LAND REVITALIZATION FACT SHEET
REVITALIZATION IN
TRIBAL CDMMUNITI
M
I any tribes recognize that brown-
fields can be turned into valuable
community assets and opportuni-
ties for revitalization. Cleaning up and
reinvesting in contaminated sites can
promote economic development and
create jobs while improving and protect-
ing the environment. The challenge
is finding ways to use these assets to
sustainably revitalize tribal lands while
preserving cultural values and meeting
community needs.
Tribes with brownfields on their lands
encounter problems similar to those faced
by many small communities. They often
lack the financial or technical resources
available to larger cities, and may not have
the redevelopment drivers that might spur
cleanup and reuse in larger communities.
Tribes also face unique circumstances
when addressing brownfields on their
lands. Each of the 565 federally recog-
nized tribes within the United States is an
independent, sovereign nation respon-
sible for setting standards and managing
environmental programs for its people.
Each tribe's history and culture and the
complexity of jurisdictional issues present
NEW ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS
EPA's land revitalization initiatives are producing significant environmental benefits
and helping to transform communities into more sustainable and livable places.
The strategy of encouraging market-driven redevelopment of brownfields and
other contaminated sites for economic reuse is proving to be a successful
approach at many sites. However, challenging real estate markets and economic
realities can leave some formerly contaminated properties unused, possibly for
a long time. New approaches are needed to revitalize these sites and protect
human health and the environment.
EPA's Land Revitalization Team is working with communities, states, other federal
agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector to
develop and test new approaches that recognize valuable reuse alternatives for
formerly contaminated properties. Building green infrastructure to help manage
stormwater runoff and floods, promoting safe soil management to support urban
agriculture, and siting renewable energy on contaminated sites can bring environ-
mental, ecological, and social benefits to communities. Unlocking the potential
value of these underused properties often requires creativity and close collaboration
with many public and private partners. These projects can help stabilize communities
and spur economic development.
challenges to addressing environmental
issues and promoting revitalization.
EPA Regions and EPA's Brownfields and
Land Revitalization Program work closely
with the Office of Sustainable Commu-
nities and other EPA offices, federal
partners, and local stakeholders to
support tribes. These programs provide
technical assistance and tools to help
tribes build their capacity to address
environmental issues and realize their
economic revitalization goals.
PETROLEUM BRDWNFIELDS ARE KEY TO ZUNI PUEBLO'S NEW
"MAIN STREET" R EVITAL I ZATI D N
A new toolkit, Equitable Redevelopment
of Petroleum Brownfields for Zuni Pueblo
and Other Tribal Communities compiles
best practices and principles from petro-
leum brownfields redevelopment, smart
growth, and equitable development into
a planning-level toolkit organized into a
step-by-step revitalization process. Each
step offers a menu of strategies that
can be tailored to the specific needs
and context of each community. The
toolkit also identifies numerous online
resources with additional information,
examples, and models related to each
step in the process.
The toolkit was inspired by three petro-
leum brownfield sites within the Zuni
Pueblo, the specific needs of the Zuni
community, and the unique circum-
stances tribes face when confronting
petroleum brownfields. It is the product
of a partnership between the Zuni Pueblo,
EPA Region 6, and the Office of Sustainable
Communities' Smart Growth Program, Office
of Underground Storage Tanks, and Office
of Brownfields and Land Revitalization.
Although it was created for the Zuni Pueblo,
the toolkit can be used by other tribes and
rural communities. It shows how cleanup
and redevelopment of small petroleum
brownfields can foster a larger community-
led revitalization effort.
The project began several years ago.
The Zuni Pueblo asked EPA Region 6 for
assistance addressing environmental
contamination at the Black Rock Airport
hanger, a brownfield site managed by
the Zuni tribal government. Built in the
1 960s, the airport provides access to the
remote Zuni Pueblo and is surrounded
by a residential neighborhood with
several commercial businesses. It also
housed a gasoline station with under-
ground storage tanks that must be
removed. The site is being assessed by
the Northwest New Mexico Council of
Governments under an EPA brownfields
assessment coalition grant. Even if a
new runway continues to operate after
the site is cleaned up, the surrounding
Closed Chevron gas station,
Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico
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area could be redeveloped to address
a number of community needs.
Two former gas stations located nearby
also could be redeveloped because of
their key location along State Highway
53, which bisects the pueblo and serves
as its "Main Street." Both are near the
Zuni Pueblo's Middle Village, the historic
district where most of the pueblo's local
businesses and tribal arts trading posts
are located. The central locations of the
airport and gas stations led the tribe to
consider redeveloping them as a single
unit that would help to revitalize the whole
area. Together, the sites offer an oppor-
tunity to promote a mix of commercial and
related land uses that would serve the tribe's
needs and promote tourism in the area
around a walkable "Main Street" concept.
