Region 10 (EPA) Tribal Operations Committee
11 elected tribal representatives & epa administrators Serving Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington
Learn more about Region 10 RTOC in this short video.
Tribes & Villages
AK Natives & American Indians in Region 10 (2010 Census)
We Have the Power to Impact Our Future Generations, and We're Doing Something About It
Advising on Environmental Policy
The RTOC contracts with an Environmental Lawyer who assists our committee in analyzing and understanding environmental policies, law, federal comments and consultations. The RTOC Policy Advisor takes direction from the RTOC Chairman and committee to draft comments on behalf of our committee, based on input from Tribes in our region. We assist busy tribal leaders by providing template comment letters from which they can alter to their specific Tribal message.
Protecting Our Way of Life
Nobody knows better about how to protect our way of life than those who are actively living within tribal communities. Since our region is spread out over 4 states and thousands of miles, we utilize technology to help us become aware of the needs of those we serve. Each representative holds bi-annual virtual town hall meetings to get input from constituent tribes about the environmental matters closest to them. We encourage all tribal leaders and environmental staff to attend these community building meetings, where they can learn from others and be heard.
Elevating Tribes as Original Guardians
Our committee recognizes Indigenous people as the original guardians of mother earth. Drawing upon thousands of years of Indigenous Knowledge, we work now within both traditional and western systems to continue our guardianship. The RTOC counts on the 271 Tribes in our region to keep us up to date with current environmental issues affecting tribal communities. We have advanced many tribal concerns directly to Region 10 and National EPA Administration. Likewise, the NTOC (National Tribal Operations Committee) relies on all the regional RTOCs to elevate certain issues to the American Indian Environmental Office in Washington, DC, and to the National EPA Administrators.
Engaging with Tribal Leaders
In addition to our meetings and Town Hall outreach to Tribes and Consortia, our representatives each garner topics and issues of importance directly from the tribes in their representative outreach areas to guide our agendas, official comments and direct our committee. Each year we host a Tribal Environmental Leaders Summit (TELS) where Tribal Council members and Environmental staff gather to discuss issues of environmental concern to tribes.
Happening Now
Tribal Lands & Environment Forum: Call for Proposals – May 16
The Tribal Lands & Environment Forum is seeking proposals for presentations on a wide range of topics. The conference will be held August 18-21 both online and in person in Minneapolis, MN.
- Submit a proposal by May 16.
- Register for the conference by August 1.
EPA’s Tools for Schools
Want to learn more about how to improve indoor air quality in schools? Boy, do we have resources for you!
- EPA’s Asthma Resources One-Pager (at right) includes guides for asthma triggers, tips for controlling asthma, and a home visit checklist for healthcare professionals.
- Subscribe to EPA’s School Indoor Air Quality Newsletter
- Read the Spring 2025 edition.
- Check out the Tools for Schools Action Kit.
- Download the super cool School IAQ Assessment Mobile app to access EPA’s comprehensive school IAQ management guidance and detailed walkthrough assessment checklists that address critical building-related environmental health issues. School science project, anyone?
- Training Webinars: Dive into any of EPA’s four in-depth training webinars:
- Indoor Air Quality Master Class Professional Training
- Indoor Air Quality Knowledge-to-Action Professional Training
- Healthy Indoor Environments in Schools
- Energy Savings Plus Health
Please consider passing this information along to the schools in your community
Asthma Awareness Month
May is Asthma Awareness Month. Check out EPA’s resources for promoting asthma awareness in your school and community, which include an event planning kit, graphics depicting indoor asthma triggers and ways to address them, the Managing Asthma in the School Environment guide, and more.
EPA’s Emergency Response Newsletter
Subscribe to the State Emergency Response Commissions (SERC)/Tribal Emergency Response Commissions (TERC) monthly updates newsletter to learn about new policies, guidance, and training resources for implementing the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). Past newsletters are also listed on the site.
An Indigenous Perspective of Fire: Upper Snake River Basin Report
The Upper Snake River Tribes Foundation and the Great Basin Fire Science Exchange have released the report, An Indigenous Perspective of Fire in the Upper Snake River Basin. Topics include Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Western science, and management systems; Tribal resilience actions for prescribed wildfire; and more.
