![\"No](\"http:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/no-dumping.jpg\")
<\/a>mired with ineffective policies, lack of internal controls, inadequate infrastructure and insufficient funding to facilitate clean-up efforts. Navajo Nation, the Pueblo of Laguna, the Spokane Tribe and other tribes in the American West have been fighting to protect their communities from the legacy and impacts of uranium mining. Illegal dumping and unregulated open dumps plague tribal landscapes throughout the country.\u00a0 Abandoned military sites across Alaska have been a scourge to Alaska Native Villages for decades. Many sites were contaminated during World War II or during the Cold War, when the long-term effects of chemicals were not well understood, and the accepted means of disposal was to bury or abandon anything that was too expensive to transport out of Alaska.<\/p>\nWith more than 570 federally recognized tribes in the United States and more than 53 million acres of tribal lands spread throughout the country, an area roughly the combined size of Idaho, North Dakotaand South Dakota, the scope and magnitude of environmental contamination in Indian Country and the need for training and technical assistance becomes abundantly clear.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis new grant allows us to work with tribes and develop trainings and technical resources that meet their needs. Recently we created an online 8-Hour HAZWOPER refresher training, a course that emergency response staff need to complete each year. By offering this course online, tribal environmental professionals from across the country can maintain their certifications at no cost.\u201d<\/p>\n Listening to tribes and understanding how best to meet the needs and priorities for training and technical assistance in Indian Country is fundamental to the work of this cooperative agreement. As such, ITEP works closely with a 10-member steering committee comprised of environmental professionals representing tribes from every region of the country.\u00a0 Every year the Tribal Waste & Response Steering Committee<\/a> also develops a Priorities Document, which helps to inform ITEP and the EPA on the issues that require attention and solutions.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery member of this steering committee is a community frontline employee, and yet they volunteer their time, experience and skills to benefit all tribes throughout the country,\u201d Barnell said. \u201cDuring this challenging time, they are serving as mentors to their colleagues and making sure tribal voices are heard at the highest levels of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.\u201d<\/p>\n Chad Hamill<\/strong>, vice president of NAU\u2019s Office of Native American Initiatives, agreed on the importance of \u201cOnce again, ITEP has demonstrated that they are the national go-to source for critical training of tribal environmental professionals,\u201d he said. \u201cIn the era of climate change, their work on behalf of Native nations is more important than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to Barnell, ITEP\u2019s Tribal Waste and Response Program team includes Jennifer Williams,<\/strong> Julie Jurkowski <\/strong>and Julie Tieman<\/strong>. Learn more about this program on ITEP\u2019s website.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/a>Project director Todd Barnell<\/strong>, who leads ITEP\u2019s Tribal Waste & Response Programs team, said they have gotten positive reactions from tribal colleagues on their efforts to meet the unique needs of Indian Country.<\/p>\n<\/a> ITEP\u2019s work.<\/p>\n