In July 2012, the National Trust for Historic
Preservation designated the Zuni Pueblo
as the first Native American "Main Street"
community. It is one of 2,000 communities
that receive assistance through the Main
Street Program for revitalization of their
business districts. Program staff help build
the capacity of local Main Street programs,
provide resources and technical assistance,
and work with the National Trust Main Street
Center to address revitalization challenges.
The Zuni Pueblo and the Northwest New
Mexico Council of Governments continue
to work with EPA Region 6 to conduct
environmental site assessments and
clean up these three sites and other
brownfields on the pueblo. EPA, its federal
partners and other stakeholders are
planning a "Building Partnerships for a
Better Zuni" meeting in 2013. The meeting
will bring together public and private-
sector partners to identify opportunities
and resources to help the Zuni Pueblo
meet its environmental and community
revitalization goals.
SPIRIT LAKE NATION'S SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PLAN IS
JOURNEY FROM THE PAST TO THE FUTURE"
In December 2012, the Spirit Lake
Nation of North Dakota adopted a new
framework for sustainable development
that includes initial components of a
comprehensive plan; provides planning
guidance; and identifies land use,
housing, transportation, and economic
development options. A Sustainable
Development Framework for Spirit Lake
Nation also outlines a process the tribe
can follow to develop a full, compre-
hensive plan for future development.
One Spirit Lake Nation tribal elder
described the tribe's comprehensive
planning efforts as "a journey from the
past to the future."
In 2010, the Spirit Lake Nation asked
President Obama for assistance with
recovery from repeated flooding of
Spirit Lake, also known as Devil's Lake.
For about 20 years, the lake regularly
flooded reservation lands and surround-
ing communities. Following federal
disaster declarations, the Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
convened a group of federal partners,
including EPA Region 8 and the Office of
Sustainable Communities, to help the tribe
develop a plan for long-term recovery. It
was the first time that FEMA, EPA, and other
federal partners provided comprehen-
sive post-disaster long-term community
recovery assistance to a tribe under FEMAs
National Disaster Recovery Framework.
The tribe adopted The Spirit Lake Nation's
Recovery Plan—a list of more than 49
projects and potential resources—in
December 2010. All involved recognized
that more work had to be done before the
Spirit Lake Nation could realize tangible
results from its recovery plan. The tribe
invited EPA and other partners to help them
on their journey.
In 2012, EPA convened a meeting with
federal partners, state agencies and
EPAs expert consultants to help the tribe
develop its comprehensive plan to address
the needs identified in the 2010 Recovery
Plan. EPAs Office of Sustainable Communi-
ties provided leadership, technical assis-
tance and training and capacity-building
assistance on planning for sustainable
living. EPA Region 8 also provided technical
assistance to enhance the tribe's financial
management programs and help identify
additional revitalization resources.
EPA and federal partners supported
several "mini" charrettes hosted by the
tribe with the tribal community, Tribal
Council, and elders. These meetings
produced a community-wide expression of
sustainability-based principles and designs
for the Spirit Lake Nation's sustainable
MORE INFORMATION:
EPA Land Revitalization Program: http://www.epa.gov/landrevitalization/
development framework. EPA Region 8's
Partnership for Sustainable Communities
with the U.S. Departments of Transporta-
tion and Housing and Urban Develop-
ment developed a strategy to assist the
tribe with recovery and with implemen-
tation of the recovery plan and frame-
work. The partnership continues to help
the tribe leverage resources and ensure
continued disaster-resilient, sustainable
development.
The sustainable development frame-
work adopted in December 2012
includes maps and drawings that show
the location and desired character of
projects and future growth. It outlines
next steps, including several actions
that the tribe can initiate immediately.
Several recovery projects currently are
under way, including a major "green
homes" development. The tribe was
awarded $900,000 from the U.S. Depart-
ment of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment to partially fund replacement of a
waste water treatment system at risk of
failure from the rising lake. As a result of
the effort, the tribe plans to site future
development in areas that are not
subject to flooding.
(For more information, see the recovery
plan at: http://www.spiritlakenation.conn/
Documents/SDirit%20Lake%20Nation%20
ment framework at: http://www.spiritlake-
nation.com/Documents/12 0930 Frame-
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
(5105T)
EPA 560-F-13-036
May 2013
www.epa.gov/brownfields/
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