United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste
and Emergency Response
(5303W)
EPA 530-N-99-005
Fall 1999
vvEPA Native American Network
*' -V?
^""^^^^B^Sil^ป^te^w^
NTEC NATIONAL
FORUM LEADS
TO ACTION
The EPA Office of Solid
Waste and Emergency :
Response (OSWER) Tribal >
Program action plans were
published in May 1999 under
the title, Response to ;
Recommendations From the
National Tribal Environmental :
Council's February 10-11, 1998
Albuquerque National Tribal
Forum. (EPA document #EPA/
500/R-99/002) The action plans
outline how each office will
provide more support to tribal
governments in implementing
their waste programs in Fiscal
Years 1999-2000. EPA will also
incorporate these
recommendations into the
forthcoming QSWER Strategy
for Implementing Waste
Programs on Tribal Lands.
The following offices comprise
the OSWER Tribal Program: the
Outreach and Special Projects
Staff (OSPS), Office of Solid
Waste (OSW), the Office of
Underground Storage Tanks
(OUST), Office of Emergency
and Remedial Response
(OERR), Chemical Emergency
Continued on page 2, column 3
Federal Agencies
Unite To Help
Tribes Solve Solid
Waste Problems
The multiagency Tribal
Solid Waste Interagency
Workgroup plans to
provide approximately
$1.7 million to 11 Native American
Tribes. The Workgroup, composed
of representatives from eight Fed-
eral Agencies (see sidebar), was
established in April 1998 to design
a Federal plan for helping tribes
bring their waste disposal sites into
compliance with the municipal solid
waste landfill criteria (40 CFR Part
258). The tribes will use Tribal
Open Dump Cleanup Project funds
to assist with the closure or upgrade
of their high priority open dump
sites. Funding is expected to be
finalized in fall of 1999.
The Tribal Open Dump Cleanup
Project is part of the Workgroup's
effort to coordinate Federal assis-
tance for tribal solid waste manage-
ment programs. In addition to,
assisting tribes with the closure or
upgrade of high priority
noncompliant waste disposal sites,
the Project is intended to demon-
strate the Federal Government's
ability to provide comprehensive
solid waste funding and technical
Tribal Solid Waste Interagency
Workgroup Participants
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
American Indian Environmental
Office
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Indian Health Services
Federal Aviation Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration
U.S. Geological Survey
Department of Agriculture
Hazardous Waste Management
Group
Rural Utilities Services
Department of Defense
assistance to tribes. The Cleanup
Project's specific goals include
assisting tribes with complet-
ing and implementing
comprehensive inte-
grated waste manage-
ment plans, devel-
oping realistic solid
waste management
alternatives,
closing or
upgrading
existing
open dumps,
and developing
postclosure
programs.
Continued on page 6, column 1
) Printed on paper that contains at least 20 percent postconsumer fiber.
-------
Native American NetWork
HASKELL INDIAN NATIONS
UNIVERSITY HOSTS CERCLA
TECHNICAL TRAINING SESSION
Students train on the use ofcolorimetric indicators in the field.
Haskell Indian Nations University
was the site of a major delivery
of the CERCLA Education Center's
"Field-Based Site Characterization
Technologies" course developed by
EPA's Technology Innovation Office
in the Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response. This 5-day
course was held at the University
from June 21-25, 1999, in Lawrence,
Kansas.
Thirty-seven participants, including
Tribal Environmental Staff, Federal
Site Managers, and State Officials
attended this training session.
Specific Tribal technical representa-
tives included participants from the
Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma, Prairie
Students are instructed on emerging
and innovative chemical site
characterization techniques.
Band of the Potawatomi Indians,
Caddo Indian Tribe of Oklahoma,
and the Cherokee Nation. Several
professors and upper level students
in the Environmental Science
Department at Haskell Indian
Nations University also participated
in the course.
Class participants were given
extensive hands-on training in the
application of numerous test meth-
ods, sampling and analytical kits,
field and laboratory instruments,
statistical approaches, and data
quality goals and methods that are
currently in use to perform hazard-
ous waste site characterizations.
During this training, several com-
mercial field equipment manufac-
turers demonstrated their products
to the class participants.
For further information regarding
this course and others provided
free of charge to Federal, State, and
tribal environmental professionals,
please contact:
John Quander, Env. Scientist
CERCLA Education Center
(703) 603-7198, or consult
www.trainex.org. #
SzNTEC Forum, from page 1
s Preparedness and Prevention Office
JCEPPO), and Federal Facilities
5" Restoration and Reuse Offipe
" (FFRRO).
The genesis for the action plans was
'-,. the National Tribal Environmental
Council's (NTEC) National Forum
to Discuss Impediments to the
Implementation of Waste Programs,
in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Tim
__Fields, Assistant Administrator for
EPA's Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response led a
^ejegation of OSWER Senior ,, .