Modeling Floodplain and Watershed Restoration for Salmon Recovery in the Tolt River Watershed: Snoqualmie Tribe, EPA Study
“Modeling Floodplain and Watershed Restoration for Salmon Recovery in The Tolt River Watershed,” by EPA and the Snoqualmie Tribe, reports on a study to help inform local and regional planning and support ecosystem restoration in the Tolt River and Snoqualmie River basins. The main goal of the modeling project was to apply a set of tools to provide a process-based understanding of floodplain and upland management practices that would inform local and regional salmon habitat recovery planning.
Grant Terms and Conditions: EPA RAIN
On April 10, EPA’s Office of Grants and Debarment (OGD) issued RAIN-2025-G02. This Recipient/Applicant Information Notice (RAIN) informs EPA assistance agreement recipients of a class exception to the EPA’s Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) regulations at 40 CFR Part 33. Effective immediately, OGD is suspending: 1) fair share objective requirements in 40 CFR Part 33, Subpart D; 2) recipient reporting requirements under 40 CFR 33.502; and 3) the compliance and enforcement provisions under 40 CFR 33.105. This class exception applies to all EPA awards.
OGD has revised the existing Fiscal Year 2025 General Term and Condition, “Utilization of Disadvantaged Business Enterprises” to reflect RAIN-2025-G02. See T&C #27, provisions 5, 6, and 7.
In addition, OGD has updated the Fiscal Year 2025 General Terms and Conditions, effective April 3, 2025. The April 3 changes are summarized below. These are the same changes that were communicated on March 25; however, the effective date has been updated to April 3.
- Added a new “Federal Anti-Discrimination Laws” T&C (See T&C #54) in accordance with Executive Order Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity. This new T&C only applies to new awards and funding amendments made on or after 4/3.
- Added a new termination provision to the “Termination” T&C (See T&C #3, provision (e)) in accordance with 2 CFR 200.340(a)(4). This new provision only applies to new awards and funding amendments made on or after 4/3.
- Updated the following T&Cs to revise the description of the requirements. Please refer to the regulatory citation to understand the full scope of the requirement.
- “Establishing and Managing Subawards” T&C (See T&C #8, provision 5.a),
- “Civil Rights Obligations” T&C (See T&C #42, provision b.4), and
- “Resource Conservation and Recovery Act” T&C (See T&C #47, removed provision b that referred to a rescinded Executive Order)
Please save a copy of the terms and conditions for your records when you receive your grant agreement.
- If you have questions, email EPA_Grants_Info@epa.gov or speak to your Project Officer.
- To receive notices from the Office of Grants and Debarment about important grant updates, please sign up for the Listserv.
Water and Wastewater Cybersecurity Vulnerability Snapshot: EPA Webinar – Apr 30
EPA and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) will provide an overview of the cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified at water and wastewater systems. EPA and CISA will share cybersecurity best practices for water and wastewater systems to limit exposure to common vulnerabilities.
Superfund Redevelopment Program Newsletter
Check out the March edition of EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program newsletter. This edition highlights the national economic benefits of Superfund reuse and features recently released tools and resources for Superfund redevelopment.
Rural Alaska Dust Toolkit
Dust is one of the top air quality concerns voiced by Tribes and rural communities throughout Alaska, and dust season is coming soon. In rural Alaska, ATVs and other vehicles driving on unpaved roads contribute to airborne dust that negatively impacts health, road safety, and quality of life. Check out the Rural Alaska Dust Toolkit, a publication from EPA Region 10 and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to help communities find strategies for managing road dust.
Tribal Waste Management Program Updates
Join this EPA listerv to get announcements and updates on Tribal waste management webinars, funding opportunities, resources and more from EPA and our partners. Other listserv opportunities are also available on this page.
NIDS 2024 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment
The National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDS) has released its 2024 Pacific Northwest Water Year Impacts Assessment, which summarizes variations in temperature, precipitation, and snowpack across Oregon, Washington, and Idaho in Water Year 2024. The report details the impacts of these variations on key sectors, such as agriculture and drinking water, and how sectors responded.
