The Environmental Protection Agency has proposed handing more power to states and tribes to block major energy projects based on water quality concerns.

The proposal would undo a Trump-era rule that restricted local regulators' authority to stand in the way of fossil fuel development. The new proposal would allow states to conduct a broader, more flexible review before making a permitting decision.

The public will have time to weigh in on the proposal. For now, the Trump-era rule will remain in place.

That rule required local regulators to focus their reviews on the pollution that projects might discharge into rivers, streams and wetlands. It also rigidly enforced a one-year deadline for regulators to make permitting decisions. Some states lost their authority to block certain projects based on allegations they blew the deadline, the Associated Press reported.

The EPA is taking the position that states should have authority to look beyond pollution discharged into waterways and “holistically evaluate” the impact of a project on local water quality. The proposal would gives local regulators more power. It allows localities to make sure they have information needed before facing deadline pressure to then issue or deny permits.

November is Native American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the rich and diverse culture, history and tradition of the hundreds of Native American tribes in the U.S.

"Native Americans have a way of honoring life and honoring the things that provide us life that are natural in this world," said Amber Saunders from the Tuscarora Tribe of North Carolina.

Every dance is an expression, a language in itself and the regalia they wear is a personal story.

Juanita Zermeno, of the Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, said, "It's not a costume. A costume is something you wear when you're pretending. We're not. This is us."

The drums you often hear in their songs represent a heartbeat.

"The heartbeat is the first thing that you hear in your mother's womb," Saunders said.

There are more than 500 tribes in the United States.

"We want people to know we are very much a thriving people and we practice our customs and our traditions, and we still have ways that we celebrate our culture and teach to younger generations and the public," Saunders said.

"If I know where we're coming from if I know you're coming from we can respect each other," Zermeno said.

Juanita Zermeno met her husband, Thomas Zermeno, in Texas. He is a Vietnam veteran.

As Thomas Zermeno laughed and smiled, he said, "It's one of those things. You just click, that's the one."

"Here we are 50 years later. So, we did something right!" Juanita Zermeno said.

The couple encourages people to look into their heritage.

"We're trying to get our grandkids to do the same thing. We want to let them know who their grandparents are," Thomas Zermeno said.

"I like to think we're productive citizens of a land that we love and we have fought for, from the very beginning," Juanita Zermeno said.

The Florida Indian Heritage Association in St. Lucie County runs two of the largest Pow Wows in Florida.

Watch the full story in the video above.