.^Managers to participate in the forum
'laWsT f ~. , , , * . ,, . * ,, -. ,, :.- . ., -,-. r,, ,., |,. 0
"""with tribal and other federal
_ officials. During the forum, tribal
"""representatives, EPA senior
management, EPA Regional
_ personnel, and representatives from
-the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
and the Indian Health Service (IHS)
held small group discussions on
*'~ waste management issues in Indian
_ Country.
participating tribes put forth
106 recommendations for _________
fLoverconiing' barriers to l^i ________ I _.
^implementing waste programs in
T -Indian Country. As a result, each of
: the program offices within OSWER
began drafting action plans to
** respond to issues and
*jrecoftrflpd[a!iotts, ...developed during
&:the National Forum. A draft of the
_ OSWER Tjribal Program action
srplanf. was provided to participants
-"of the National Forum and all
federally-recognized tribes for
-review and comment before the
final document was published in
May 1999.
\ฃ".'.'..'. . ' .. "' ' '.' ..'.'. .'. - """. ' ' ' .' " " ..... ........ '..".'.'.'. ''''..' . ' ', ""' ; .
IP For more information contact:
^=s Charlene Dunn at
i~(2Q21260-9466_ฎ
-------
N a t i v e A m e r i c a ri N e two r k
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
www.epa.gov/tribalnrisw
Pacific Northwest
Tribal Partnership
Leverages Waste
Management
Opportunities
In 1997, 10 tribes from the
plateau region of the
interior Pacific Northwest
formed the Inland Empire
Tribal Solid Waste Advisory Net-
work (TSWAN) to collectively
explore innovative waste manage-
ment techniques and advocate
responsible solid waste manage-
ment for all Native Americans.
By acting together, member tribes
have strengthened their voices in
environmental management issues
and increased their opportunities for
securing funds needed for infra-
structure development. In fact, EPA
Region 10 recently awarded
TSWAN a $31,000 solid waste
grant for Fiscal Year 1999. The
funding will allow member tribes to
develop an Intertribal Solid Waste
Management Plan and become
more self-supporting as a nonprofit
organization.
Through TSWAN, member tribes
pursue the following objectives:
Building a consortium for
discussing regional tribal
solid waste issues.
Creating a forum for
sharing experiences and
successes.
Collecting and recording
individual tribal solid waste
management efforts.
Enabling tribes to
participate in a national
dialogue on solid waste
management issues with
Federal Agencies.
Advising Federal Agencies
on solid waste issues and
concerns unique to Inland
Empire Tribes.
In past years, tribes did not
effectively communicate their
challenges and solutions with each
other, so mistakes experienced by
one tribe were often repeated by
another tribe. TSWAN members
minimize this problem by
discussing common solid waste
issues and sharing success stories
during quarterly meetings. TSWAN
meeting participants discuss topics
such as recyclables collection, solid
waste management methods, and
how to generate greater concern
among Federal Agencies for tribal
solid waste management needs. The
quarterly meetings often include
representatives from EPA, the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD), and other
Federal Agencies, and provide these
agencies the opportunity to meet
with member tribes and hear their
concerns collectively.
TSWAN has accomplished many of
its founding goals. Ultimately,
TSWAN plans to formally promote
advanced waste management
concepts (such as source reduction)
through its programs and establish a
tribal solid waste database to record
individual solid waste management
efforts. Future goals include
acquiring the necessary funding to
establish an office to house and
maintain the tribal solid waste
database and compiling a summary
of each member tribe's solid waste
management concerns for
presentation to Federal Agencies.
Tribes currently participating in
TSWAN include the Coeur D'Alene
Tribe of the Coeur D'Alene
Reservation, Confederated Tribes of
the Colville Reservation, Shoshone-
Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall
Reservation, Kalispel Indian
Community of the Kalispel
Reservation, Kootenai Tribe, Nez
Perce Tribe, Spokane Tribe of the
Spokane Reservation, Confederated
Tribes of the Umatilla Reservation,
Confederated Tribes of the Warm
Springs Reservation, and
Confederated Tribes and Bands of
the Yakama Indian Nation of the
Yakama Reservation. TSWAN has
invited all tribes in the Pacific
Northwest to join and hopes to
expand membership throughout
EPA Region 10.
For more information about
TSWAN, contact:
Mia Sonneck
Nez Perce Tribe,
TSWAN Chairperson
(208) 843-7368, Ext. 2603. #
-------
Native American N e t iv o r k
MUNICIPAL SOLID
www.epa.gov/tribalmsw
ASTE
EPA To Award Additional $450,000 in
Municipal Solid Waste Grants
Through its Municipal Solid
Waste (MSW) Grant
Program for Indian
Country, the U.S. Environ-
mental Protection Agency (EPA)
will provide additional funding to
support the development and
enhancement of tribal solid waste
management programs.
The MSW Grant Program is a
capacity-building program that
promotes effective integrated solid
waste management (ISWM) prac-
tices to federally recognized tribes
and tribal organizations. For Fiscal
Year 1999, EPA will award
$450,000 in MSW grants to 10
Native American tribes or multitribe
organizations. The tribes will use
these funds to develop solid waste
management plans, expand commu-
nity education and outreach pro-
grams, and explore options to
reduce waste and maximize recy-
cling.
