United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Solid Waste And
Emergency Response
(OS-340)
EPA/530-SW-91-002
Issue #3
Summer/Fall1991
**EPA Native American Network
A RCRA Information Exchange
Around the Regions
The Campo Experience
Campo Indian Reservation
is one of the Kumeyaay (Koo-
me-YAI) tribes of San Diego
County, California. The his-
toric territory of the Kumeyaay
stretches from northern San
Diego County into the north-
ern Baja (Mexico). The three
main bands of the Kumeyaay
are the Ipaay, the Tipaay, and
the Pai Pai (entirely in Mexico).
Nine reservations in the
county from the Tipaay band
of the Kumeyaay include the
Barona, Viejas, Jamul,
Capitan Grande, Cuyapaipe,
Manzanita, La Posta, Sycuan,
and the Campo. The total
Tipaay population is about
1,500.
To improve our economic
status, the Campo members
began a solid waste project in
1987. Under the General
In This Issue
The Campo Experience
Money Matters
IHS and Solid Waste
Council System, a framework
was developed by the Tribe to
structure the administration of
a solid waste program. Ulti-
mately, the business side of
the project was separated from
Tribal politics, and the Campo
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) was created to
maintain Tribal control of the
project. The Tribe maintained
the financial resources for
expertise when needed and
developed standards that met
or exceeded California's.
Enforcement powers for the
Tribal agency were developed.
With this framework in
place, the Tribal corporation
negotiated with seven major
waste firms. The Tribe's
conditions were so strict that it
took several months to find a
company willing to meet them.
The process culminated in
September 1990, when the
General Council voted to
approve the conditional lease
to a waste management firm.
The condition in the lease is
an acceptable Environmental
Impact Study (EIS). The
Department of the Interior's
policy requires BIA involve-
ment as the lead agency for
Icontinued on p. 2)
Recycling Project at
Cherokee Reservation
Last year the North Carolina
Community Club Council
composed of officers from all
10 community development
clubs on the Cherokee Reser-
vation decided to clean up the
Reservation and to do some-
thing about the environment.
Following a seminar on waste
management recycling, spon-
sored by the Cherokee Reser-
vation Cooperative Extension
Service and the Community
Club Council, a Recycling
Committee was established.
The Committee faced a
number of problems, including
funding and finding a site for
the center. The recycling
center was constructed from
funds donated by civic organi-
zations, clubs, and private
businesses and individuals.
(One lady even gave the prize
money she won in the local
garden contest!) The Eastern
Band of Cherokees gave the
committee a small piece of
property for the recycling
center, and the Oconoluftee
Job Corps contributed the
workers for its construction.
(continued on p. 2)

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Campo
(continued from p. I)
the EIS. Campo EPA also has a
role as a cooperating agency in
the EIS process.
The Tribe's permitting system
follows the EIS process. The
Campo EPA issues two permits,
one for construction and one for
upeiating. Butli penults uuiitaiii
requirements binding the
operator to Tribal control, not
only on the Reservation, but
also to the origination and
quality of the waste stream off
the Reservation.
Lacking sufficient Tribal or
federal funds to develop our
infrastructure, the Tribe in-
cluded several requirements for
funding from the project devel-
oper. These include:
•	Costs for developing the
solid waste code;
•	Costs for developing the
solid waste regulations;
•	Costs associated with
construction and operat-
ing permits;
•	Costs for developing the
solid waste management
plan; and
•	Costs for EIS review by
Campo EPA
A tax on the project was
negotiated, and starts at
$12,500 per month. When the
project is fully operational, it
will be about $50,000 per
month. The tax is dedicated to
Tribal use in its regulatory
program, and is in addition to
royalties and lease payments
negotiated.
Several projects drafted or
initiated by the Tribe to date
include erosion control,
reforestation, trash collection
service, fire department, junk
car removal, open dump
cleanups, and technical
education.
The technical education
program encourages Tribal
members to pursue degrees in
the fields of engineering, math,
and science in order to miti-
gate Tribal reliance on outside
technical support. The Tribe
pays for tuition and books,
and provides transportation.
The Campo EPA currently
upeiaLes with a sLaff uf five.
