1. EPA Tribal Engagement in AK Alaska Tribal Liaisons Inter Agency Group BIA Providers Conference, 2018

2. Environmental Protection Agency
Established in 1970
Independent federal agency
Headquartered in Washington, D.C.
10 Regional offices
Region 10 = Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Idaho
Alaska Operations Office – Anchorage
EPA works with Tribes on a government-to-government basis.
Under EPA’s Indian Policy, Presidential Memorandum and Executive Orders, EPA works with Tribal governments on a government-to-government basis and recognizes Tribes as the primary parties for making environmental policy decisions
**BE SURE TO MENTION AOO presence in AK.

3. EPA Mission
Protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment – air, water, and land upon which life depends.
Accomplishes it’s work:
1. through regulation “how much pollution can go into the environment”
Provide financial assistance via grants and cooperative agreements
Study environmental issues
Sponsor Partnerships
Education and Outreach

4. Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Grants (IGAP)
Provides assistance to build tribal capacity to develop an environmental program based on tribal priorities.
Grant or Cooperative Agreement
Provides $75, ,000/year for up to four years.
Support the development of a Tribal environmental protection program.
Solicitation distributed annually (November)
EPA’s relationship with tribes is fostered through our IGAP environmental capacity building grants (Indian Environmental General Assistance Program) and direct implementation of various program authorities.
The purpose of GAP is to assist Tribes in building the basic infrastructure of a Tribal environmental program, which may include planning, developing, and establishing the administrative, technical, legal, enforcement, communications, and environmental education and outreach infrastructure. Planning an environmental protection program may include setting goals and designing an approach for the program.

5. Approx. 200 Tribes and Tribal Consortia in AK that have IGAP grants
Approx. 200 Tribes and Tribal Consortia in AK that have IGAP grants. This is one of the few sources of environmental funding available to Alaskan Tribes. We have a team of 12 Tribal Coordinators that work with tribes in AK - though our region also includes Oregon, Idaho and Washington. EPA houses six Tribal Coordinators in our Anchorage office and six work with Alaska tribes in our Seattle regional office. Each Tribal Coordinator is assigned a number of tribes (typically a geographic region) within AK. The coordinators function as both liaisons for their assigned geographic regions and as project officers for IGAP grants. The listing of tribal/geographic assignments and contact information for each Tribal Coordinator is on our website at
In addition to the Tribal Coordinators assigned to AK tribes, we also have a team of Tribal Specialists that work for each of EPA’s offices in providing specialized knowledge for tribes (i.e. water quality, air quality, solid waste, etc.). The listing of tribal assignments for each Tribal Coordinator for AK, and contact information for the Tribal Specialists is on our website at

6. Other EPA Grants for AK Tribes
State and Tribal Brownfields Response Program -
Targeted Brownfields Assessments -
Tribal Clean Diesel Funding -
Environmental Justice Small Grants -
Wetland Program Development Grants -
Some examples of other grants tribes in AK are eligible for. Not an exhaustive list, but a few examples.

7. Region 10 Tribal Operations Committee (RTOC) and NTOC
Partnership between EPA and elected tribal representatives to further tribal environmental objectives at the regional level, serve as a liaison between the EPA and tribes regarding information exchange, and provide assistance to the National Tribal Operations Committee.
Monthly conference calls.
Quarterly in-person meetings.
Host the annual Tribal Environmental Leaders Summit.
The National Tribal Caucus is a national body of high-level tribal advisors selected by each RTOC to identify and address tribal environmental issues that are national in scope.
EPA hosts both a National Tribal Operations Committee and a Regional Tribal Operations Committee. These are bodies comprised of tribally-elected officials that represent tribal environmental concerns to EPA’s executives - nationally through the NTOC and regionally through the RTOC.

8. EPA Alaska Tribal Engagement
To learn more and for a list of tribal assignments, check out our EPA Region 10 Tribal website:
Subscribe to monthly tribal newsletter (includes AK news and tribal consultation opportunities):

9. Questions ?