The MSW Grant Program (see
sidebar), focuses on tribal projects
that strive to include all aspects of
integrated solid waste management
including source reduction,
recycling, composting, and
combustion or landfilling. EPA also
looks for programs that are
comprehensive, addressing planning
and program development,
education, training, and
implementation.
Tribes awarded MSW grants are
encouraged to engage community
members in their solid waste
management planning and cleanup
activities. The MSW Grant Program
places strong emphasis on
cooperation and partnerships
between tribes, the surrounding
communities, and other Federal or
nonfederal agencies to help
leverage resources and ensure the
program's sustainability beyond the
EPA funding period.
Successful programs should
demonstrate measurable results
such as volume and types of
materials diverted from landfills,
development of an integrated solid
waste management plan, or
implementation of a community
education and outreach campaign.
The projects also are intended to
alleviate or reduce impacts on
human health and the environment
by limiting access to open dumps or
converting organic materials into
useful compost.
Ultimately, EPA envisions that
information obtained and lessons
learned by tribes engaged in MSW-
grant-funded projects can be shared
with other tribes to aid in their
efforts to address solid waste
management issues. Tribes that
receive funding could offer
technical assistance via conference
calls, workshops, and other general
information dissemination.
For more information, please visit
the tribal website at www.epa.gov/
tribalmsw or contact:
Beverly Goldblatt
U.S. EPA
(703) 308-7278. *
vetooment and implementation of sustainable, comprehensive, integrated waste
rams!
e community participation in the manaaement of solid waste in ndian Gountrv.
rage partnerships between tribes, surrounding communities, and other Federal or nonfederal
pupum
les.
-------
-N a t i v e A m e r i e a it N e two irk-
m y M i ci PAL SOLI
www.epa.gov/tribalmsw
AST.E
New Training and Technical
Assistance Directory for Tribal Solid
Waste Managers Available
EPA has compiled a new
Training and Technical
Assistance Directory for
Tribal Solid Waste
Managers to help tribal leaders and
environmental personnel identify
currently available municipal solid
waste (MSW) technical
assistance and
training
resources.
This guide is
divided into
four broad solid
waste topic areas:
Waste and Pollu-
tion Prevention;
Recycling;
Composting; and
MSW Collection,
Transfer, and Disposal.
The wide range of techni-
cal assistance listed in the
guide includes information
related to the various solid waste
challenges faced by the tribes.
Some of the assistance options
include:
technology and information
exchange forums
workshops
resource and referral networks
partnership-building programs
hotlines
clearinghouses
onsite assessments
Many of the identified organizations
publish outreach materials such as
newsletters, fact sheets, and guides,
and offer library resources. Some
groups offer training videos, audio
tapes, software, satellite broad-
casts, and curricula and
training packages. Infor-
mation on formal solid
waste management
training through certifi-
cation courses and
programs, continuing
education and
extension programs,
and college and
university degree
programs is also
included.
Assistance is
also available
in electronic
formats including web
sites, list servers, databases, and
online newsletters.
Copies of Training and Technical
Assistance Directory for Tribal Solid
Waste Managers are available
through EPA's RCRA, Superfund,
and EPCRA Hotline. The Hotline
operates from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m.
e.s.t. Monday through Friday. Call
(800) 424-9346 or (800) 553-7672
(TDD for hearing impaired) and ,
request document number EPA530-
B-99-007. This document also can
be viewed online or downloaded
from the Internet at www.epa.gov/
tribalmsw/pdftxt/training.pdf. ฉ
ASTE MANAGE-
~ he EP Aj| Wa?te Manage- *
ggnas'
reorganized_and
ated to better serve the
:^^^L^i=ฃ-
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_^
and Alaska j
The scope of j
to provide information on i
liwasjfe.JS^
'iflpns'^asle. ^33itfc)nai
-
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^ase studies^ynj|ng ]
gTaMprogramlriformation,
^wi&y^^^K-^^K;?^-^^
yrtobal guidance materj-
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.a^
-------
Native American NetWork
EPA Prepares for
Fifth National
Tribal Conference
on Environmental
Management
The Fifth National Tribal
Conference on
Environmental
Management, tentatively
scheduled for May 2000, will
provide an opportunity for tribal
environmental professionals and
leaders to convene in a national
forum and address major issues
across all environmental programs.
Through a national search, EPA is
currently seeking a tribal cosponsor
to manage the Conference. Final
selection of the cosponsor is
targeted for September 1999.
In the next few months more
information will be available about
the upcoming Fifth NTCEM via
direct mail and on the EPA Tribal
Waste Programs web site. Please
mark your Spring 2000 calendars to
attend.
EPA has supported the National
Tribal Conference on
Environmental Management-the
NTCEM-since 1992. The
conference has taken place every
other year and has been
cosponsored by the Eastern Band of
Cherokee Indians and the
Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes.