Expansion plans are expected
to reach 10 by next year (not
counting the Fire Department).
The people of Campo Reser-
vation feel that developing
Tribal capabilities and main-
taining Tribal governance on
our lands are crucial to our
survival and our continuance
as a people. It is a social legacy
our ancestors fought to give
us, and a contemporary policy
we will fight to preserve.
—Contact; Mike Connelly, Campo Band
of Mission Indians. (619) 478-9046
Cherokee Recycling
(continued from p. 1)
The recycling center is a
joint effort by all segments of
the Community: the commu-
Dedication of Cherokee
Recycling Cenfer
2	Native American Network
nity club members, extension
homemakers, local busi-
nesses, 4-H clubs and other
youth organizations, the
Cherokee school, industries,
churches, and local families.
The Cherokee Elementary
Student Council placed
collection containers around
the Reservation. Three hun-
dred bags of trash were col-
lected this spring in the
Reservation-wide cleanup.
Webster Enterprises, a
Recycling Center, picks up the
recyclables weekly. The money
that is received from the center
will be used on our new
nursing home that should
begin construction in the very
near future at Cherokee.
The Eastern Band of Chero-
kees and the Recycling Com-
mittee received a grant from
U.S. EPA Region IV to employ
one person to keep the recy-
cling center open and to teach
environmental education in
the communities and schools.
Currently our center is oper-
ated on Saturdays by different
volunteer organizations and
civic groups. Plans are under-
way to establish mini-recycling
centers in all communities of
the Reservation.
We also plan to hold an
environmental education
workshop called "Reduce,
Reuse, and Recycle" in Octo-
ber. The workshop will leach
community leaders, volun-
teers, and other interested
people about recycling and
provide training on environ-
mental education for use in
school projects. Mary Jane
Letts, Cooperative Extension
Agent on the Cherokee Reser-
vation and Marilyn Cole,
Community Development
(continued on p. 3)

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Cherokee Recycling
(continued from p. 2)
Specialist with NC State
University are coordinating the
workshop.
The Reservation population
is working very hard toward
improving their environment.
At the recent dedication of the
recycling center, Driver Pheas-
ant, the Education Outreach
Coordinator of the Cherokee
Museum, opened the cer-
emony with a quote from Chief
Seattle: "You did not weave the
web of life; you are merely a
strand in it. Whatever you do
to the web, you do to yourself."
Chief Seattle's statement
explains the Indian's view of
the sacredness of the earth.
—Contact: Eddie Almond, Eastern
Band of Cherokee Indians,
(704) 497-6611
Money Matters
EPA Science
Scholarships for Native
Americans
EPA has awarded a
$120,000 grant to the Ameri-
can Indian Science and Engi-
neering Society (AISES) to
fund a college scholarship
program for students who
qualify on the basis of aca-
demic achievement and a
commitment to the needs and
culture of American Indian
tribes. The scholarships are
$4,000 per student for one
year of study and are awarded
on a competitive basis. Appli-
cants must: (1) be accepted for
full-time study at an accred-
ited four-year college or uni-
versity, having completed at
least two years of college work
with a minimum grade point
average of 2.5 (students in
graduate programs also are
eligible); (2) major in one of the
environmental science or
engineering disciplines, to
include chemistry, biology,
biochemistry, chemical engi-
neering, environmental sci-
ence, hydrology, environmen-
tal economics, toxicology,
entomology, and other related
disciplines; (3) submit a brief
statement explaining when
and how knowledge of tribal
culture was acquired (work
experience, study, living on a
reservation); (4) submit an
essay of 250 words or less
stating personal commitment
to environmental protection on
tribal lands; and (5) agree to
work summers on a reserva-
tion or at EPA, if a professional
job is offered. Scholarship
awards are scheduled to be
announced at the annual
AISES meeting in Washington,
D.C., in November 1992.
