2: Program Development and Implementation

Continue to Build Tribal Capacity for Program Development and Implementation

Other Information:

Ongoing Activities – Goal 2 OPPTS is currently involved in the following activities that support the objectives and work activities identified for Goal 2. Pollution Prevention Grant Program The Pollution Prevention Grant Program provides matching funds to states and tribes to support pollution prevention activities and the development of state and tribal environmental programs. It promotes pollution prevention through technical assistance and training, outreach, and education, regulatory integration, demonstration (pilot) projects, and public recognition. Funding varies and is subject to availability each fiscal year. Since 1989, more than twenty tribal projects have received over one million dollars collectively from this program. LifeLine Exposure Assessment Project In 2002, OPPTS initiated an effort to determine the feasibility and usefulness of modifying state-of-the-art “LifeLine” software to capture unique exposure pathways that may accompany the practice of tribal traditional life ways. OPPTS is already using LifeLine in its pesticide exposure/risk assessment and tolerance setting processes. OPPTS is now working very closely with a consortium of Native villages in Alaska, as well as the Blackfeet Nation in Montana, to develop software modules that accurately will help model their two unique living situations. Site visits have been conducted, information sources have been identified, data is being gathered and new computer code is now being written. After it receives the approval of the two-modeled groups, the new software should be made generally available. If the new software proves useful to the modeled tribal groups and to EPA, and if other tribes indicate an interest in partnering with us to have similar models built, OPPTS intends to consider the feasibility of modeling additional tribal living scenarios in other biogeographical sections of the country. Tribal Lands Environmental Scholarships This program is designed to promote education in the environmental sciences in tribal communities, thereby increasing the number of American Indian students with expertise in environmental science. These students, in turn, should be prepared to work with EPA and in tribal communities to improve environmental protection in ICOTA, and address human health concerns. Water Quality and Pesticide Management Workshops These ongoing workshops, which are hosted by tribes throughout the country, bring a wide variety of pesticide related expertise to tribal communities. Speakers may include experts in program organization and legal issues, IPM, hydrology and water management, insect abatement, and application methodologies. Presenters may also include tribal experts, staff from local agricultural extension services, state and local environmental agencies and others. Tailored agendas emphasize pesticide issues impacting local tribes. To date, more than 75% of federally-recognized tribes in the contiguous 48 states have sent one or more representatives to these workshops. Tribal Pesticide and Water Quality Grant Program For each of the past eight years, OPP’s competitive Tribal Pesticide and Water Quality Grant Program has provided approximately $450,000 per year in direct funding to tribes. These one year grant awards are limited to $50,000 per proposal. They may be used to fund projects involving water quality baseline assessment and sampling, IPM, pesticide issues surrounding repatriation of tribal artifacts, evaluation of need and development of pesticide management policies and plans, and other activities related to pesticide management. Providing Tribes Flexibility under FIFRA Tribes are not specifically referenced in FIFRA Section 18 and have not directly requested emergency exemptions (“Section 18’s”) from federal requirements to enable use of pesticides that could prevent severe economic loss caused by pest infestations that do not respond to approved pesticide approaches. OPP, in cooperation with USDA/APHIS and the Navajo Nation, has developed a process to provide opportunities for farmers in Navajo Indian country to obtain access to products available outside of Indian country. Under FIFRA Section 18. OPP intends to continue to refine the process as needed, and intends to work with other tribes, as requested, to provide them with information regarding similar exemption opportunities. Tribal Discretionary Funding to Regions Because regional staff work closely with the tribes, EPA regional offices have unique opportunities to develop a clear sense of regionally specific tribal needs. OPP provides a portion of its headquarters tribal program discretionary funding to the regions and allows them to determine how this money best supports the pesticide needs of ICOTA.

Objective(s):

2.1: Tribal Capacity

2.2: Tribal Programs

2.3: Tribal Access

2.4: Prevention and Management

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