The Fourth NTCEM in May 1998
was cosponsored by the Prairie
Island Indian Community.
During the 3-day conference, more
than 700 participants and 150
Indian Nations took part. The
conference was held at the Treasure
Island Resort and Casino on the
Prairie Island Indian Community in
Welch, Minnesota. The theme of
the conference was "Promoting
Strength, Unity, and Self-
Determination to Protect Indian
Country." Participants were
welcomed by tribal executives, and
dignitaries of the EPA, BIA, the
City of Redwing, and the U.S.
Congress.
Overall, 38 technical sessions were
presented, covering such topics as
enforcement issues, tribal
emergency response and
preparedness, environmental
justice, solid waste management
alternatives, air and water quality,
tribal environmental agreements,
EPA grants, Brownfields Initiative,
and international indigenous
concerns. One hundred and
twenty-seven panelists gave
presentations during the conference,
offering insights, experiences, and
challenges based on ongoing
environmental projects in Indian
Country. All who attended are
indebted to the tribe for making it a
huge success. Heather Westra,
Tribal Environmental Manager and
Conference Coordinator, earned
everyone's respect and appreciation
for managing a successful
conference.
Continued on page 10, column 3
Solid Waste Workgroups, from page 1
Project funds are available to all
federally recognized tribes and
Alaskan native villages, and to
multitribe organizations whose
membership consists of federally
recognized tribes or villages. This
year's funds will be available to
tribes whose sites are considered
high priority threats to human
health and the environment, and
who have comprehensive integrated
solid waste management plans
either in place or under significant
development.
All applications were examined and
ranked according to specific criteria
developed by the Workgroup. Other
factors considered in final funding
decisions were:
The site's ranking in the Indian
Health Service's 1997
ReportOpen Dumps on
Indian Lands.
Information provided by the
tribe describing tribal support
for solid waste management
planning.
The extent of community in-
volvement.
The sustainability of the project.
The tribe's proposed plan of
action.
Using the information gathered
during the grant application pro-
cess, the Workgroup plans to devise
a strategy to promote further assis-
tance to tribes in their efforts to
address solid waste management
needs. If funding is available, the
Workgroup intends to solicit and
fund additional projects in future
years.
For further information, please
contact:
Beverly Goldblatt
U.S. EPA
(703) 308-7278, or
Melanie Barger Garvey
(202) 564-2579. *
-------
N at i v e A m e r i c :a n Net w o r k
Plan to Enhance the Role of States and Tribes in the
Superfund Program: State and Tribal Enhanced Role Initiative
For years, States and Tribes
have been developing
Superfund capabilities
through EPA's technical
and financial support. EPA is
further encouraging participation by
States and Tribes to clean up
Superfund sites through the State
and Tribal Enhanced Role Initiative.
In November 1996, the Office of
Solid Waste arM-Ernersency Re-
JKS^a |IS|t8*^-^?
sponse
Compliance
Assurance bE) comrmssioned ^
the StatejM Tribal Enhanced Role
j^Mtir-- - '.-'."' " ._.,...,-
which EPA
worked^with State and Tribal
asss"-" f"" Y """*
partners in developing a national
approah for States and Tribes to_
take a tfnore active role in identify-
ing, managing, and cleaning up
Superfund sites. EPA is testing this
approach^ through national pilots to
determine which recommendations
and strategiesT^work and which need
improvement, r _...'..
The initiative includes working, with
Tribes and States to gauge tKe^leVeT""
of readiness to assume program
responsibilities; identifying techni-
cal and financiah:assistance needed-._
for States and Trib&^to perforrn"""~"""
these activities; negotiating
program agreement to formally
document roles and responsibilities^.
in an enhanced ,partnersMp_jg_^5'ef*
implement Superfund; "and incorpo-
rating unique considerations for
Tribal participation.
The State and Tribal Enhanced Role
Initiative allows capable States and
Tribes to equitably share Superfund
program responsibilities, resulting
in more appropriate cleanups of
hazardous sites. The process of
integrating the initiative is begin-
ning with the implementation of,
nine national Tribal pilots as fol-
lows:
IAroostook Band of Micmac
Indians and Passamaquoddy
Tribe of Maine
This pilot will develop the tribes'
long-term operation and
jnaintenance (O&M) capabilities on
" tribal TancOF and"possibly ~atr.^,>y
Superfund sites in Maine-through../'
:;r,,-'"",' ,,' J , "; ,- ,,V. ,,r.' ..i '- '. ' .'',. ,--'i-' -',,- ,;- . ,v ' -,.,- j~^ j* ..-nafzsf/f1*..
training on health and safety, "" 'n
groundwater monitoring, soil-gas /,
monitoring, and innovative
sampling techniques. ,
2 Mississippi Band of
Choctaw Indians
This pilot serves to develop tribal
Superfund capabilities in
emergency preparedness and
response, thus enabling the tribe to
effectively respond to oil and
hazardous substance spills and
perform environmental assessments
tribal lands. EPA is enhancing
tribe's capabilities through -^
tfalnirig 6a "sampling prb'ceduresT^%ป
, sampling plans, hazardous
"materials, anH~monitoring v/ell
installations, as; well as additional
relatecLtopics. EPA will also
'conduct a- tribal infrastructure
assessment and provide related
technical resources.
