Environmental Resources

Today a significant number of Tribal governments are regulating their resources and managing environmental programs. This Index was created to assist tribes who are currently developing environmental codes and legislation and contains extensive Environmental Law resource information. Much of the information is Tribal specific, but some general environmental resources are also included.

The National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) Tribal Workgroup consists of environmental professionals from tribal entities, local, state and federal agencies, academia, and not-for-profit organizations whose mission is to work collaboratively with tribes throughout the United States in reducing the environmental and health risks associated with the generation of waste in tribal lands. The workgroup, one of several NPPR workgroups, was formed in December, 2003 from an EPA grant issued as a result of tribal requests for more specific tribal communication about Pollution Prevention (P2) efforts directly relating to tribes. This portal to tribal pollution prevention is a partnership project of the: National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) Tribal Workgroup , Pollution Prevention Resource Exchange (P2Rx) , and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Tribal Association on Solid Waste & Emergency Response (TASWER) is a national organization dedicated to preserving and restoring the health and environment of Indian and Alaska Native communities. Through government-to-government partnerships, TASWER seeks to ensure that environmental policies address and integrate the needs and values of tribal solid waste, emergency response, and Superfund issues.

The National Tribal Environmental Council was formed in 1991 as a Membership organization dedicated to working with and assisting Tribes in the protection and preservation of the reservation environment. Membership is open to federally recognized Tribes throughout the United States and it currently has 108 Member Tribes. This site features a list of its Services, on line versions of its Newsletters, a Legislation Alert, its Executive Committee and Staff, Standing Committees, also has lists of Current Projects, Open Jobs and Internships, and a Calendar of Events.

The Environmental Education Outreach Program at Northern Arizona University is part of the Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP). The purpose of the Environmental Education Outreach Program (EEOP) is to interest Native American students in environmental careers and to assist schools in improving environmental science literacy. EEOP does this by:

Mentoring and advising students on Career Choices and post-secondary educational opportunities;
Providing on-campus (Northern Arizona University (NAU)) experiences, such as Summer Scholars, for students and educators;
Coordinating S tudent Internships with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or with tribal environmental offices;
Making presentations at schools on environmental issues;
Providing teachers with the support they need in order to be able to increase the amount and quality of environmental instruction;
Providing counselors with information that will assist them in advising and scheduling students to improve their success in environmental studies;
Assisting schools in developing and providing extracurricular opportunities in the study of the environment;
Coordinating with other groups such as tribes, universities, community colleges, and local agencies to improve environmental awareness; and
Providing Tribal Environmental Professionals with training and materials to conduct Environmental Education and public outreach.

Land Use Planning Information Network (LUPIN) is a searchable library of Federal, Tribal, and state environmental and planning information developed by the California Resources Agency to facilitate access to a variety of electronic data describing California's rich and diverse environments.

The Environmental Protection Agency has developed a Grant-Writing Tutorial that walks the user through the grant-writing process and helps you to learn to write more competitive grants. You may Use the Tutorial Online, or Download the Program.

Software for Environmental Awareness was developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Region 5 and Purdue University to develop environmental software programs that make complex environmental subjects clear and understandable and learning enjoyable. These computer aided instruction programs address a variety of the Following Issues.

EPA Funding Links and Other Funding Links to environmental funding information may help you meet the financing needs of your solid waste management program.

The Indian Program Newsletter (Region 9) contains information on Tribal meetings, conferences, environmental training, grants, and contact information. Region 10's Tribal newsletter comes out monthly and highlights upcoming workshops, conferences, and U.S. EPA and Tribal environmental program developments. EPA's American Indian Environmental Office produces a quarterly newsletter, called AIEO Update, on office activities and environmental issues in Indian Country. It discusses funding sources, regulatory changes, new technical resources, and upcoming events.

The following Tribal organizations have environmental pages.

