We can make a difference

Through some research we have found that the Tohono O'Odam Nation does have to comply with some Federal Regulations when building/planning a federal facility.

It appears that money was put into an Environmental Assessment (EA) report to bypass the need for a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) report. If the EA reports that there is no environmental impact (that is what the draft is currently saying), after the allotted time (May 1 - May 15, 2009) for public comment, the EA report can stand without a NEPA investigation/report. Here is the link for the NEPA website.........http://www.epa.gov/compliance/basics/nepa.html

We CAN and SHOULD be heard by the NEPA that we ARE affected by the Detetion Center Proposal. The EA report has wording that is misleading and unthruthful (see first post EA report.)

Here is the contact info for the appropriate people inside of NEPA. Write a letter, call them, have your neighbors, call, write and get the word out. Make our government work for us - tell them what you think. We can make a difference if we do this together!

Tribal and International Capacity Building

Cheryl Wasserman (202) 564-7129

This is the contact info for the person in charge of our region I think both of these people need to be contacted

(AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, GU) US EPA, REGION 9 Nova Blazej 75 Hawthorne Street San Francisco, CA 94105 E-mail: blazej.nova@epa.gov

415-972-3846

Here is What we can do....

The Public's Role

The public has an important role in the NEPA process, particularly during scoping, in providing input on what issues should be addressed in an EIS and in commenting on the findings in an agency's NEPA documents. The public can participate in the NEPA process by attending NEPA-related hearings or public meetings and by submitting comments directly to the lead agency. The lead agency must take into consideration all comments received from the public and other parties on NEPA documents during the comment period

Federal Agency Roles

The role of a federal agency in the NEPA process depends on the agency's expertise and relationship to the proposed undertaking. The agency carrying out the federal action is responsible for complying with the requirements of NEPA. In some cases, there may be more than one federal agency involved in an undertaking. In this situation, a lead agency is designated to supervise preparation of the environmental analysis. Federal agencies, together with state, tribal or local agencies, may act as joint lead agencies.

A federal, state, tribal or local agency having special expertise with respect to an environmental issue or jurisdiction by law may be a cooperating agency in the NEPA process. A cooperating agency has the responsibility to assist the lead agency by participating in the NEPA process at the earliest possible time; by participating in the scoping process; in developing information and preparing environmental analyses including portions of the environmental impact statement concerning which the cooperating agency has special expertise; and in making available staff support at the lead agency's request to enhance the lead agency's interdisciplinary capabilities.

Under Section 1504 of CEQ's NEPA regulations, federal agencies may refer to CEQ interagency disagreements concerning proposed federal actions that might cause unsatisfactory environmental effects. CEQ's role, when it accepts a referral, is generally to develop findings and recommendations, consistent with the policy goals of Section 101 of NEPA. The referral process consists of certain steps and is carried out within a specified time frame.

EPA works closely with federally-recognized Indian tribes to ensure compliance at federally-regulated facilities in Indian country. Tribes authorized to manage federal programs must have enforcement authorities that are at least as stringent as federal law. Where authorization is lacking, EPA directly implements federal programs and ensures compliance with federal environmental laws. In both cases, EPA works with officials in tribal environmental, health and agricultural agencies on strategic planning, priority-setting and measurement of results.