3 Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe of
Minnesota
This pilot serves to develop site-1
specific tribal risk assessment
criteria that evaluate cleanup
effectiveness by considering tribal
health, environment quality, tribal
resource use, and cultural concerns.
The Tribe will develop tribal risk
assessment criteria through the
remedy evaluation of the St. Regis
Paper Company National Priorities
List (NPL) site. This is a new
approach, the outcome of which
may define future tribal criteria and
roles at other tribal sites.
4 Pueblo Office of Environmen-
tal Protection (POEP)^t I:
Establishing Emergency Figr^,
jsponse Planning ProceduTesTQfi
.*iti~a. ,.. . ^e&lzr-f- -,-- "ff
, 'Tribal Land
^ trvag
s^pilot serves ^gst
(temerg%ncy response procedures on
^i^-s'-Ei^r;^ jft^a^^Sj"".,,!!,,'.;1 ,:;,; \"^, '^-^ ,
tnliaL lands^, from a tribal^erspective
./by" producTng" a compf ehensive,
user-friendly resource-jfaining
\ . ป- .-'-v" -- ,. - ,Jr-'', - -.- -. ' ... ':.;. . . ", _ 'jjji V'sisj
manual for tribes to ;develop
emergency response "capability.
POEP plans to work with 19
Pueblos and coordinalje, with other
tribes, tribal consortia, EPA
Regional offices, , States, counties,
and/or municipalities to develop
tribal emergency response
protocols. The development of the
eiriergMcy response will also
address hazardous materials
transported through tribal lands.
*iBSgfes,TJ
5 POEP Pilot I rf "Developing a
Model to Incorporate Tribal
Cultural Values into a Tribal
Site Prioritization Process
This pilot serves to establish a risk
assessment procedure that
incorporates cultural impacts into a
tribal site prioritization and scoring
system. After the development of a
tribal scoring system, POEP will test
the procedure at a tribal site and
compare the results with a
Continued on page 8
-------
8
Native American Neti/ori
Ehanced Role Initiative, from page 7
traditional EPA site prioritization
approach, and make
recommendations on incorporating
cultural impacts. Based on the
results, EPA may consider POEP's
recommendations in evaluating the
current Hazard Ranking System.
This pilot plans to increase tribal
participation in site assessments and
the Super-fund program in general to
reveal the overall impact to a tribe.
6POEP Pilot 111: Training for
Bioremediation of Pesticides at
Dip Vat Sites
In this pilot, POEP plans to develop
a comprehensive training module
detailing procedures for assessing,
delineating, and bioremediating
pesticide soil contamination from
sheep dip vats on Pueblo lands.
POEP will gather bioremediation
technology from EPA and the
Navajo Nation and conduct training
with individual Pueblos through on-
site sessions, web page information,
and training videos. The results will
develop the long-term capacity of
tribal environmental programs to
independently remediate dip vat
sites and empower tribes to cleanup
non-NPL sites.
7Inter-Tribal Environmental
Council (ITEC) and
Quapaw Tribe
This pilot serves to develop a strong
tribal role and capability in risk
assessments by allowing ITEC and
the Quapaw Tribe to lead a
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Study (RI/FS) at certain areas of the
Tar Creek NPL site on Quapaw
land. Ultimately, ITEC and the
Quapaw Tribe would like to
conduct more technically complex
and long-term activities
independently. The Quapaw Tribe
will be the first tribe to conduct an
RI/FS at an NPL site and will be a
model for future EPA/tribal
cooperative efforts.
8Cheyenne River
Sioux Tribe
This pilot promotes a stronger
partnership between tribes and EPA
through tribal consultation and
participation in determining the
nature and extent of hazardous
substances in the Cheyenne River
and Cheyenne River Arm of Lake
Oahe from mining activities. In
collaboration with EPA, the tribe
will identify tribal needs and set
human/ecological risk management
goals. During the assessment, the
tribe also will provide technical
assistance and written comments on
risk assessments and reports, and
define investigation activities.
9Alaska Inter-Tribal
Council (AITC)
AITC, a consortium of 176 Alaskan
Native tribes, will facilitate a pilot to
develop Superfund capabilities
among Alaskan Native villages and
maximize expertise and assistance
despite wide geographic
distribution. Tribal staff will be
trained on topics such as removal,
site assessment, remedy selection,
and form a Superfund team to
support Superfund issues arising in
Alaskan Native villages.
