EPA Provides Direct Support to Tribes

On-Scene Coordinators (OSCs) are the federal officials responsible for monitoring or directing responses to all oil spills and hazardous substance releases reported to the federal government. OSCs coordinate all federal efforts with, and provide support and information to local, state, tribal, and regional response communities based on the National Contingency Plan and Incident Command System. The OSC in this video provides examples of working with Tribes to address solid waste dumps/sites on tribal lands, which includes the following steps:

1. Discover abandoned drums or other possible hazards
2. Tribe contacts EPA for assistance (may be reported to the National Response Center)
3. An EPA On-Scene Coordinator visits the site to assess the abandoned waste
4. EPA contractors assess, collect, and properly dispose of the hazardous waste (if the property owner does not have the capacity to conduct cleanup)

It is crucial that Tribal staff receive proper prior off-site training and on-the-job training prior to approaching unknowns in the field. It is the employer’s responsibility to ensure workers remain competent in activities specific to their job functions. See OSHA’s HAZWOPER Training Requirements for more information.  

Training Exchange (Trainex): Trainex provides classroom training for federal state, and Tribal representatives involved with regulatory and enforcement activities involving solid and hazardous waste cleanup and emergency response. Search ‘hazardous’ on the Trainex Website for upcoming offerings of courses such as Oil and Hazardous Material Spill Response Workshop, 40 Hour HAZWOPER, HAZWOPER (8 Hour Refresher), and OSHA-10.

Alabama Fire College (AFC) Native American Training: AFC conducts Hazmat-related training for Native Americans free of charge. AFC asks for a minimum of 20 students per class, and a suitable place to conduct the training.  They will provide the instructor, and the instruction materials for the students. Please consider scheduling two or more classes at the same time to maximize the use of AFC’s travel funds. The classes are scheduled on a first come, first served basis. See AFC’s Free Workplace Safety Training for Native American Tribes  and  AFC’s HAZMAT and Uranium Courses flyers for the free course listings. Contact Roy Stover if you have a specific request (other courses may be available), want to schedule existing courses, or need additional information. AFC Website

Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals: Relevant ITEP online courses are self-paced and include PPE for Tribal Environmental Professionals, HAZWOPER 8-Hour Refresher, and Introduction to Hazardous Waste.

Air Quality Monitoring

Multi-Gas Meter

MultiRAE Pro PID Multi-Gas Meter: Tribal staff that have Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response certification may be interested in purchasing a multi-gas meter. The MultiRAE Pro combines a PID (Photoionization Detector) with six gases (Oxygen, total Volatile Organic Compounds, LEL, and three toxic gas sensors) in one compact monitor with a sampling pump. The monitor can be used as a personal monitor, a hand-held sniffer or as a continuous-operation area monitor. Applications include HazMat, Confined Space entry, environmental and Industrial Hygiene/IAQ.

In the MultiRae Pro PID Multi-Gas Meter Demonstration video, Page Hingst, Tribal Response Program Manager from the Office of Environmental Protection, Santee Sioux Nation of Nebraska, shares her experience using the MultiRAE Pro PID Multi-gas meter for safety parameters, including calibration requirements. Additionally, Page provides an Example SOP and Cost and Justification for Purchase.

As a government entity, you may receive email notifications of oil, chemical, radiological, biological, and etiological discharges into the environment within your jurisdiction by submitting a completed application to the National Response Center (NRC). You may choose which types of incidents you would like to receive notifications for: aircraft, continuous release, fixed, storage tank, pipeline, platform, railroad, railroad non–release, mobile, unknown sheen, and vessel. The form describes each type of release. Tribes with NRC agreements in place receive spill notifications based on provided jurisdictional information and selected incident criteria contained in the agreement application. To apply for an NRC agreement, please email nrc@uscg.mil or fax the following form to 202-267-1322: application to receive National Response Center reports. This form also includes NRC’s address, email, and a phone number for any assistance and questions.