 2020

Time: 1:00 – 3:00 PM Eastern
Register: https://www.eenationalmeeting.net/october-2020

The link to join the webinar will be distributed to registrants via email shortly before the webinar begins.  

The next installment of the EE2020 webinar series is set for Thursday, September 17 at 3:00 PM Eastern! Visit the EE2020 meeting website to reserve your spot today.

EE2020 Webinar on the E-Enterprise Digital Strategy

Date: September 17, 2020
Time: 3:00-4:30 PM Eastern
Register: https://www.eenationalmeeting.net/september-2020

The link to join the webinar will be distributed to registrants via email shortly before the webinar begins.

The September webinar will focus on the E-Enterprise Digital Strategy which represents a shared vision to help environmental agencies:

If you aren’t able to join this meeting, but would like to provide feedback on the FY’20 EN Grant Solicitation Notice or the application process, please email your comments to Erin McGown at [email protected] before September 9^th, 2020.

Joining the Call:

• Via Weblink (Recommended; as EPA will be sharing a PowerPoint presentation):  
  • Click this link to join: Join Microsoft Teams Meeting – FY20 Feedback Session
• Via Phone:
  • Dial +1 202-991-0477 (United States, Washington DC -Toll); Conference ID: 799 796 29#

By participating in EPA hosted virtual meetings and events, you are consenting to abide by the agency’s terms of use. In addition, you acknowledge that content you post may be collected and used in support of FOIA and eDiscovery activities.

The next installment of the EE2020 webinar series is set for Thursday, July 9 at 1:00 PM Eastern! Visit the EE2020 meeting website to reserve your spot today. 

EE2020 Webinar on Machine Learning & Predictive Analytics

Date: July 9, 2020

Time: 1:00-2:30 PM Eastern
Register: https://www.eenationalmeeting.net/july-2020

The link to join the webinar will be distributed to registrants via email shortly before the webinar begins.  

On June 19, 2020, U.S. EPA’s Central Data Exchange (CDX) will be decommissioning one of its Exchange Network Node endpoints in order to increase operational efficiency and reduce maintenance costs. The retiring endpoint is associated with a seldom used service called the Node Relay located at https://noderelay.epa.gov/Node2/Node2WS.svc. The Node Relay endpoint was only used by a very limited number of partners for two active data flows, including Facility Identification 3.0  and the Emissions Inventory System (EIS).

Most partner agencies will not be impacted by this change. If you are still pointing your data flows to submit to the Node Relay endpoint, please update your settings to use https://node2.epa.gov/Node2WS.svc. Please make this change by June 19, 2020. After that date, the Node Relay endpoint will be decommissioned and data flows using that endpoint will fail. As a reminder, you can find a complete list of CDX Node endpoints for each data flow on the Exchange Network website. 

If you have any questions or need support, please contact the Exchange Network Node Help Desk at [email protected].

On Thursday, June 25, 2020 from 3:00 – 4:30 PM Eastern, you are invited to participate in a webinar that will provide an update on work to plan a modernization of the Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS). The webinar will describe the work to date of the state/EPA SDWIS Modernization Board and its process and schedule to develop a modernization alternatives analysis. 

To register for the webinar, please visit:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3304671664917807118

Background on the SDWIS Modernization Board

In January 2020, U.S. EPA and states initiated the SDWIS Modernization Board. The Board is guiding the SDWIS Modernization process, following the principles of the E-Enterprise Digital Strategy. Members include leaders from state and EPA drinking water programs and information management offices. See the full Board Membership here.

The first phase of Board activities has been focused on providing input to support an Alternatives Analysis of SDWIS modernization options. The Analysis will assess these options for a long-term replacement of SDWIS State that supports the data management needs of primacy agencies and U.S. EPA. The Alternatives Analysis is scheduled to be delivered at the end of June, with option selection in July.  

The SDWIS Modernization Team

Don’t forget that EE2020 is going virtual in just over 1 week! Visit the EE2020 meeting website to reserve your spot on the June 4th kickoff call that will launch our monthly webinar series. We’ll be featuring a selection of presentations, discussions, and networking opportunities from the originally planned program. You can find more details about the Kickoff Webinar below. Watch your inbox and the website in the weeks ahead for news about other topics that will be featured throughout 2020!

EE2020 Webinar Series Kickoff

Date: June 4, 2020

Time: 1:00-3:00 PM Eastern
Register: https://www.eenationalmeeting.net/webinars

The link to join the webinar will be distributed to registrants via email shortly before the webinar begins.