For more information contact:
Ms. Felicia Wright
Superfund Tribal Coordinator
(703) 603-8775 or
www.epa.gov/superfund/states/
strole/index.htm ฎ
UPDATED RESOURCE GUIDE FOR MINING
WASTE MANAGEMENT IN INDIAN COUNTRY AVAILABLE
Iining can create environmental problems including erosion, chemical releases, habitat destruction, acid
mine drainage, and surface and groundwater contamination. Publications on Mining Waste Manage-
ment in Indian Country includes descriptions of EPA publications designed to assist tribal leaders, environ-
mental personnel, and the general public with mining and mineral processing issues. The guide references
publications relating to environmental impacts from mining operations, mining source reduction and recy-
cling opportunities, and innovative techniques for waste management. Publications on mineral processing of
specific ores, such as lead-zinc, gold, iron, and copper, also are listed.
Copies of Publications on Mining Waste Management in Indian Country are available through EPA's RCRA,
Superfund, and EPCRA Hotline. The Hotline operates from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. e.s.t. Monday through Friday.
Call (800) 424-9346 or (800) 553-7672 (TDD for hearing impaired) and request document number EPA530-
B-99-006. This document also can be viewed online or downloaded from the Internet at
www.epa.gov/tribalmsw/pdftxt/biblio.pdf. -'t'-
-------
Native A m e r I c a n N e t w o r k
EPA Holds Native
American Issues
Panel at National
DoD Task Force
Meeting
EPA's Federal Facilities
Restoration and
Reuse Office
(FFRRO) presented a
Native American Issues panel at the
Defense Environmental Response
Task Force (DERTF) meeting,
February 2-3, 1999, in San Fran-
cisco, CA. The Department of
Defense (DoD) established DERTF
to identify and recommend ways to
expedite and improve environmen-
tal restoration at closing military
installations. The DERTF member-
ship includes representatives from
DoD, EPA, the Department of
Justice, the General Service Admin-
istration, the National Governors'
Association, the National Associa-
tion of Attorneys General, and
various public interest groups.
In addition to the DERTF confer-
ence, FFRRO and Office of Emer-
gency and Remedial Response
(OERR) is developing a tribal site
inventory database and various
outreach materials to facilitate
stronger partnerships to assist tribal
governments. The database will
provide information on hazardous
waste sites impacting Indian Coun-
try and will include links to other
EPA databases. EPA continues to
ensure its actions are consistent with
the protection of tribal rights.
FFRRO convened the Native
American Issues panel to engage in
a discussion on the unique situa-
tions involving Native Americans
and the Base Realignment and
Closure (BRAC) program. The five-
member panel educated DERTF
members on emerging Native
American issues and addressed
tribal notification and participation
procedures, Federal trust responsi-
bilities, related policies requiring
Federal Agencies to work with
federally-recognized tribes on a
government-to-
government
basis, land
transfer, eco-
nomic develop-
ment, and
protection of
tribal rights.
Representatives
from the
Navajo Nation,
Susan ville
Indian
Rancheria, the
Campo Band of
Mission Indi-
ans, BIA, and
Sierra Army Depot were the pre-
senters. Presentations focused on
case studies of tribal involvement at
three BRAC sites: Sierra Army
Depot, CA; Fort Wingate, NM; and
the San Diego Naval Training
Center, CA.
When BRAC sites require cleanup
and are scheduled for closure, the
primary objective is to determine
the postclosure use. The site is
cleaned up to standards protective
of the intended use, and the com-
munity is provided with opportuni-
ties for economic development.
These properties provide Indian
Tribes with opportunities for eco-
nomic development, land transfer,
and/or access to archeological sites
or other cultural resources.
Panelists illustrated how tribes are
affected differently than the rest of
the local community as BRAC sites
are cleaned up and returned to
communities for reuse. For ex-
ample, cultural issues involve the
religious use of sites and protection
of archeological resources on tribal
lands. Local authorities are typically
given the lead in establishing reuse
and economic development priori-
ties at BRAC sites, but such authori-
ties do not have
a trust responsi-
bility to tribes.
Land transfer is
particularly
complicated and
came to the
forefront during
a discussion of
the situation at
the Susanville
Indian Rancheria
(SIR).
From lett to right: Roseria Duwyenie, BIA/
Navajo Office, Chairperson Victor
Preston, Susanville Indian Rancheria,
Marsha Minter, EPA HQ
As part of the
Sierra Army
Depot closure,
SIR acquired 70
acres of land, 120 housing units, a
gas station and grocery facility, and
medical supplies and facilities. This
necessitated a government-to-
government transfer, since property
transfer to tribes is handled by BIA.
Prior to BRAC, transfer of govern-
ment property to tribes was always
handled as a deed of trust transfer.
Thus, BIA had no means for han-
dling a government-to-government
transfer as required under BRAC.
SIR expressed the hope that then-
efforts in working with BIA to
modify transfer and economic
development policies would benefit
other tribes affected by BRAC sites.
