NEWS ARCHIVE
Fight against mine could be a bloody affair - September 2, 2010
Ramping up pressure on the federal government, native leaders on Thursday expressed fierce opposition to a proposed copper-gold mine in the British Columbia Interior and warned of violent consequences if the project is approved.
Air, earth, water: Wampanoag lab keeps tabs on environment - September 1, 2010
Kendra Newick, manager of the Wampanoag Environmental Lab in Aquinnah, likes to know her work prevents people from getting sick. She is responsible for a wide range of environmental testing of soil, water, air, and food on the Island.
New Study Links Toxic Pollutants to Canadian Oil Sands Mining - August 30, 2010
Native Canadians living downstream from the oil sands mines in Alberta have long contended that their high cancer rates were related to the expanding excavation of bitumen for the production of synthetic crude.
Sacred site gets respite - August 30, 2010
A site in rural San Diego County deemed culturally and environmentally sensitive by Indians was given a respite Aug. 5 from being turned into a landfill
Poarch Band of Creek Indians receives forestry honors - August 30, 2010
Leaders of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians were surprised by the announcement that they had achieved three prestigious certifications for their stewardship and forest management activities on the Magnolia Branch Wildlife Reserve.
Mashantuckets toast new power plant - August 19, 2010
Foxwoods Resort Casino's tribal owner celebrated the startup of a $35.7 million power plant Wednesday that engineers say reduces pollution and moves the tribe's businesses closer to energy independence.
The life and death of Desert Rock - August 13, 2010
The Navajo Nation's proposed coal plant always rested on shaky ground. Now, it may collapse entirely.
EPA Announces $200,000 in Environmental Justice Grants to Support Communities Directly Affected by BP Oil Spill - August 9, 2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting proposals for up to eight $25,000 cooperative agreements to support the protection of human health and the environment in communities affected by the BP oil spill. Local incorporated non-profit community-based organizations -- including faith based organizations and those affiliated with religious institutions, environmental justice networks, and local Native American tribal governments -- located and working in areas within affected states, are eligible to apply.
Yakama Nation blocks Hawaiian garbage destined for landfill on ancestral lands - August 6, 2010
Hawaii's bid to ship their household garbage to a landfill amid the ancestral lands of the Yakama Nation in south central Washington state was blocked at the last minute by a federal judge, who approved a restraining order filed by the tribe.
Battle over Pebble Mine shifts to EPA - August 3, 2010
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Director Lisa Jackson met with tribal leaders from Alaska who oppose the Pebble Mine, a $300-billion copper, molybdenum and gold deposit at the headwaters of Bristol Bay, and the tribes asked Jackson to invoke a provision of the federal Clean Water Act to stop the mine, a move Alaska's lone congressman is working to block with legislation that would eliminate the EPA's authority to veto such a project.
Coming together in the name of air quality - August 2, 2010
Rosalie Kalistook, Orutsararmiut, Department of Natural Resources Environmental Coordinator presented "Climate Change in Rural Alaska," a slide show and discussion exemplifying the catastrophic effects of climate change on tribal peoples -- just one of many workshops offered during the 2010 National Tribal Forum on Air Quality held July 13 -- 15
Tribal Members Turn to the Sun to Generate Electricity at Reservation - July 26, 2010
The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in western Nevada is using the sun to generate much of the electricity for its high school, medical clinic, museum and other community buildings.
State takes new look at how much fish is safe to eat - July 25, 2010
Under state law, Washington's lakes, streams, estuaries and nearshore coastal waters only need to be clean enough for residents to safely consume one serving of fish a month. Yet, for many state residents, local fish and shellfish are a much bigger part of their diet than that, whether it's bass caught from the dock of a lake, a dozen oysters served up at a waterfront restaurant or salmon grilled on a backyard barbecue. And for many tribes across Washington, fish are not just central to their diet but a core part of their cultural and spiritual lives as well.
EPA sets Pebble mine listening sessions - July 25, 2010
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson is in Alaska this week to meet with the Pebble Limited Partnership in Anchorage, then travel to Dillingham to hold a listening session with local, economic and tribal groups.
Tribal Green and Healthy Schools Workshop held in Rapid City, SD - July 22, 2010
EPA Region 8, the Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen's Health Board and the Indian Health Service provided a 2.5 day workshop on July 13-15, 2010. It was attended by 47 Native Americans from 12 Tribes and 11 Reservations, representing tribal schools and tribal environmental departments mainly from North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming. Attendees pledged to complete environmental or health projects at their schools. Topics covered included: Children's Environmental Health, ENERGY STAR, Recycling, Composting, Waste Reduction, Pollution Prevention, PCBs in Caulk, Lead Based Paint, School Chemical Cleanout, Integrated Pest Management, Indoor Air, Asthma, Asbestos, Environmental Justice and Grant Application Training. Peaks to Prairies' Myla Kelly gave presentations on Green Cleaning and Waste Reduction.
