About EPA
Tribal Coordination by the Office of Environmental Information (OEI)
Within OEI, the Office Information Analysis and Access coordinates OEI's Tribal Program, including:
- providing advice on efforts requiring consultation with tribal governments;
- providing guidance on projects and efforts that would benefit from increased tribal awareness; and
- representing the office on various internal and external workgroups to address tribal issues and concerns from an agency perspective.
Several of OEI's offices are working across the organization to address these concerns by:
- implementing an office-wide Tribal Strategy to increase tribal awareness of and participation in EPA's information efforts, including the Exchange Network, the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) Program, and data quality efforts; and
- ensuring consultation with tribal governments on relevant efforts.
On this page, you can learn more about:
You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more.
Tribal Links
-
The EPA Tribal Portal was created as a gateway to EPA environmental information specifically related to tribal governments, such as environmental policies, practices and laws. - Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) contains information on disposal or other releases of over 650 toxic chemicals from thousands of U.S. facilities. TRI also contains information about how facilities manage those chemicals through recycling, energy recovery, and treatment. One of TRI’s primary purposes is to inform communities about toxic chemical releases to the environment. Learn more about the TRI for Tribal Communities.
-
Environmental Information Exchange Network Partner Progress
The Exchange Network is a partnership among states, territories, tribes and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that has revolutionized the exchange of environmental information. Partners on the Exchange Network share data efficiently and securely over the Internet, providing real-time access to higher quality data while saving time and resources.
OEI's Tribal Strategy
Now Available: OEI’s Tribal Strategy: Partnership to Support Environmental Information and Decision-Making in Indian Country and Alaska Native Villages (PDF) (13pp, 778K)
The purpose of OEI’s Tribal Strategy is to maximize the quality and usefulness of the environmental information and analytical tools available for making informed decisions in Indian country and other tribal lands. The OEI Tribal Strategy supports:
- EPA’s mission to protect human health and the environment, while recognizing the unique needs of Indian Tribes (including Alaska Native Villages (ANV);
- OEI’s work with EPA programs, regional offices and tribes on the importance of environmental data for supporting EPA and tribal priorities;
- Tribal self-governance; and
- Relationships between EPA and tribes.
OEI is committed to measuring progress toward achieving the goals outlined in the Tribal Strategy and to continuing outreach and consultation with tribes. OEI will use the annual Tribal Accomplishments Report to detail activities and achievements in support of the Tribal Strategy. The Strategy will be updated every five years based on accomplishments made and feedback received from tribes.
OEI's Tribal Accomplishments Reports
Now Available: OEI's Fiscal Year 2011 Tribal Accomplishments Report (PDF) (11pp, 921K). This report documents progress made in 2011 toward achieving the goals outlined in OEI's Tribal Strategy and represents a commitment to continued outreach and consultation with tribal partners.
OEI intends to publish an annual Tribal Accomplishments Report to:
- Continue the conversation with tribes to identify needed changes or updates to the Tribal Strategy,
- Discus EPA's information efforts and concerns of tribes, and
- Expand discussion and coordination across OEI and the EPA tribal program.
EPA welcomes your feedback on OEI's Tribal Accomplishments Report, which will help us to improve our outreach and engagement with tribes.
Also available:
Submit comments:
-
By email:
Beth Jackson (jackson.elizabeth@epa.gov) -
By mail:
US Environmental Protection Agency
Attn: Elizabeth Jackson
Mail Code 2842T
1200 Pennsylvania Ave, NW Washington, DC 20460
OEI's Consultation Efforts
-
Draft Quality Standard for Environmental Data Collection, Production, and Use by Non-EPA (External) Organizations, and Draft Guidance for Quality Assurance Project Plans
(Consultation Period open March 5 - 30, 2012)
- Notification Letter (PDF) (7pp, 203K)
- Process and Timeline (PDF) (2pp,204K)
- Background and Summary Information (PDF) (2pp, 46K)
- Draft Guidance on Quality Assurance Project Plans (2106-G-05) (PDF) (147pp, 1.7MB)
- Draft Quality Standard for Environmental Data Collection, Production and Use by Non-EPA (External Organizations) (PDF) (53pp, 624K)
-
Consultation on OEI’s Draft Tribal Strategy:
(Consultation Period: June - August, 2011)
- May 2011 OEI's Draft Tribal Strategy (PDF) (16pp, 1.1MB)
- Tribal Consultation and Coordination Letter (PDF) (2pp, 292K)
- Tribal Consultation and Coordination Process and Timeline (PDF) (2pp, 228K)