—Contact Dick Long mire,
(703) 308-8553
—
Bulletin Board
—
Second U.S. Conference on
Municipal Solid Waste
In response to the overwhelming success
of the First U.S. Conference on Municipal
Solid Waste, EPA is sponsoring the Second
U.S. Conference on Municipal Solid Waste
in June 1992. The Conference will offer
more than 30 sessions and workshops on
planning, legislation, and all aspects of
solid waste management. Nine main
areas will be covered: integrated
planning and management; ©eonomios
and costs of solid waste management;
reduction and reuse; recycling and
composting; combustion; land disposal;
education and outreach; and special
wastes. Anyone interested in
participating as a panelist or speaker
needs to submit a brief abstract of the
proposed topic and a brief professional
biographical sketch, by October 22, 1991
to:
Bhawna Agarwal
Assistant Conference Planner
SWANA/GRCDA; P.O. Box 7219
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 585-2898; FAX: (301) 589-7069
Contact: Susan Mann, MSW Conference
Coordinator, EPA, (202) 260-6263.
Memorandum of Agreement
The Environmental Protection Agency, the Bureau
of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, and
the Department of Housing and Urban
Development have signed a Memorandum of
Agreement concerning environmental protection
on Indian lands. The agreement defines the
responsibilities of the four agencies with respect to
controlling and preventing pollution on Indian lands
and allows for close cooperation by the agencies
in fulfilling mutual obligations to tribes.
Contact:
Martin D. Topper, (202) 260-5051.
		—!¦ ..
OSW'i Peer Match Pnjran
EPA's Office of Solid Waste has a variety of programs designed to assist
communities with managing municipal solid waste. One such program,
funded by the Municipal and Industrial Solid Waste Division (MISWD), is the
Peer Match program. This program is designed to ¦match" experts in
municipal solid waste management with communities seeking solutions to
their specific problems. For example, if a community is interested in starting
a recycling program, an expert with experience in working with a community
of that size, with the same basic requirements, is "matched" to that
community. The program is operated through grants to the International City
Managers Association (ICMA) and the Solid Waste Association of North
America (SWANA, formerly GRCDA).
Contact: Sarlth Guerra of ICMA at (202) 962-3649 or Charlotte Frola of
SWANA at (301) 585-2898.
Native American Network	3

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IHS and Solid Waste
Money Matters (continued)
The Aberdeen, South
Dakota area office of the
Indian Health Service (IHS)
encompasses four states in
which there are 16 Indian
reservations. Many of the
tribes here have had an
increased awareness of solid
waste. All of the tribes have
organized collection systems
and 75 percent have some type
of organized solid waste
disposal. Thirty-three percent
of the tribes have a solid waste
program which is organized in
a formal manner.
Not only is there geographi-
cal diversity in this region of
the Upper Great Plains, but
also diversity in the way solid
waste services are provided on
each reservation. For example:
Three tribes have established
their own disposal systems.
Each system has regular
cleanups, perimeter fencing to
control access, and litter
control fencing. Each tribe also
has attempted to control
unauthorized burning. Six
reservations pay a modest (but
increasing) fee to haul wastes
off site. Off-site disposal could
reduce the tribes' potential
liability for the waste.
Two tribes first began
disposal programs in 1990:
The Pine Ridge Reservation as
a result of the Bluelegs Deci-
sion (see story in last issue)
and the Fort Berthold Reserva-
tion as a result of the Tribe
taking a strong leadership role
and federal assistance.
Undoubtedly, tribal interest
in and concern about solid
waste issues has increased
because of the Blue Legs case.
The anticipation of the new
EPA landfill regulations also
has increased tribal aware-
ness.
— Contact: Doug Jensen, IHS,
(605) 226-7451
Multimedia Assistance
Agreements for
Indian Tribes
EPA's 1991 appropriations
provide Administrator William
Reilly with authority "to make
grants to 'Federally recognized
Indian tribes'. . . fui the
development of multimedia
environmental programs." EPA
has developed the national
policy guidelines for this two-
year program and identified
about $1.2 million within the
budget to implement the
program in FY 91.
Federally recognized tribes
and tribal consortia are eligible
to receive multimedia assis-
tance agreements. The pur-
poses of the grants are to
support tribal environmental
program management capac-
ity-building tailored to indi-
vidual tribal needs; foster
compliance with environmen-
tal statutes; and establish a
communications capability
with federal, state, and local
agencies. Under these grants,
tribes can develop environ-
mental program infrastruc-
tures, environmental codes,
and the capacity to perform
inspections, monitoring,
planning, assessment, and
corrective actions.
