EPA announces $32 million in GAP funding for Indian tribes in Pacific Northwest

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded $32 million to tribes in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington through Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP) capacity building grants, which fund the development of programs to protect environmental and public health.

“The Indian Environmental General Assistance Program empowers tribes to build the capacity to support successful environmental programs that protect public health and their lands,” EPA Region 10 Office of Ecosystems Director David Allnutt said. “The GAP program is vitally important in this region because about half of the federally recognized tribes in the nation are in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.”

Allnutt’s region received funding for 237 tribes and 21 tribal consortia for this fiscal year, covering the majority of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington’s combined federally recognized 271 tribes. The GAP grants are used for projects such as developing sustainable solid waste management programs, documenting climate change, emergency response planning and protecting watersheds, among other initiatives.

Successful past projects in Region 10 include the Native Village of Kwigillingok, Alaska’s development of a tribally-enforced environmental code and a recycling program for electronic waste and other hazardous materials in Chalkyitsik Village Council, Alaska.