Who’s Who in EPA?

There are multiple regulatory programs that apply to different types of contaminated sites. For example, if a site is determined to be a Superfund site, cleanup is subject to the requirements of that program. Although there is overlap between program requirements, Tribes should rely on information sources focused on the type of site they are addressing. Therefore, it is important to learn about the various US Environmental Protection Agency offices to access the staff, programs, and resources that are available under CERCLA and other federal laws to assist your Tribe with planning, site investigation, and cleanup. Additionally, you can learn more at EPA’s Cleaning Up, Protecting and Preserving Tribal Lands website and EPA’s Basic Information about Cleanups website. 
EPA is organized by headquarter and regional offices around the Nation and supported by the Office of the Administrator. See EPA’s Organization Chart webpage for current offices and staff. EPA’s American Indian Environmental Office (AIEO) leads EPA’s efforts to protect human health and the environment in Indian country by supporting implementation of federal environmental law consistent with the federal trust responsibility and the government-to-government relationship as found in the EPA Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations (1984).

EPA’s About the Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM) website provides links to the office that administers each of the emergency response and waste programs with OLEM: Office of Superfund Remediation and Technology Innovation (OSRTI), Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery (ORCR), Office of Underground Storage Tanks (OUST), Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization (OBLR), Office of Emergency Management (OEM), and Federal Facilities Restoration and Reuse Office (FFRRO).

Still not sure which EPA offices can help?

See TLAC’s contaminated sites’ descriptions.

Contaminated Sites

Other Federal Agencies

Other federal agency offices and programs that promote coordinated efforts to clean up contaminated sites include:

US Department of the Interior’s Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE)

US Department of Defense’ Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP)