News from the
Center for Environmental Finance
Advancing sustainable finance and technology solutions
AEPA
Office of the Chief
Financial Officer
February 2011
Volume 2, Issue 1
Environmental Finance Centers Work with
Tribes to Promote Economic Development
through Environmental Protection
For over a decade, Environmental Finance Centers (EFCs) at Dominican
University of California and the New Mexico Institute of Mining and
Technology (NMT) have been working with tribes across the western and
southwestern United States. Both emphasizing long-term stewardship of
tribal lands, the New Mexico EFC specializes in building capacity for tribal
water systems, and the EFC at Dominican focuses on tribal sustainable
enterprise development.
Photo courtesy of the Tribal Sustainability Program
Recently, Heather Himmelberger of NMT, Sarah Diefendorf of Dominican and their staffs worked collaboratively to
develop a Tribal Sustainability Program, building on shared and specialized expertise in the area of tribal land
stewardship. The program is designed to help tribes frame sustainable development approaches that reflect the world
views of their community members.
Snapshot of Tribal Projects
Green Technology Feasibility Studies
Solar Energy Evaluation and Finance
Options
Tribal Recycling Businesses
Tribal Utility Board and Water
Operator Training
Ecotourism Assessment and
Development
Performance Evaluations for Tribal
Water Systems
Tribal Integrated Solid Waste
Management Plans
Tribal Marketing Analyses and
Business Plan Guides
The Tribal Sustainability Program emphasizes climate adaptation solu-
tions through safe drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, solid
waste management and recycling, renewable energy development, and
business plan development. For example, the EFC at Dominican Univer-
sity is currently working with the Navajo tribe on a business plan for the
installation and operation of a utility scale solar field on Black Mesa. The
New Mexico EFC is training tribal members on proper water disinfection
techniques and is administering a tribal operator certification program.
The EFCs work with each tribe to tailor their technical assistance. This
ensures that individual tribal needs are addressed, helping to simultane-
ously foster tribal independence and build trust in the EFCs for future
collaboration. Though the Tribal Sustainability Program, the EFCs are
demonstrating to the tribes that there is a positive connection between
economic development, environmental protection, and work done to
mitigate climate change.
EPA supports the Environmental Finance Centers through a grant program. For more information on EFCs' tribal programs,
visit the New Mexico EFC at http://nmefc.nmt.edu/home.php and the Dominican University at http://www.efc9.org.
Pagel
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New Report on Financial Assurance Cost Estimation Issued by
Environmental Financial Advisory Board
The Environmental Financial
Advisory Board (EFAB) recently
submitted a report for EPA consid-
eration, titled "Improving Cost
Estimation as a Financial Assurance
Tool." This is the fourth in a series
of reports examining the use of
financial test/corporate guaranty,
captive insurance, and commercial
insurance. EPA's Office of Solid
Waste and Emergency Response
charged EFAB with addressing a
series of questions regarding
financial assurance requirements for
programs operating under the
Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA).
EFAB's most recent report looks at
cost estimation practices and
provides recommendations for
improving the cost estimates that
underpin the use of all financial
assurance instruments. The conclu-
sions and recommendations in the
report are the result of a year-long
process involving an intensive series
of meetings, discussions, and delib-
erations with EPA experts and mem-
bers of the Association of State and
Territorial Solid Waste Management
Officials. This process has strength-
ened EFAB's opinion regarding the
critical importance of good cost
estimates.
EFAB's most important conclusion
outlined in the report is that cost
estimates for actions and activities
under RCRA (and Superfund
programs) are not uniformly
accurate and up-to-date. To begin
to address this concern, EFAB
suggests that EPA and its public and
private partners i
need to improve
cost estimation
expertise and
work by develop-
ing more stan-
dardized cost es-1
timates; provid-
ing more educa-
tion on best practices; and ex-
panding existing coordinating
mechanisms in cost-effective ways.
Photo courtesy of EPA
The entire report and other EFAB reports are located at www.epa.gov/efmpage/
efabpub.htm. EFAB is a federally chartered advisory committee that provides
advice and recommendations to EPA on paying for the growing costs of
environmental protection and how to increase the investment in environmental
infrastructure through the leveraging of public and private resources.
Reminder! Guidebook of Financial Tools
Available on Website
The question of how to pay for envi-
ronmental protection programs and
projects is a central theme of the
Center for Environmental Finance's
work. In 2008, we published a
document titled, "Paying for Sus-
tainable Environmental Systems: A
Guidebook of Financial Tools." The
document is composed of more than
300 tools that assist public and
private sector parties in finding the
most appropriate ways to finance
their environmental protection
needs.
meaning the tools are cost-effective,
long-lasting, successful environ-
mental protection initiatives. It
includes concise, user-friendly,
information about a wide variety of
innovative financing mechanisms,
including fundraising strategies,
public-private partnerships, and
traditional means of raising reve-
nue, borrowing capital, and enhanc-
ing credit. Approaches to paying
for pollution prevention and com-
munity-based environmental protec-
tion are also included.
Upcoming Events
Environmental Financial Advisory
Board Meeting - Alexandria, VA
• March 8-9, 2011
• http://www.epa.gov/efinpage/
efab.htm
Environmental Finance Seminar
Series: Green Building Investments
• April 27, 2011
• http://www.epa.gov/efinpage/
Newsletter Staff:
Susan Emerson
Vanessa Bowie
The ten sections of the Guidebook
present information on financial
tools that can help make environ-
mental protection "sustainable,"
The Guidebook is updated periodically
and available online at
www.epa.gov/efinpage.
Contributors:
Sarah Diefendorf
Heather Himmelberger
Center for Environmental Finance Newsletter • February 2011 • EPA-190-N-11-001 • Page 2
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