Tribal Superfund Working Group

Summer King, EPA’s Superfund Tribal Coordinator, discussed the available tools and resources to help Tribal governments, community members, property owners, local and state government leaders potential developers, and other interested parties assess the viability of Superfund properties for redevelopment and integrate future redevelopment into the remedial process. The session highlighted site-specific projects with Tribal involvement, and how Tribes can become involved in future projects. 

Summer shared this site as a reference for related projects:

Reuse at Superfund Sites with Tribal Involvement | US EPA

For our first quarterly get-together in 2026, Sharon Hartzell, EPA’s Superfund Redevelopment Program (SRP) Manager, discussed SRP’s collaborative effort with the Brownfields program to develop resources for the potential reuse of Superfund and Brownfields sites as artificial intelligence (AI) data centers. Sharon discussed siting criteria, site reuse resources, and other considerations pertaining to data center reuse.

The Superfund Redevelopment Program and Brownfields and Land Revitalization Program have assembled information, tools and resources to help community members; property owners; local, state or Tribal government leaders; potential developers; and other interested parties assess the viability of Superfund site properties and brownfield sites for redevelopment as possible locations for Artificial Intelligence (AI) data centers or other facilities related to AI infrastructure or development. The information, including a mapping tool to screen for sites that may be good candidates for AI infrastructure, can be found on two web pages:

• Reuse Considerations for Data Centers on Brownfield Sites

• Reuse Considerations for Data Centers on Superfund Sites

Rebecca Stevens at the Coeur d’Alene Tribe kicked off this session with some exciting updates on restoration work happening at the Bunker Hill Superfund site. Todd Barnell then followed up with a discussion about some potential research topics the Waste and Response team will tackle in the next few years to help Tribal staff working on contaminated sites. In the past, the team has developed events and resources on a variety of research topics ranging from finding and working effectively with contractors to dealing with the loss of institutional knowledge. All of these resources can be found on this website.

• Stream Restoration and Fish Passage in the BHSS
• 2026 Research Topics

Dr. Robert Nairn from the University of Oklahoma shared several projects he and his team have conducted, in cooperation with Tribes, that showed damage from previous mining is not irreversible, and how Natural Infrastructure can restore ecosystems. He also shared stories from their work addressing PFAS and PFOS. This is an inspiring discussion that also shows how reciprocal relationships between Tribes and researchers gets results.

Meredith Fry and Lauren Oliver from EPA’s Office of Research and Development provided an overview to their recent Interim Report on the impacts of flooding at Superfund sites, Brownfields, RCRA sites, and petroleum storage tanks. They showed how to access and download nationwide data for heavy precipitation and median height above the nearest drainage which you can use to prepare your own sites.

David Hockney, with the US EPA Office of Deserts, Mountains, and Plains, provided an introduction to the Good Samaritan Remediation of Hardrock Mines Act of 2024 which was passed on December 17, 2024. Under this legislation, EPA is tasked with establishing a 7-year pilot program, where EPA may issue up to 15 permits to allow outside parties (Good Samaritans) to remediate mine residue at abandoned hardrock mine sites to protect human health and the environment without being subject to enforcement or liability.

OMDP is currently in the information-gathering stage of developing a guidance document for the pilot project. They have invited tribes to weigh in during this stage. They will also invite tribes to comment on the guidance document once they have put it out for public comments sometime in the next six months or so. The OMDP team posed seven questions to participants.