The Tribal Environmental Protection Office is established to address the critical needs and concerns of the Tribe to protect its total environment. The Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation’s Tribal Environmental Protection Office (TEPO) with the assistance of the EPA via the GAP funding will implement the following steps to initiate development of the environmental planning process and to build our tribal capacity.

The necessary implementation action required would consist of the following:
(a) Using the assessment of the environmental protection conditions on the tribal lands completed in 1998,
(b) To develop future environmental protection management plans for its natural resources,
(c) To develop codes and ordinances for the various environmental programs, and
(d) To develop the enforcement and compliance capability as well.

NWBSN’S GAP

The following steps are required to more specifically implement the Tribe’s continued operation of its General Assistance Program:

Steps to Implement:

1. Tribal Environmental Protection Office (TEPO) - The GAP will continue to provide for the Northwestern Band of Shoshone Nation’s Tribal Environmental Protection Office and the Tribe’s full-time Environmental Specialist. The Tribal Environmental Protection Office will coordinate the majority of its activities with the State of Utah, Department of Environmental Quality, EPA Regional Office (Tribes of Region 8, Regional Operations Committee and Tribal Operations Committee) and other public agencies and National Tribal organizations such as, the National Tribal Environmental Council (NTEC), the National Tribal Air Association (NTAA), the Western Regional Air Partnership (WRAP), etc., to address the protection of human health and the environment.
2. Development of a Tribal Capacity - The Tribe would have the opportunity to develop its tribal capacity by developing core environmental programs (air, radon, water, hazardous wastes, pesticides, etc) and hire and train several employees to assume the responsibilities of implementing and overseeing the development of the various tribal core environmental programs.
3. Environmental Policies and Codes - The General Assistance Program will enable the Tribe to research and develop the various environmental policies and laws; and adopt, design and implement the tribal regulations in accordance to the current or future proposed EPA statutes.
4. Enforcement and Compliance - The Tribe will develop and implement enforcement and compliance capability through the judicial process of the tribal courts system. This will establish jurisdictional management through the tribal court system, and to establish a formal judicial foundation to provide resolution to litigation.
5. Public Dissemination - The Tribal Environmental Protection Office will coordinate the public education and outreach to promote awareness of the tribal environmental activities.
6. Comprehensive Environmental Protection Plan/Policy - A comprehensive environmental policy/plan may be developed and adopted by the Tribe to address the protection of human health and the environment.

The needs are premised on: the ability of the NORTHWESTERN BAND OF SHOSHONE to recognize its authority to control its environmental and human health quality programs within the Reservation and its surroundings, and the fact that no other unit of government is attempting to monitor and regulate environmental jurisdiction in the Reservation area. The need of the Tribe is to identify and determine the sources of existing and potential pollution, which impacts the health and welfare of both on, and off- Reservation members.
The Tribe’s findings of their current situation reveal gaps and deficiencies in the Tribe’s current knowledge regarding environmental regulations and baseline standards on the Reservation and the region. Therefore, the Tribe has a continuing need for capacity building to provide baseline protection for its land and resources; and the concerns about the retention of its pristine surroundings coupled with the gaps and deficiencies in current knowledge warrants the Tribe’s request for continued GAP funding. The GAP assistance would help to continue the Tribe’s environmental protection program for now and the future.