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Opportunities on Tribal Lands
Real Outcomes
Imagine if you could have a role in vastly improving the health and vitality of communities ...
This story is about how you can do just that! It is about building on the existing partnerships fostered by the EPA Region 8 brownfields program.
Over the past two decades, the Region 8 EPA brownfields team has successfully worked with and supported tribes through grants, training and capacity building. The team coordinates closely with tribal communities so that contaminated buildings and land can be cleaned up to make way for important needs such as new housing, recreation facilities, and early childhood education centers.
By working together, EPA and tribal brownfields partners convert unsafe areas or eyesores into community resources. Yet even with the many brownfields assessment and cleanup successes, there remains a great need and potential to accomplish even more. You can contribute to efforts that truly improve people's lives.
Tribal Lands and Brownfields in EPA Region 8
Region 8 of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) serves 28 Tribal Nations located within the boundaries of six states.
Did you know?
- The combined area of all the tribal lands in Region 8 totals 22.8 million acres or 45,343 square miles, comparable to the size of the state of Pennsylvania.
- The population of tribal members across Region 8 is more than 222,000.
- 22 of the 28 tribes in EPA Region 8 have staff dedicated to brownfields assessment and cleanup.
The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act , signed January 11, 2002, defined brownfields and authorized funding for brownfields assessment and cleanup.
A brownfield is a property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
Shown here, EPA and Standing Rock Sioux Tribe partnered to clean up burned building debris with friable asbestos on the Standing Rock Reservation. The tribe invested $225,00 in a new building on the site, now being used by the Standing Rock Tribal Health Administration and employing seven people.
You can slide the bar from left to right to see before and after images.
In the photo on the left, a participant in the Environmental Workforce Development and Job Training grant program removes lead-based paint from the Old Stockade Building on the Standing Rock Reservation. The photo on the right shows the historic building after completion of the cleanup.
Tribal Brownfields Challenges
Beyond the typical brownfields -- scrapyards, abandoned structures and former gas stations -- many Tribes grapple with issues such as unauthorized dumps and burned buildings contaminated with asbestos.
While some federal and state agencies are of assistance in certain instances, in general, EPA is the primary partner assisting Tribal governments with brownfield contamination challenges.
Availability of housing is a serious issue for most Tribes. At the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota alone, there are over a hundred people on the waiting list for housing.
EPA has been partnering with several Tribes to clean up and demolish old housing to make room for new homes.
Brownfields Accomplishments
There have been notable brownfields successes on tribal lands in Region 8. For example, as of 2020, tribes across the region reported 602 sites inventoried or actively enrolled in a response program. By helping communities understand the types and extents of contamination on their lands, inventories are an important first step in addressing brownfields.
Since 2006, 467 brownfields assessments have been completed, leading to 313 cleanups in Indian Country. These have resulted in 2,374 acres made ready for reuse and have added 319 jobs.
Clockwise from top: testing for lead at Spirit Lake; the Fort Peck Wellness Center that created 70 jobs; a cleanup on Yankton Sioux land; and an underground tank being pulled at Fort Peck.
This map shows the brownfields assessments (shown with red pins) and cleanups (green diamond symbols) that have been completed on Region 8 Tribal lands since program inception. You can zoom in to the map and click on the symbols to see details about each.
Brownfields Assessments and Cleanups completed on Tribal lands FY2006 through FY2022. Data table for assessments . Data table for cleanups .
Big Wins
Tour three recent brownfields projects in Region 8 that resulted in removing harmful substances and making room for new homes.
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1
Spirit Lake Tribe -- North Dakota
The Spirit Lake Nation is located in northeast North Dakota between Devil's Lake and the Sheyenne River. In the past 15 years, the Tribe used EPA Brownfields funding to complete 45 cleanups. The majority of them have occurred on abandoned houses that were contaminated with asbestos and lead. The community redeveloped the properties as new home sites and restored open space.
The Tribal brownfields staff at Spirit Lake adheres to an annual work cycle that includes site assessments via Targeted Brownfields Assessments (TBAs), planning for cleanups and timely submittal of cleanup grant applications. Consistent internal communication is also key. The Tribal brownfields coordinator gets input from Tribal leaders and community members, and keeps them informed of the process and results.