King County Scientists Identify a Potential Breakthrough for Treating Salmon-Killing Tire Chemical
On March 27, King County, WA, released a video press release on the effectiveness of a soil mixture that treats 6PPDQ, a toxic chemical found in tire dust that causes coho salmon to die before they return to their spawning grounds.
EPA’s Lead and Copper Rule: Water System Requirements
Please see below for a reminder about Lead and Cooper Rule requirements instituted in October 2024. Please pass this information along to your Tribe’s water utility staff, water operators, and anyone else involved in disseminating drinking water public notices.
EPA’s 2021 Lead and Copper Rule Revisions require community and non-transient non-community water systems to issue a Tier 1 public notice to their consumers when there is an exceedance of the lead action level. A lead action level exceedance occurs when the 90th percentile concentration of lead tap water samples collected during any monitoring period is greater than 15 parts per billion (ppb) or 0.015 mg/L.
On October 16, 2024, new requirements began:
- A Tier 1 public notice must be distributed as soon as possible, but no later than 24 hours after the system learns of an exceedance.
- Water systems must also consult with the EPA Region 10 Drinking Water Program and provide a copy of the distributed public notice within 24 hours after learning of the exceedance.
See EPA’s Fact Sheet for more information: EPA Lead Action Level Exceedance Tier 1 Public Notice Fact Sheet. Please email R10TribalDW@epa.gov of you have any questions.
Executive Order 14112
The March 14 Presidential Action, “Additional Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions,” rescinded Executive Order 14112, “Reforming Federal Funding and Support for Tribal Nations to Better Embrace Our Trust Responsibilities and Promote the Next Era of Tribal Self-Determination.”
EPA Administrator Visits the Ak-Chin Indian Community
On March 18, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin visited the Ak-Chin Indian Community in Arizona, marking his first visit to Indian country.
- Read the press release
- Learn more on EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin’s X Account
- Learn more on EPA Region 9’s Instagram Account
Green Cleaning and Healthy Products in Schools
The Healthy Schools Network offers two toolkits for schools:
- The Green Cleaning for Healthy Schools Toolkit contains free posters, two webinars, tip sheets, and checklists.
- The Healthy Products for Schools Toolkit offers guidance on finding products with low emissions and low toxicity. These products promote better indoor air quality and reduce exposure to chemicals associated with long-term health problems.
iTRIBES: Principles for Tribal Resilience
Kansas State University’s Interactive Transformative Resilience for Indigenous Brownfields & Environmental Sustainability (iTRIBES) is a holistic, community-wide, participatory approach to brownfields redevelopment in Indigenous communities. With a focus on enhancing cultural resilience, iTRIBES weaves together traditional knowledge, environmental sustainability, and economic opportunity to ensure that revitalization efforts are Tribal-led and community-driven. The Tribal Voices newsletter will explore the Seven Principles of Tribal Resilience.
EPA/USGS Cyanobacteria Study
Cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae, are frequently found in freshwater, estuarine, and marine waters. Cyanobacteria are naturally occurring, but some have the ability to produce highly potent toxins, known as cyanotoxins, that can lead to a variety of health problems for both humans and aquatic species. EPA researchers collaborated with scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on a study to look at innovative methods for identifying and tracking the cyanobacteria most likely to produce cyanotoxins in rivers.
EPA’s Audit Preparedness Training for Tribes
On Feb 20, EPA Region 1’s Tribal Program hosted a webinar, “Audit Preparedness Training for New England Tribal Nations.” Attendees included staff from Tribal Environmental Departments and Tribal Finance Departments. The presentation covered valuable tips and information in the event of an audit, an in-depth description of what the Tribes could expect during Post Award Monitoring or a Tribal Single Audit, and a robust Tribal Partners Roundtable discussion on the various financial best practices and techniques used by the Tribes in managing and tracking their grant funding.
- The agenda is attached.
- For a copy of the PowerPoint presentation and the webinar recording, email Stacey Johnson-Pridgeon at johnson.stacey@epa.gov or Kayla King at king.kayla@epa.gov.
Our Partners
