Merkley, Wyden Announce Over $1 Million Coming to Oregon Tribes for Environmental Improvements
Burns-Paiute Tribe, Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and the Klamath Tribes to benefit
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden announced today that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is awarding three Oregon Tribes a combined total of $1,104,088 for projects to improve water and air quality and reduce pollution.
“Tribal families and community members rely on clean air and water for the health, safety, and the economic growth of their communities,” said Senator Merkley. “It is vital that we support environmental projects that ensure everyone in Tribal communities across the state has the resources needed to live healthy lives.”
“I’m gratified these three Tribes have earned this significant federal investment to help ensure their members live in healthy communities,” Wyden said. “Clean water and air are essential to good health, and I’ll keep battling for similar federal funds that help Tribes throughout our state.”
Award and project information can be found below:
- Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR): $1,000,000 to develop a Strategic Pollution Prevention Plan, creating a CTUIR Toxics Inventory through monitoring to identify sources and reduce toxics, implementing a Pollution Prevention and Toxics Reduction Plan, developing multi-agency toxics reduction, and an internal data management system.
- Klamath Tribes: $89,088 for the operation of the Klamath Tribes’ continuing environmental programs, while giving greater flexibility to improve environmental performance, achieve administrative savings, and strengthen the partnership between the Tribes and EPA.
- Burns-Paiute Tribe: $15,000 to support the Tribe’s environmental department staff through trainings on air quality and education and outreach, helping the department enhance air quality.
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