Press release from the Yurok Tribe:
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently approved the Yurok Tribe Environmental Department’s application for Treatment as a State (TAS), granting the tribal agency the authority to establish and enforce water quality standards on the Yurok Reservation.
“Treatment as a state significantly increases our capacity to protect and restore the lower Klamath River, which serves as the spiritual, cultural, and ecological foundation of our existence. We extend our sincere gratitude to the US EPA for its formal recognition of our sovereign authority and demonstrated ability to effectively regulate water quality within our homeland,” said Joseph L. James, the Chairman of the Yurok Tribe. “I also want to acknowledge our highly professional environmental and legal teams for completing the rigorous application process.”
Based on a 1987 amendment to the Clean Water Act, TAS empowers the Yurok Tribe Environmental Department to assume the same authority as state governments in setting and enforcing environmental standards that apply to tribal lands and waters. The TAS designation enables the department to enforce the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Safe Drinking Water Act as well as other federal environmental laws. It strengthens the Tribe’s ability to improve the health of 44 miles of the Klamath River and several tributaries that flow through the Yurok Reservation.
“We now have the authority to determine beneficial uses of water based on our cultural values, environmental priorities, and community needs,” said Yurok Tribe Environmental Department Director Louisa McCovey. “This achievement is the result of a multigenerational effort to regain our sovereign right to govern the natural resources of our homelands.”
The EPA’s approval follows a rigorous review process of the Tribe’s capacity to manage environmental programs at a level equivalent to or better than states.
The Yurok Tribe Environmental Department’s Water Quality Program has continuously conducted water quality monitoring on the Klamath River and its tributaries since 2002. Additionally, the Water Quality Program conducts research on a wide variety of topics related to the Klamath River and its tributaries, such as nutrient pollution, pathogenic bacteria and macroinvertebrate abundance. The program also performs Tribal Water Quality Certification for federally and state-funded projects that are subject to National Environmental Policy Act or California Environmental Quality Act compliance and have the potential to impact water quality of surface waters within the Yurok Reservation.
The Yurok Tribe Environmental Department is responsible for protecting tribal lands, air and water resources for the benefit of current and future generations of Yurok people. Led by tribal scientists, the department’s three programs include Water, Community and Ecosystems and Pollution Prevention. An expression of tribal sovereignty, the Environmental team employs science, traditional knowledge and thoughtful regulation to protect and enhance fragile ecosystems within Yurok ancestral territory.