2
Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes -- Poplar, Montana
The Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes live on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeastern Montana. In the town of Poplar, a former airfield had been used for crop dusting and county maintenance operations. After the airport closed, hazardous materials such as fuel and pesticides remained and prevented reuse of the large site.
The Tribes partnered with the nonprofit Make It Right Foundation and EPA to plan and build 20 LEED Platinum single-family homes on the cleaned-up airport site.
In 2023 a new $23M wellness center opened on the former airport site. It provides critical medical, dental, and therapy services and includes a gym, pool, childcare center, and space for cultural programs.
3
Turtle Mountain Tribe -- Belcourt, ND
The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians Reservation is located near the Canadian border in North Dakota. L’BelCour was a 21-structure residential complex. Many of the housing units were occupied despite their extremely poor condition and the presence of asbestos.
In partnership with the Tribe, EPA began assessing the L’BelCour units under its Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) Program in 2017. Using information from the TBAs, Turtle Mountain applied for and received a total of $1,200,000 in competitive cleanup grants between 2018-2020 to abate 17 of the 21 structures. The Tribe cleaned up the remaining four structures on their own.
In 2019, EPA began convening monthly coordination meetings with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the tribe’s Housing Authority and Environmental Office to plan for the systematic cleanup, demolition and replacement of L’BelCour residences.
Thanks in part to this coordination and the cleanup work that had been performed, the Turtle Mountain Housing Authority received a $3,000,000 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act grant from HUD to demolish the 21 structures and begin redevelopment with new homes.
Demolition and disposal of all the units was completed in early November 2020. The project partners celebrated the delivery of eight new prefabricated homes in late November 2020. The Housing Authority is working with HUD for additional funding to complete the redevelopment.
Video of the site after cleanup and Fact Sheet
These successes are encouraging, yet so much more is possible.
Take Action
First, let's consider rural prosperity. What are the underpinnings? Past experience with EPA brownfields has demonstrated that foundations of a thriving community include: livable housing; buildings free of known harmful substances; natural open space; and main streets free of eyesores and vacant buildings. We cannot overlook these basic necessities.
How can we lift up rural prosperity on tribal lands? Clearly, one way is to support brownfield revitalization to advance healthy communities. To do this, and to achieve the potential of resources that already exist, close collaboration among government, nonprofit and tribal entities is essential.
Let's create a road map toward making a positive impact in Indian Country. When considering challenges on tribal lands, these are suggestions for ways you can engage:
Near the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Reservation
Consider how to expand the effort:
Initiate and participate in multi-agency work groups and collaborative efforts. First and foremost is getting people to talk with each other and share ideas.
When reaching out to other federal agencies, tribes and partners, identify the resources you have and look for ways to combine them with additional sources.
Coordinate!
Near the Yankton Sioux Reservation
Identify the barriers to success:
Review policies and procedures and revise those that are outdated and don’t readily serve the identified tribal cleanup and reuse needs.
Check assumptions about which agency or office is responsible for what. Develop a current list of parties and their accountabilities.
Identify different people or offices that aren't talking with one another, but could be. Introduce them and bring them into the conversations.
Flathead Lake, near the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Reservation
If you are a nonprofit organization:
Be present. Reach out to and visit with tribal leadership and the community. Learn about what is already being done along with the needs, challenges and successes.
Devil's Lake, on the Spirit Lake Reservation
Support your Tribe:
Develop and keep a current brownfields inventory so that you can act quickly when opportunities arise. Keep a priority list in an annual work plan and develop an annual cycle of brownfields assessment, cleanup, and reuse.
Gather ideas from the community and different tribal government departments about potential reuses for land and buildings.
Reach out to other tribal brownfields coordinators. They can be good sources of information about how to navigate the grants process. And the EPA brownfields team is always available to answer questions or suggest options.
Resources
One of the best ways to begin the brownfields revitalization process is to conduct an environmental assessment to determine if any contamination is present. EPA offers free assessment support through its Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) program. Apply here .
The HUD Office of Native American Programs (ONAP) can answer questions about HUD requirements, regulations and resources and help connect you with tribal housing authorities.
Tribal brownfields coordinators can access the Technical Assistance to Brownfields Program and the Tribal Brownfields Forum .
The EPA Region 8 Brownfields Team is available to engage with you.
