National Tribal Environmental Council

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Policy for Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes directs regional and program offices to prepare semi-annual agendas on matters appropriate for consultation and a brief summary of consultation that has occurred. It seems the EPA has centralized these agenda into a Tribal Consultation Opportunities Tracking System or TCOTS.

The goal of TCOTS is to provide early notification and transparency on EPA consultations with tribal governments. Through TCOTS, users are able to view and sort information, and submit comments.

Currently, there are six topics that are open for comment:

1. FY 2011- 2015 Draft Tribal Strategy - Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention
2. Guidebook: Building Tribal Capacity -  Office of International & Tribal Affairs
3. Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Strategy – Office of International & Tribal Affairs
4. Proposed Final Program: Use of Certain Pesticides in Indian Country – Office of Chemical Safety & Pollution Prevention
5. Proposed Policy on Consultation and Coordination with Indian Tribes – Office of International & Tribal Affairs
6. Proposed Rulemaking on the Definition of Solid Waste – Office of Solid Waste & Emergency Response

For more details about the consultation topics, deadlines, and contact information, please view TCOTS online. TCOTS can be found at http://yosemite.epa.gov/oita/TConsultation.nsf/TC?OpenView.