EPA selects three Alaska Native organizations for $3.8M to assess and clean up legacy contamination
SEATTLE (December 9, 2024) -- Today the U.S. EPA announced three Alaska Native organizations will receive more than $3.8 million in grant funding to assess and clean up legacy contamination on lands conveyed through the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. These grants are part of more than $47 million in funding that EPA received in the past two years to assess and clean up contaminated sites on ANCSA conveyed lands.
“We’re proud to help Alaska Native communities get the support and resources needed to clean up the legacy contamination left behind on ANCSA conveyed lands. This is an opportunity to make meaningful change for the health, cultural and economic wellbeing of Alaska Native communities,” said EPA Region 10 Administrator Casey Sixkiller. “By working together with our federal, state, tribal and local partners, we can help many more to address the long-standing health and economic burdens of this contamination on their communities.”
“We are grateful to the Environmental Protection Agency for their support through the ANCSA Land Assistance grant program and to Senator Lisa Murkowski for her leadership in championing this critical program,” said Skoey Vergen, Aleut President and CEO. “Their recognition of the growing need for ANCSA land remediation enables Aleut and our regional partners to continue this vital work without placing the burden on our shareholders. Aleut has long been committed to addressing the environmental challenges inherited on Adak. With these funds, Aleut will permanently cap a monofil that posed a health and safety risk to the Adak community, as well as the delicate ecosystem. Through grant programs like this, we can continue the essential work of revitalizing Adak for future economic development and protecting our traditional lands. We look forward to our continued partnership with the EPA.”
“The Tanana Tribal Council has worked for years addressing the fuel contamination issues in Tanana, and the area to be cleaned up is a community use area, by the children, elders and all members. We are grateful for the funding to clean up the contamination and to create a safe place," said Kathleen Peters-Zuray, Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed member and Tanana resident.
The Aleut Corporation is the first Alaska Native Regional Corporation to apply and receive over $1.9 million in funding from EPA’s Contaminated ANCSA Lands Assistance program. The project will permanently cover an asbestos landfill created when weather destroyed a former Naval Public Works building near the town of Adak. The permanent cover will protect the residents and the environment from loose asbestos becoming airborne during the prevalent Aleutian Island storm events.
The Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council is a consortium of 74 Tribal and First Nation governments dedicated to the environmental protection and restoration in the Yukon River Basin. The YRITWC were selected to receive over $1.7 million to remove contaminated soils and timbers from a former pumphouse and barge landing owned by the Alaska Railroad at the Tanana Community Hall, in Tanana, Alaska. Clean up of this contaminated site will enable the community to prepare the property for reuse.
The Alaska Native Village Corporation Association received a $250,000 cooperative agreement with the EPA. The congressionally directed spending provided to ANVCA will help advocate for Alaska Native Village Corporations and Alaska Native Tribal entities to get support, assistance, and resources to address and clean up legacy contamination on ANCSA conveyed lands.
We are pleased to have additional funding to offer Alaska Native Corporations, Tribes, and other Alaska Native eligible entities to address the contaminated ANCSA lands in their communities. To learn more about how to apply for the funding and to discuss potential assessment and cleanup plans with EPA and ADEC visit EPA's ANCSA program website.
Background
The Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act was enacted in 1971 to settle aboriginal claims to public lands through the conveyance of 44 million acres of land to Alaska Native regional and village corporations and the transfer of one billion dollars from the state and federal governments as compensation for remaining claims.
Some of these lands were contaminated prior to conveyance (transfer) from a variety of activities such as fuel storage, power generation, waste handling practices, mining, and other activities. Contaminants such as arsenic, asbestos, lead, mercury, pesticides, PCBs and petroleum products—pose health concerns to Alaska Native communities, negatively impact subsistence resources, and hamper economic activity.
The EPA, Department of Defense, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management, and others have been working to improve collaboration across the federal government and with the State of Alaska and Alaska Native communities to leverage resources and expertise to accelerate investigation and cleanup of contaminated ANCSA lands.
To learn more about these efforts, visit EPA's ANCSA program website.