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I'll give you one example: the EPA reports that as of 1988 the 

 agency had provided States with $48 billion for waste water treat- 

 ment facilities, while Indian tribes received $25 million. 



I strongly believe that Native Americans deserve a high-ranking 

 and forceful advocate at the policy level of a new Department of 

 Environment. 



Let me show you an article that was in the St. Louis Post Dis- 

 patch, titled "American Indians Hunting Grounds Are Now Dump- 

 ing Grounds." There is a map in that and I'll provide you with it. 

 There are places all over this Nation which are toxic waste dumps, 

 there is dumping going on all over the Indian Reservations, and 

 there is virtually no enforcement. When we had a landfill in Arizo- 

 na that was being eroded by flooding and I contacted the EPA, 

 their first response was they had no jurisdiction, when clearly they 

 knew that they did. 



Last year, the EPA's failure in Indian country precipitated an 

 uprising within your agency. Obviously you were not there at the 

 time. At an extraordinary meeting in Denver attended by some of 

 the EPA's top officials, Indian experts in the agency laid it on the 

 line that unless the EPA changed course swiftly, they were going 

 to fan out and tell Indian tribes the truth, that the EPA programs 

 were a shambles and their spending a joke. 



Another small example: When the new rules were promulgated 

 concerning EPA's new regulations, the States were notified, but 

 the tribes were never even told. 



My point is that if we are going to fulfill our obligations not only 

 to the Indians, who are the poorest in our society, but fulfill the 

 solemn treaty obligations we entered into with them, Ms. Browner, 

 I believe that you need a forceful advocate at the policy level. They 

 own a great deal of our country and that is important enough, but 

 the fact is that their lands are being used as dumping grounds. 

 They are then being enticed because of their poor economies — in 

 return for millions of dollars — to use their most sacred asset as 

 toxic waste dump sites without the adequate regulations that apply 

 to other States and communities. 



Obviously, you are nodding your head in agreement, but I would 

 appreciate your response to what, in my view, is an incredible lack 

 of fulfillment of our obligation as a Nation. 



Ms. Browner. Senator McCain, I absolutely agree with you. I 

 think we have failed the tribal communities of this country in 

 terms of working with them to develop their capacity for environ- 

 mental protection, for ecosystem protection. I can only say that I 

 agree with you and that I am committed to changing this behavior, 

 to making sure that we bring resources to bear, that we work with 

 them in a way that is acceptable to them. 



I think it is extremely important. A growing number of commu- 

 nities across this country have environmental equity issues. Envi- 

 ronmental justice issues are being raised that we, as an agency, as 

 the United States Government, need to be more sensitive to their 

 heritage and to their community, about what has happened previ- 

 ously. We need to better involve them in the process. I mean, I 

 think that is awful, the example you gave of them not being in- 

 volved, of them not being notified. 



