EPA Goals

EPA Goal 1 – Clean Air and Global Climate Change

Protect and improve the air so it is healthy to breathe and risks to human health and the environment are reduced. Reduce greenhouse gas intensity by enhancing partnerships with businesses and other sectors.

Tribal governments continue to prioritize the need for air quality monitoring, baseline data development, program delegation (TAS) and standards development under the Clean Air Act (CAA). The over-arching clean air and climate change goals for Indian Country include:

• Every tribe will know whether their air is safe to breathe.
• Tribes in non-attainment areas caused largely by off-reservation sources have adequate training and capacity to interact with the regulating jurisdiction and comprehend respective data affecting their air.
• Tribes with significant on-reservation resources are regulated by either a tribal program or by EPA direct implementation.
• Attain a five-year incremental CAA funding increase to $21.3 million to meet existing national tribal air needs in Indian Country (with a FY 2008 request for $14.1 million).

Ensure drinking water is safe. Restore and maintain oceans, watersheds, and their aquatic ecosystems to protect human health, support economic and recreational activities, and provide healthy habitat for fish, plants, and wildlife.

Tribal governments view clean and safe water as a top priority in Indian Country. Moreover, tribes continue to emphasize the importance and need for program delegation (TAS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) and the development and approval of tribal water quality standards. To accomplish this, tribes continue to build baseline data for reservation waters. The overarching clean and safe water goals in Indian County include:

• Tribes shall have access to safe, clean and reliable drinking water that includes the full capability to both regulate and manage tribal water systems.
• Tribes shall monitor water quality in Indian Country and in areas where tribal interests are affected.
• Tribes shall restore tribal watersheds through program delegation and adoption of tribal water quality standards, participation in establishing Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL’s) and issuance of NPDES permits for reservation waters. In addition, EPA shall consult with tribes when approving state standardsd that affect tribal interests. Finally, tribes shall focus their efforts on source water protection to protect watersheds.

Preserve and restore the land by using innovative waste management practices and cleaning up contaminating properties to reduce risks posed by releases of harmful substances.

Tribes’ relationship with the land is grounded in long-standing cultural ties that set the foundation for tribal religious and ceremonial practices. Moreover, the direct link between tribal subsistence foods and the land are inseparable. As a result, the preservation and restoration of tribal lands are of extreme importance to all tribes. Tribes are focusing their environmental efforts on protecting healthy environments and cleaning contaminated land.

The overarching land preservation and restoration goals for Indian Country include:

• Tribes shall be completely prepared to address hazardous incidents on and near Indian Country.
• Tribes shall clean up Superfund sites on tribal lands and participate in cleanup of sites that affect tribal resources.
• Tribes shall close open dumps and successfully manage waste disposal programs within Indian Country.
• Tribes shall be full partners in addressing Homeland Security.

Protect, sustain, or restore the health of people, communities, and ecosystems using integrated and comprehensive approaches and partnerships.

Tribes have recently focused attention on the impact of cultural life-ways and the contaminations arising from various pollution sources. In addition, toxics that affect human health are increasingly an issue as more and more tribes complete environmental assessments of their ecosystems and communities.

Tribes have identified healthy ecosystems and communities priorities for Indian Country and they include:

• Protecting tribal subsistence and cultural life-ways.
• Implementing tribal pesticide regulatory programs.
• Addressing lead, asbestos, PCB’s – legacy chemicals.
• Completing Brownsfields projects.

Improve environmental performance through ensuring compliance with environmental requirements by enforcing environmental statutes, preventing pollution, and promoting environmental stewardship. Protect human health and the environment by encouraging innovation and providing incentives for governments, businesses, and the public that promote environmental stewardship and long-term sustainable outcomes.

Tribes have identified continued environmental tribal program capacity building as their number one priority. As tribes develop media specific environmental programs the need for community education, involvement and compliance become high priorities.

As a result, tribes have identified the following compliance and environmental stewardship priorities:

• Build environmental capacity and improve human health with the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP).
• Environmental Education and Pollution Prevention.
• Effective Compliance and Enforcement.
• Increase use of DITCA authority.