The meeting was attended by
chairmen from Susanville Indian
Continued on page 12, column 3
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Native American Network
AISES and EPA
Complete Inaugural
Summer Internship
Program
EPA and the American
Indian Science and
Engineering Society
(AISES) recently com-
pleted the first Summer internship
program for the recipients of the
EPA Tribal Lands Environmental
Science Scholarships. The inaugural
class of 10 EPA/AISES interns
comprised undergraduate and
graduate students from various
universities and colleges, including
tribal colleges. Through a coopera-
tive agreement with AISES, EPA
provided scholarship support to
AISES members and a 10-week
summer internship program in
various EPA program offices.
The following AISES intern profile
is a result of a combined effort of
AISES interns Renae Schmitt and
Karletta Chief. Ms. Schmitt wiU be a
junior at Creighton University in
Nebraska, majoring in Environmen-
tal Science and Spanish. She
worked in the Office of Solid Waste
and assisted in the production of
this newsletter. Ms. Chief has
completed course work for a Mas-
ters Degree in Environmental
Engineering/Science at Stanford
University in California.
Karletta ChiefIn Her Own Words:
Working in the Office of Emer-
gency and Remedial Response
(OERR) proved to be a valuable
experience. The OERR internship
exposed me to a variety of working
relationships between EPA Head-
quarters and tribal organizations
regarding abandoned hazardous
waste sites. Felicia Wright, my
mentor, assigned various tasks and
a primary project which helped me
to understand the working dynam-
ics and cooperative efforts on tribal
environmental issues. During the
first weeks, I attended a one-on-one
training session on the Hazard
Ranking System (HRS). The HRS
training familiarized me with the
complexities of the Superfund
ranking process and prepared me
for my summer project.
My summer project involved the
Pueblo Office of Environmental
Protection's (POEP) Pilot II incorpo-
rating tribal cultural values into a
tribal site prioritization and scoring
system. My role in the POEP project
included preliminary research of
tribal environmental groups work-
ing to quantify cultural impacts
from a hazardous waste site. This
internship project gave me the
experience of environmental work
with a tribal perspective.
As an environmental engineering
and science masters student, I am
clearly aware of Superfund sites.
This internship, however, allowed
me to experience real-life applica-
tions of the Superfund ranking
processes and activities. I now
realize that various nontechnical
areas are important in working on
environmental issues. These include
writing project summaries, articles,
and briefings, and understanding
environmental policy. Some current
issues OERR is working on include:
Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish
Commission (CRITFC) cultural and
subsistence impacts, Navajo Nation
Brownfields Assessments, and
Pueblo Office of Environmental
Protection (POEP) Cultural Assess-
ments/Site Prioritization Incorpora-
tion. My time at EPA exposed me to
the range of career fields in EPA
and allowed me to understand EPA
as a whole entity, with its diverse
work across the United States. More
importantly, it allowed me to
understand and participate in
current tribal environmental
projects. My EPA summer intern-
ship was a rewarding experience
that continues to fuel, direct, and
emphasize my long-term career
aspirations and commitment to
Native Americans and tribal envi-
ronmental issues.
If you would like to know more
about the EPA/AISES Scholarships
or the Summer Internship program
please contact Marlene Regelski at
(202) 260-7284. ฎ
Fifth National Tribal Conference,
from page 6
While EPA provides financial
support to the tribal cosponsor to
plan and manage the conference,
and assists in the planning, the tribal
cosponsor has the ultimate
responsibility and final decision on
all conference matters. EPA and the
tribal cosponsor work diligently to
highlight tribal capability and
leadership during all phases of
conference planning and followup.
As a first step toward planning the
conference agenda, EPA's Office of
Solid Waste is announcing a
preliminary call for workshop
session proposals from all interested
parties. Workshop proposals
should contain a title for the topic, a
brief abstract of the issues, a
proposed list of speakers, and the
time needed to present the topic (1
or 1.5 hours). All workshop
proposals can be submitted to:
Stephen Etsitty, EPA OSW
401 M Street, SW (5303W)
WasMngton, DC 20460
Fax (703) 308-8638 '
etsitty.stephen@epa.gov O
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Native Am e r i c a ri N e t w o r k
,11
RCRA Subtitle C Social Siting Criteria
Draft Brochure Under Development
As hazardous waste
facilities are sited
and permitted, local
communities often have
a variety of legitimate concerns
involving perceived and/or real
changes in their quality of life (i.e.,
cultural/social, economic, location,
and nuisance concerns). Quality of
life concerns encompass a broad
array of issues from those that are
human health and environmental in
nature, to those that are primarily
social or economic.
Although issues regarding human
health and the environment are
considered during the hazardous
waste permit process under the
Federal Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) or its State
counterparts, many of the commu-
nity quality of life concerns, such as
those of a social or economic
nature, fall outside the scope of
RCRA and may not be covered by
State laws and regulations. This
should not, however, diminish the
legitimacy of the community's
concerns and the need to address
them promptly, honestly, and
thoroughly when siting a hazardous
waste facility.
