The E.P.A. has awarded $32 million in backing for the Indian Environmental General Assistance Plan (GAP) capacity building grants to tribes and tribal consortia in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
The backing helps tribes develop environmental protection programs and make informed decisions about issues that impact the health of their people and the quality of their environment. Since its inception, the EPA's GAP Plan has played a critical role in achieving environmental progress and facilitating government-to-government relationships between tribes and the EPA.
David Allnutt, Director of the E.P.A. Region ten Office of Ecosystems, Tribal and Public Affairs said, "The Indian Environmental General Assistance Plan empowers tribes to build the capacity to support successful environmental programs that protect public health and their lands. The GAP Plan is vitally important in this region because about half of the federally acknowledged tribes in the nation are in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest."
Tribes and tribal consortia in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest use the backing for a wide variety of plans including the development of sustainable solid waste management programs, practices to prevent open dumping, documenting climate change, emergency response planning, watershed protection, understanding air quality issues, and to address other environmental challenges. Tribes also use GAP backing for staff development, creating environmental plans, seeking technical assistance, and community outreach and education - the building blocks of successful environmental programs.
More information about the noteworthy results achieved with GAP backing in 6 tribal communities is accessible online at:
http://www.epa.gov/tribal/region-10-tribal-environmental-gap-success-stories.
· Akiak Native Community, Alaska: community recycling and hazardous waste collection and disposal
· Chalkyitsik Village Council, Alaska: recycling appliances, batteries, electronics and other hazardous materials
· Koyukuk Native Village, Alaska: cleaning up a landfill with a burn unit
· Native Village of Tetlin, Alaska: using a burn unit and trash disposal cages to eliminate improper dumping
· Native Village of Kwigillingok, Alaska: establishing a tribally-enforced environmental code to educate residents and remove eyesores from the village
· The Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians, Oregon: improving geographic information systems (GIS) to better track environmental plans and subsistence resources
In Region 10, 237 tribes and 21 tribal consortia received GAP grants for the current fiscal year. There are 566 federally-recognized tribes in the nation, 229 located in Alaska, four in Idaho, nine in Oregon, and 29 in Washington.
The GAP Plan was created by Congress in 1992 to provide grants for federally acknowledged tribes to plan, develop, and establish core environmental protection programs. For more information on the GAP Plan and to read our success stories please visit:
http://www.epa.gov/tribal/region-10-tribal-program.