The grants are administered
and managed at the regional
level. Interested tribes are
encouraged to contact your
EPA Regional Indian Program
Coordinator for more informa-
tion about the program and
grant applications.
—Contact Katie Biggs, (202) 260-5078
Note: Senator McCain of the
Indian Senate Select Commit-
tee on Indian Affairs has
introduced the Indian Environ-
mental General Assistance
Program Act of 1991 (S.668).
This bill provides for capacity-
building for tribes arid tribal
consortia through grants for
planning, developing, and
establishing environmental
protection programs on Indian
lands in all media, including
solid and hazardous waste.
Technical Assistance
Grants (TAGs) Promote
Community
Involvement
TAGs provide funds to
community groups living near
Superfund sites on the Na-
tional Priorities List (NPL) so
they can get expert advice to
independently monitor and
interpret the detailed technical
studies and information
related to Superfund site
cleanups. Eight Superfund
sites (already on or proposed
for listing on the NPL) are on
Native American lands.
EPA believes public partici-
pation in remedy selection for
cleanups is vital. Those most
affected by the Superfund site
need to be well-informed to
better understand and articu-
late their concerns. Most of the
information relevant to clean-
ups, however, is highly techni-
cal data that is difficult for the
average person to understand.
With an initial TAG award of
$50,000, a group of concerned
and affected citizens can
bridge the knowledge gap by
hiring a technical advisor from
one of the appropriate sci-
ences, such as geology, toxi-
cology, or epidemiology. The
advisor's job is to translate and
(continued on p. 6)
4	Native American Network

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Insights	
Learning to Protect
Mother Earth
According to Native Ameri-
can prophecy, the Red man,
not,all the king's horses and
all the king's men, will put the
Earth back together again.
That process, however, will
take a lot of technical help
from non-Native American
neighbors, if you ask Michael
Benedict, a Mohawk Indian and
solid waste manager for his tribe
in Hogansburg, New York.
Benedict was one of 10
tribal representatives at the
first Native American Work-
shop on Solid Waste Manage-
ment held June 24-26 at the
University of Michigan School
of Natural Resources (U-M,
SNR) in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
One of the primary goals of
the workshop was to expose
participants to state-of-the-art
technology at various stops
along the waste stream. Tribal
representatives visited a
municipal landfill, a commer-
cial hazardous waste landfill,
an incinerator, a major manu-
facturer and waste generator,
and recycling and ecology
centers. The group also lis-
tened to presentations by
experts in atmospheric sci-
ence. hazardous waste treat-
ment, and natural resource
administration, among others.
The workshop was the
latest in a series of training
programs that Dr. Paul Nowak,
professor of Natural Resources
and Director of Continuing
Education at U-M, SNR, has
developed for EPA to assist
tribes in understanding and
implementing the Resource
Conservation and Recovery
Act. The workshop was par-
ticularly timely because Native
Americans are under increas-
ing pressure from commercial
waste handlers to site facilities
on Indian lands.
With up to 80 percent
unemployment on reserva-
tions, it is difficult for tribes to
reject lucrative industry
proposals. Many, therefore, are
agonizing over decisions about
hosting waste disposal facili-
ties. The Choctaw Indians of
Mississippi, represented by
environmental specialist, Alan
Bates, recently turned down a
proposal for a hazardous
waste landfill on their reserva-
tion Rates said the reservation
also has problems with illegal
dumping. Paul Schmeichel of
the Intertribal Council of
Michigan was approached by a
company wanting tu build air
incinerator on Indian land in
Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
David Hales, former Director
of the Michigan Department of
Natural Resources, suggests
that Native Americans might
learn from Michigan's experi-
ences—mistakes and suc-
cesses alike—with solid waste
management. He offers the
following questions for screen-
ing companies that want to
use tribal land:
"How is the company
planning to pay? Is it cash up
front and then does the cash
disappear, or is the company
going to provide some kind of
equity forth e tribe?
"Where will the jobs be and
who's going to get which
jobs?"
"To what degree will the
company facilitate the siting?
