US EPA Document Number: 160S16002
OITA National Program Managers Guidance Early Engagement Summary
Report-November 2016
Purpose
To gain early input from tribes and states on the development of tribal priorities for the Office of
International and Tribal Affairs (OITA) FY 18-19 National Program Managers (NPM) Guidance.
OITA receives continual tribal government input on environmental priorities throughout the year. This
interaction occurs through established mechanisms such as meetings with the National Tribal Caucus
(NTC) and other EPA tribal partnership groups, meetings with tribal leaders and tribal environmental
professionals, and attendance and discussion with tribal leaders and staff at meetings and conferences.
Through these mechanisms OITA gains information on tribal environmental priorities in the context of
OITA's programs and actions.
In addition to these ongoing engagement mechanisms, OITA received input through several specific
NPM Guidance early engagement conference calls. The summaries of which are listed in this report.
Note that, state early engagement was held with the Environmental Council of States (ECOS) in
recognition of the recently developed EPA-National Tribal Caucus-ECOS partnership.
Early Engagement Conference Calls
National Tribal Conference Call: Wednesday, October 19, 2016
EPA Attendees
JoAnn Chase, Director, American Indian Environmental Office
Andrew Baca, Deputy Director, American Indian Environmental Office
Jeff Besougloff, American Indian Environmental Office
Dona Harris, American Indian Environmental Office
Andy Byrne, American Indian Environmental Office
Paige Lieberman, American Indian Environmental Office
Tribal Attendees
Evette Wiley, Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma
Kevin Greenleaf, Kootenai Tribe of Idaho
Gerald Wagner, Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation of Montana
Lisa Gover, Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians/Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo
Indian Reservation, California
Ashley Jones, Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians/Campo Band of Diegueno Mission Indians of the Campo
Indian Reservation, California
Billy Maines, Curyung Tribal Council, AK

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Regina Rickart, Tuscarora Nation
Linda Wynn, Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin (non-consultation attendee)
Frank Harjo, Tribal Environmental Exchange Network
Environmental Council of States (ECOS) Conference Call: Thursday, November 10, 2016
EPA Attendees
Jane Nishida, Principle Deputy Assistance Administrator, Office of International and Tribal Affairs
Luke Jones, American Indian Environmental Office
Jonathan Binder, American Indian Environmental Office
Mike Weckesser, American Indian Environmental Office
Mary Powell, American Indian Environmental Office
Stephanie Vuong, EPA Region 8, Lead Region Coordinator
ECOS Attendees
Alex Dunn, Executive Director & General Counsel
Dominic Homac, Project Associate
Montana Department of Environmental Quality:
Tom Livers, Director
James Strait, Environmental Specialist in Public Policy
National Program Managers Guidance Fiscal Year 2018-19 Priority Comments
•	Request for basic overview of NPM Guidance process (including OITA process and what OITA
NPM Guidance covers), and how EPA offices may institute differing processes. Next notification
letter provide background on what the NPM Guidance is and how it fits into Agency's strategic
planning process, (tribal comment).
•	Include reach out to tribes on border issues if reflected in the NPM Guidance, (tribal comment)
•	Increase tribal participation and leadership in Border 2020 workgroups and/or include as part of
NPM Guidance, (tribal comment)
•	There is a need for enforcement and compliance to be a priority for EPA. Clarify EPA's role for
tribes that do not have delegation under federal environmental statutes or where there has
been delegation of authority from a state to EPA and state jurisdiction ends. EPA needs to
automatically step in and begin environmental regulation when a state's jurisdiction ends, (tribal
comment)
•	Request for dialogue on implementation funding for tribes, (tribal comment)
•	Activities in foreign countries have effects within the United States and may impact tribal
nations. OITA is seen as appropriate office to promote environmental defense for tribes and
protect tribal sovereignty, (tribal comment)
•	NPM Guidance should include a discussion on tribal programs that are "mature" and past the
capacity-building stage, (tribal comment)

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How will AIEO/OITA use the consultation policy, Tribal Treaty Rights Guidance and Traditional
Ecological Knowledge (TEK) in the NPM Guidance? (tribal comment)
Enhance federal-tribal-state partnerships. EPA's final FY 2017 Cross-Agency Strategy, "Launching
a New Era of State, Local, Tribal, and International Partnerships" action plan includes a
commitment to enhance federal-tribal-state partnerships. This collaboration should include
working to address emergency response pertaining to solid waste in rural areas. Under E-
Enterprise for the Environment, a workgroup is beginning to address a framework for Joint
Responses to Multi-Jurisdictional Environmental Incidents and consider where these efforts
might intersect, (state comment)
ECOS and tribal representatives have identified the need to provide opportunities to states and
tribes to discuss rural waste management challenges and solutions, and share successes and
lessons learned. Communication will help states and tribes identify areas for improving waste
management practices, (state comment)
ECOS and tribal representatives have identified for an EPA developed state and tribal emergency
response network to help stakeholders coordinate spill response. EPA currently identifies state
emergency contacts on their website, however is not focused on state environmental agency
points of contact, (state comment)
The renewed Governance Charter for E-Enterprise for the Environment recommits ECOS to
working together to advance a new model for collaborative leadership to support the
environment, public health, and the economy by modernizing the business of environmental
protection. This charter signed in fall 2016 adds Tribes to the E-Enterprise for the Environment
Leadership Council (EELC). (state comment)
States encourage greater collaboration across the EPA offices in order to minimize
environmental impacts from emergencies on tribal lands that may involve multiple offices, such
as water contamination, (state comment)

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