Alaska Native Knowledge Network (ANKN) Indigenous Knowledge Systems is sponsored by the Alaska Federation of Natives, the University of Alaska, the National Science Foundation, and the Annenberg Rural Challenge. It assists native people, government agencies, educators and the general public in accessing the knowledge that Alaska natives have acquired over millennia, and also contains Current Readings, References and Research, Speeches and its Online Newsletter.
The American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) operates the AISES Environmental Institute each summer in Bailey, Colorado. Groups of students, teachers and other professionals learn about environmental science from the perspectives of Western science and of traditional Indian knowledge.
Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO) is a national nonprofit organization headquartered on the Santa Ana Pueblo reservation in New Mexico. It draws upon traditional Tribal values to promote new ways of thinking, to develop leadership, and to create contemporary institutions that can deal with the complex issues of the 21st century. AIO worked with EPA to help create the Tribal Association on Solid Waste and Emergency Response (TASWER).
The Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals (ITEP) is located at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. It provides assistance to Indian tribes and other public and private groups in promoting effective environmental-resource management on Indian lands. This assistance is provided through education, training, information services, intergovernmental relations, and environmental program development.
Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA) is comprised of 19 Tribal governments and is a nonprofit, educational, and charitable organization. One branch of ITCA is the Environmental and Natural Resources Program. This program helps tribes with funding and technical assistance for preparation of integrated solid waste management plans and assists them with other environmental protection issues.
The Inter-Tribal Environmental Council (ITEC) was formed in 1993 to help Oklahoma tribes develop environmental infrastructure to protect their health, natural resources, and environment. Currently, there are 31 ITEC member tribes across Oklahoma.
Native Americans and the Environment will find thousands of Internet and published resources described and cataloged at this site.
The National Tribal Environmental Council was formed in 1991 as a Membership organization dedicated to working with and assisting Tribes in the protection and preservation of the reservation environment. Membership is open to federally recognized Tribes throughout the United States and it currently has 108 Member Tribes. This site features a list of its Services, on line versions of its Newsletters, its Executive Committee and Staff, Standing Committees, also has lists of Current Projects, Open Jobs and Internships, and a Calendar of Events.
Nevada Indian Environmental Coalition(NIEC) is the environmental program of the Inter-Tribal Council of Nevada, Inc. (ITCN). ITCN is a Tribal organization serving the member reservations and colonies in Nevada. ITCN serves as a large political body for the small Nevada tribes, promoting health, educational, social, economic, and job opportunity programs.
The Rural Alaska Sanitation Coalition is a statewide coalition committed to improving environmental health conditions in Alaska villages, focusing especially on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management. The web site includes success stories, information on grant resources and technical assistance programs, and links to Alaska Native Health Organizations.
Tribal Environmental Law Project (TELP) is operated by the Northern Plains Indian Law Center at the University of North Dakota School of Law. The mission of TELP is to promote environmental justice in Indian Country, where residents may bear a disproportionately high risk of environmental pollution. The project provides Legal and policy assistance to Tribal governments developing environmental programs. The TELP web site offers sample Tribal environmental codes, reviews of court cases affecting the environment in Indian Country, and more.
Tuscarora and Six Nations Indian-Owned Web Sites serves the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora tribes, which comprise Haudenosaunee, or the Six Nations. Two of Tuscarora.com's member sites are environmental. Mother Earth & Us is a site dedicated to Haudenosaunee environmental interests by an Onondaga/Mohawk third year law student at Arizona State University. The Haudenosaunee Environmental Task Force (HETF) page concerns HETF, which formed to discuss environmental degradation in Six Nations communities.
The Navajo Dryland Environments Laboratory at Dine' College is an academic institute for research and education in the Earth and environmental sciences, and environmental technology.
The Native American Water Association provides Tribal Water and Wastewater professionals with continued training and technical assistance in their goals to strengthen Tribal sovereignty, self-determination and protect the health and the environment in Indian Country.
The Native American Fish & Wildlife Society (NAFWS) is a national tribal organization established informally during the early 1980's. NAFWS was incorporated in 1983 to develop a national communications network for the exchange of information and management techniques related to self-determined tribal fish and wildlife management.

American Indian Environmental Office of the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides a good overview of the Indian programs of the EPA. It includes sections on the Mission and EPA Contacts, Tribal Contacts, Tribal Grants, Programs, Regions, Publications, Policies and Initiatives, Laws, Regulations and Guidance, a Calendar of Events and links to the following Tribal programs:

National Environmental Compliance Assistance Clearinghouse - Tribal Sector has a compendium of resources (many are on-line) dealing with tribal compliance issues. Subject areas include: Schools in Indian Country, Public Water Systems, Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Construction Waste, Munitions Waste, Mining Waste, Wastewater Management, General Compliance, National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), Pesticides, Regional Tribal Contacts, Federal Agency Resources, Tribal Organizations and Other Resources.

The EPA's Envirofacts Warehouse is a single point of access to EPA environmental date.

EPA Technical Information Packages are primarily aimed at the international community and focus on key environmental and public health issues being investigated by EPA. The products highlighted within these packages provide a sound technical basis for decisions regarding the development of Tribal environmental policy, abatement activities, and pollution prevention.

The EPA's Office of Water Wetlands Partnerships lists Various Grants and programs for tribes.

Questions & Answers--American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal-Tribal Trust Responsibilities, and the Endangered Species Act.

EnviroText is an on-line Searchable Library that provides easy access to environmental regulations, as well as an extensive database of Treaties and Tribal environmental laws and codes. A Listing of these Codes is provided on the bottom of this page.

Environmental law Library is a subset of the WWW Virtual Library and has dozens of links to organizations and law firms specializing in environmental issues.

LEGI\X Company is an advocacy and lobbing group with up to date news on Housing, General, Environmental and other issues.

Indigenous Environmental Network provides updates on worldwide indigenous environmental issues.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers full text of all Federal Register - Environmental Documents issued by EPA, and of selected documents issued by other Departments and Agencies. Notices, meetings, proposed rules, and regulations are divided into twelve topical categories for easy access (e.g. air, water, pesticides, toxics, waste). Performance Partnership Grants For State and Tribal Environmental Programs - this Interim Guidance document provide States and Tribes with the option to combine funds from two or more categorical grants into one or more multi-program grants made to a State or Tribal agency by the Agency.

NEPA is the National Environmental Policy Act. This site provides basic NEPA documents and guidance on how and where to file an environmental impact statement.

EPA's State, Local, and Tribal Environmental Network is compiled by the EPA to give people easy access to Grants and Fellowship Information, Environmental Topics, Tools and Assistance, and Tribal Links.

Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community Office at the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides information on environmental justice and brownfields (brownfields are abandoned, idled, or under-used industrial and commercial properties where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived contamination issues).

USGS Environment Theme Area is the United States Geological Service (USGS) environmental home page.

Environmental Impact Analysis Data Links is maintained by the United States Geological Service and could assist environmental planners who are creating an environmental assessment of their reservation community and surrounding areas.

Vermont Safety Information Resource Institute has a variety of occupational and environmental safety and health information databases.

Environmental Regulations on Indian Lands - A Question of Jurisdiction is a excellent article written by Lynn H. Slade and Walter E. Stern.

The following Tribal Environmental Laws and Codes can be found at the EnviroText website.

xxx

- Top of Page -

Environmental Resources

Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) Links

TLPI Websites

TLPI Publications By Subject

TLPI Publications By Series

Native Law Blogs