What kind of investment,
without strings, is it willing to
commit to making an evalua-
tion of environmental effects?
Will it give the tribe a couple of
million dollars up front to hire
its own expert?"
"What about the future of
the land itself?"
Hales concluded that, "Once
you accept a hazardous waste
facility, for all practical pur-
poses you've made a perma-
nent commitment, particularly
in regard to water resources
such as aquifers and potential
contamination." He added that
it's important to inform and
involve the public in the
decision-making process.
The workshop participants
also agreed that they needed
to determine how to handle
their own waste. "More and
more people on my reservation
are interested in RCFA,"
observed Timothy Chavez.
Chavez is a Pueblo Indian and
Environmental Health Techni-
cian for IHS in San Fidel, New
Mexico.
Participants were particu-
larly impressed by the Ann
Arbor Recycling Center's partly
automated materials separa-
tion. The nonprofit business,
supported by a combination of
public and private funds, even
has trucks that can sort trash
at the curb. Basically, the
Center attempts to recycle
material back into products of
highest value. Instead of
making cluster board out of
newspaper, newspaper is
recycled back into newspaper
again and again. A common
problem for Tribes is the lack
of a viable market. Because of
the remoteness of many
reservations, there are no
markets nearby.
Discussions of negotiation
strategies, risk analysis, political
and social ramifications, and
technical information were
heavily laced with the Native
American's sense of spiritual
relationship with the land.
Upon viewing the deep,
plastic-lined scars at a hazard-
ous waste landfill, one partici-
pant reflected, "It was like a
(continued, on p. 6)
Native American Network	5

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Insights
(continued, from p. 5)
death iii the family. What I mw
today totally violated the spirit
of my culture's beliefs as to
how we were created."
In addition to imparting a
wealth of information, the
workshop "helped break down
myths about the federal
government," said Patrick
Padia of Fort Duchesne, Utah.
He also thought it helped to
The RCRA/Superfund
Hotline and the Emergency
Planning & Community
Right-to-Know Hotline
operates Monday-Friday,
8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., EST.
To contact the RCRA/
Superfund Hotline, call: 1-
800-424-9346; TDD 1-800-
553-7672 (hearing
foster greater trust among
Tribes. Others seemed to
agree. By the conference's end,
Arlene Luther (Navajo) and
Phyllis Young, representing
the Standing Rock Sioux, were
excitedly plotting future action
together.
Although skeptical of indus-
trial quick-fixes, Young was
optimistic about finding an
eventual meeting place between
evolving industry and timeless
Native American beliefs.
impaired). In Washington,
D.C. the number is (703) 920-
9810; TDD (703) 486-3323.
To contact the Emergency
Planning Hotline, call: 1-800-
535-0202; TDD 1-800-553-
7672 (hearing impaired). In
Washington, D.C. the number
is (703) 920-98777: TDD
(703) 486-3323.
TAGS
(continued from p. 4)
communicate the technical data
to community members through
a variety of methods that include
public meetings, newsletters,
pamphlets, etc.
A group of "affected" individu-
als (affected may mean actual or
threatened ecuuumiu ui health
effects) may apply for a TAG
award. Tribal governments, as
political subdivisions are ineli-
gible, but tribal members who
form individual groups are
eligible. The applicant(s) must
complete the TAG application
form and meet certain criteria
before any award can be made.
EPA already has awarded a TAG
to the Akwesasne Task Force on
the Environment for the General
Motors-Massena Superfund site
in Hogansburg, New York.
—Contact: Melissa Schapiro,
(703) 308-8340
Hofline Information
EDITOR'S NOTE: The views expressed in Native American Network are those of the authors and do no+ necessarily reflect or represent
EPApoiicy. the intent of Native American Network'sto provide a diverse array of information for those interested in environmental
issues in Indian country, and to provide a forum for information exchange among tribalgovernments, EPA, other federal agencies,
and state and local governments.
Office of Solid Waste
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
401 M Street, S.W.
OS-305
Washington, D.C. 20460
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use
$300
Now You Know...
The average household generates
more than 20 pounds of household
hazardous waste per year. As much
as 100 pounds can accumulate in the
home and remain there until the
family moves or cleans it out.

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