Nez Perce Oppose Oil-Gear Shipments Through Idaho - July 5, 2010
The Nez Perce tribe in north-central Idaho said Friday it doesn't want 200 over-sized loads of oil-field equipment traveling a reservation highway en route to an oil sands project in Canada.
Heralded Pact for Tribal Grass-fed Beef Ends - June 21, 2010
Indians and whites have been doing business together since the time of Columbus -- almost invariably to the Indians' detriment. But the announcement last year that the Northern Arapaho tribe had been tapped to supply organic grass-fed beef to Whole Foods Markets seemed like a win for all concerned: The tribe would make money off its land, the grocery chain would score points for environmental and social responsibility, and consumers would enjoy the health and culinary benefits of eating free-range beef with a Native American pedigree.
Tribes tout Hagerman salmon recovery efforts - June 18, 2010
Salmon have been part of the American Indian story since time immemorial. Chinook, sockeye, chum, pink and Coho salmon and steelhead trout were all once thriving species used for trade, food and spiritual purposes. But then the dams came and the environment changed. Urbanization and deforestation swept through the West and the salmon began to disappear.
Tribal Internship Students Energize Alternative Fuel Science - June 18, 2010
Tribal lands make up only five percent of the United States' total land area, but represent enormous potential for the production of renewable energy. The 55 million acres of land across the nation controlled by Native American tribes can potentially produce an estimated 535 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity from wind power and more than 17 trillion kilowatt-hours from solar energy. These projections are equivalent to more than four times the amount of electricity generated annually in the United States, and represent new economic and employment opportunities for many Native American communities.
Tribes prepare for impacts of climate change - June 16, 2010
"Let's clear up some misconceptions about global climate change," Lara Whitely Binder, of the Climate Impacts Group, told tribal representatives gathered at a climate change adaptation training course.
EPA monitors air-quality near school on Idaho reservation - June 11, 2010
Federal environmental regulators have completed air quality testing around a northcentral Idaho tribal high school that's among 64 U.S. schools being monitored to determine possible health effects on kids.
Cape Wind opponents draw environmental and political parallels to Gulf oil disaster - June 10, 2010
As opponents of a massive wind energy factory in Nantucket Sound watch the impact of energy giant BP's oil blowout on the ocean and delicate ecosystems of the Louisiana coast, they are drawing parallels between the energy projects and warning that another environmental disaster is likely to happen in the waters off Cape Cod.
TOP going Green - May 25, 2010
The EBCI Tribal Operations (TOP) office is going green. They are now offering the monthly Tribal Council packets (agendas) for Budget Council and the regular Tribal Council meeting in electronic format that can be downloaded to a computer. In the past, it has not been uncommon for these packets to number several hundred pieces of paper each.
Onondaga Nation and environmental partners win prestigious EPA award - May 20, 2010
The Onondaga Nation and its environmental partners were honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the highest recognition presented to the public.
Chickasaws open CNG station - May 17, 2010
Chickasaw Nation Governor Bill Anoatubby was joined by more than 100 tribal officials, citizens, employees and guests in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station Tuesday, May 11. The station is located at the Ada Travel Plaza, 201 Latta Road, in Ada, Okla.
Tribes restore Jocko River watershed in Montana - May 5, 2010
Following a flood in the 1940s, man set about teaching the Jocko River a thing or two.
Senate panel uses Colorado tribe's energy policy as template - May 2, 2010
Federal legislation is being drafted that attempts to replicate some of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe's success in energy development on reservations across the country.
Members of Passamaquoddy Tribe Keep LNG Terminal Off Tribal Land - April 28, 2010
The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs has canceled the developer's lease of Passamaquoddy tribal land in Maine where the company wanted to build a liquefied natural gas terminal.
Salazar approves Cape Wind - April 28, 2010
America's "energy future" has trumped the most cherished sacred site of the People of the Dawn -- the indigenous Wampanoags who welcomed the first European settler colonists to Turtle Island.
Barona's New Tribal Government Facility Awarded LEEDTM Silver Certification From U.S. Green Building Council - April 21, 2010
The Barona Band of Mission Indians announced today that it has been awarded LEED(TM) Silver level certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for its new Tribal Government building. LEED is the nation's preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, established by the USGBC and verified by the Green Building Certification Institute
