Addressing and Managing Illegal Dumps in Indian Country

May 24-26, 2011Portland, OR

Session 7Funding and Sustainability

Roberta TohannieITEP

FUNDING AND SUSTAINING YOUR PROGRAM

Cost and Budget Considerations

• Think about the costs that are associated with illegal dumping:

- Site investigations- Clean up and monitoring- Prevention• Develop a checklist

- State of California Waste Management program – illegal dumping site:

http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/LEA/Training/IllegalDump/2009AprMay/default.htm

Sample checklist from above website

Cost and Budget Considerations

• Staff salaries, benefits, insurance, and training• Equipment (rent or buy) for office and/or field• Signs, fencing, monitoring and re-vegetation• Outreach materials (paper, ink, design time, etc.)• Assessment costs (mileage, time, GPS, GIS)• Clean-up costs (time, equipment, storage, disposal)• Closure costs (usually ongoing)• See sample cost analyses in your manual in the

document, “Technical Advice for Cleanup of Accumulated Waste Sites on Tribal Lands”, Session 6 Tab

Cost and Budget Considerations

IDEA Guidebook:http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/illegal_dumping/downloads/ideausersguide.pdf

SOURCE:http://www.epa.gov/reg5rcra/wptdiv/illegal_dumping/index.html

Cost and Budget Considerations

http://www.epa.gov/region9/waste/tribal/pdf/Tribal-Solid-Waste-Program-Costing-Tool.pdf

Tribal Solid Waste Program Costing Tool

Although not a tool specifically for illegal dumping, it could assist in assessing costs for preventive measures and reducing waste.

Cost and Budget Considerations

Other Resources:• Grant writing tips

- Attend a grant writing workshop if unsure about how to write a grant – or if new to the job- EPA Grants and Debarment

http://www.epa.gov/ogd/recipient/tips.htm• Request for Proposals (RFPs)

- How to respond to a RFP when announcement is made- How to prepare and submit a RFP for contractual work

Types of Funding Available

Grants and Loans• US EPA: Tribal Solid Waste Management Assistance

Project• Characterize/Assess Open Dumps• Develop ISWMP and/or Codes• Develop Alternative Waste Management Systems• Cleanup and Closure of Open Dumps

• Some Things EPA is Going to Look For if You Need Money for Dumps:– Do you have an ISWMP in place?– Do you have properly trained staff to do the work?– How are you going to properly dispose of the waste?– What is the background of the dump?– Proposed budgets, financial constraints, etc.

Grants and Loans

• US EPA– General Assistance Program (GAP) Grant– Community Action for a Renewed Environment

(CARE)– Brownfields (OSWER) – cleanup grants and loans– Environmental Justice (usually small and targeted)– CWA Section 319 (Nonpoint Source Pollution)

• AIEO: www.epa.gov/tribalportal/grantsandfunding/topic-waste.htm• Region 9: www.epa.gov/region09/waste/tribal/funding.html

Grants and Loans

• USDA- Solid Waste Management Grants (communities under

10,000 individuals)- Water and Waste Loans and Grants (usually require

matching funds for grants)- Community Facilities Grant

• IHS (some of their money goes through the Tribal Solid Waste Interagency Working Group)

• BIA • Housing and Urban Development (HUD)• United States Geological Survey (USGS)

Grants and Loans• States

– A growing number of State governments have funding to tackle illegal dumping – it is worth checking with your State’s environmental department

• Private Foundations– McKnight Foundation

(www.mcknight.org)• Businesses

– Many companies, in order to “green up”, are providing small grants to help communities deal with waste

Tribal Funds

• Revenues from tribal enterprises– Casino profits– Waste collection fees– Businesses licenses– Permit fees (fishing, recreation, hunting, etc.)

• Other tribes– Some tribes with larger casino and business

operations provide grants and loans to other tribes

Volunteer and/or Service Labor

• Local groups seeking community service opportunities- Utilize existing service organizations, clubs, churches, and organizations- Consider helping to set up special groups that can focus on

beautification projects• “Sentence-to-Serve”

- Many law enforcement and corrections entities are interested in programs allowing people to work off their time or sentences

• School groups- All ages, from K-12 through local colleges- Doesn’t have to be just clean up – can help grow plants or trees for

re-vegetation• Businesses, Culture Centers, and Tribal government

- Look for opportunities to involve local businesses, Cultural Centers, and other tribal agencies in cleanup and prevention activities

Strategies and Partnerships for Sustainability

Strategies and Partnerships for Sustainability

• Having the staff and money in hand is only part of the solution to building a sustainable illegal dump management program

• What else do you need to keep the program going?

• Consider the following:- Potential Challenges- Priorities (assessing dumps) and Organization- Measuring Success

Strategies and Partnerships for Sustainability

Potential Challenges:• Who does what? Be clear and consistent.

– Assigning tasks can be highly problematic sometimes. Which department tackles which part of illegal dump management?

– Review job descriptions, ISWMP, and/or Environmental Inventory/Plan for clarification of staff and departmental responsibilities

• Are your staff members thoroughly trained? – Do they have the right equipment? – Do they know how to use it? • Do you have grant imposed deadlines? • Do your tribal leaders have specific dates in mind for

cleanup? • Are you prepared for emergencies?

Strategies and Partnerships for Sustainability

Priorities • Critical priorities: Which dumps are an immediate threat to

the health and well-being of your land and community?• Non-critical: Which dumps are unsightly, a nuisance, or could

be a threat to health in the future?Organization• Establish your goals – key to recognizing timelines and

progress• Delegation of tasks – in writing• Use of working groups to help ensure communication and

spread the workload• Writing of reports – for tribal leaders and for future staff (they

are not just for project officers anymore)

Strategies and Partnerships for Sustainability

Measuring Success• Create a timeline of when priorities will be

achieved – Note successes– Track challenges and missteps

• Develop measurable outcomes that can be used to verify success, as well as help future decision makers

• How are your goals related to your codes and compliance/enforcement activities?

Tribal Government Support

• Conduct a guided tour of the dump sites

• Raise the awareness of endangerment to public and environmental health

• Explain the threat to economics (e.g. tourism) by the unsightly dumps; the dumps could present a poor or bad image of the tribe or community

• If possible, share your reports or findings with council members

Community Assistance & Support