Over the past year, the RCRA
Environmental Justice/Public
Participation Team of the Office of
Solid Waste, Permits and State
Programs Division, Permits Branch
has been working with members of
the National Environmental Justice
Advisory Council's (NEJAC) Waste
and Facility Siting Subcommittee to
develop a brochure that addresses
community quality of life concerns
related to the siting of hazardous
waste facilities. This brochure is
intended to be used as a vehicle for
sharing experiences in working with
communities by suggesting creative
mechanisms that address commu-
nity quality of life concerns. EPA
encourages industry and State,
tribal, and local governments/
agencies to take these factors into
consideration when planning for
and siting hazardous waste facilities
and to work closely with communi-
ties starting in the early stages of the
decision-making process.
RCRA Subtitle C
Social Siting
Criteria
On July 27, 1999, EPA's Office of
Solid Waste (OSW) hosted the
RCRA Subtitle C Facility Siting
Criteria Stakeholders' Roundtable in
Arlington, Virginia. The stakeholder
roundtable was designed to be a
forum for stakeholders to discuss
issues, exchange ideas and posi-
tions on social siting considerations,
and share experiences that have
been successful in addressing
community quality of Life concerns.
OSW believes that the roundtable
was a necessary step in developing
a brochure that is accurate and
useful to industry and tribal, State,
and local governments, and also in
ensuring that quality of life issues in
the siting of RCRA hazardous waste
facilities are accurately developed
and covered in the final brochure.
The roundtable panel included
representatives of State, tribal
(Laura Weber of the St. Regis
Mohawk Tribe's Environmental
Division), and local governments/
agencies; environmental justice
communities; industry;
environmenal advocacy groups;
and other Federal Agencies that
have substantial experiences in
many aspects of facility siting. The
general public was invited to come
and observe the discussions and
give comment during several brief
open periods.
A copy of the draft brochure is
available and roundtable notes will
be made available at a later date
through the RCRA Information
Center, (RIC), located at Crystal
Gateway I, First Floor, 1235
Jefferson Davis Highway, Arling-
ton, VA 22202, (703) 603-9230.
The Docket Identification number is
F-1999-SSRN-FFFFF.
Before it is finalized, the draft
brochure will be revised based on
comments from the roundtable and
other comments OSW is expecting
to receive.
For more information contact:
Ms. Freya Margand
U.S. EPA, Office of Solid Waste
401 M Street SW (5303W)
Washington, DC 20460
(703) 605-0633
margand.freya@epamail.epa.gov *
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Native American N e t iv o r k
BUYING RECYCLED
SATELLITE
FORUM
On November 9, 1999, from
11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (e.s.t), the
U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency in partnership with local
governments will present a national
satellite forum entitled Buying
Recycled: The Real Story
About Cost, Availability,
and Quality. This is a
free, interactive
program designed to
provide governments,
businesses, and other
organizations with in-
sights on ways to purchase
quality, competitively priced
recycled products.
This forum is being presented in
support of America Recycles Day
by EPA's Waste Wise program and
the Buy Recycled Business Alliance
(BRBA). The forum will feature
Richard Keller from the Maryland
Environmental Service, a nationally
recognized trainer on buying
recycled products. He has con-
ducted over 125 seminars on how
to buy products with recycled
content, and will share with the
audience proven strategies for
buying recycled products.
Viewers will have the opportunity
to call in their questions. Also
featured will be government and
business members from both
the WasteWise and BRBA
programs: Eric Nelson,
Environmental Purchas-
ing Coordinator, King
County, Washington;
Bob Langert, Director of
Public and Community
Affairs, McDonald's Corpo-
ration; and Susan McCloskey,
President, Office Plan.
If you are interested in hosting a
site or attending this forum, visit the
WasteWise web site at:
www.epa.gov/wastewise/wwsf or
e-mail wwsf@erg.com or
fax (703) 841-1440. ฎ
DoD Task Force Meeting, from page 9
Rancheria, Susanville, CA; Lajolla
Indian Reservation, Valley Center,
CA; and Manzanita Tribe of
Kumeyaay, Boulevard, CA. A
representative for the Campo Band
of Mission Indians and the former
special assistant to President Clinton
on Native American Affairs ad-
dressed the DERTF members during
the public comment period.
The panel presentation is a signifi-
cant milestone in EPA's goal to
consult with tribes and work with
them proactively on environmental
matters affecting Indian Country.
Developing an understanding and
awareness of tribal issues will
expedite and improve environmen-
tal restoration at those installations
impacting Native American natural
and cultural resources. The DERTF
proceedings are available at
www.dtic.mil/envirodod/brac/
dertf.html.
For more information contact:
Marsha Minter
(202) 260-6626
minter.marsha@epa.gov, or
www.epa.gov/swerffrr. %
Nativo .American Network Is published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste. The views expressed in Native American Network are those of the
authors, and do not necessarily reflect or represent EPA policy. Providing tribes with information about OSWER programs and related activities is the purpose of the Native
American Network. Contact us with your Ideas for future articles, or submit your own articles for publication.
Editor: Stephen B. Etsitty (703) 305-3194
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Solid Waste (5303W)
401 M Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
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