From: | Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org> |
Date: | 5 Feb 2001 19:15:07 -0000 |
Reply: | cpeo-military |
Subject: | [CPEO-MEF] Aleutian/Pribilof Tribal Policy |
The Aleutian/Pribilof Region of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula into the Eastern Hemisphere, contains 61 separate federal contamination sites, include facilities built during World War II, the Cold War, and even the post-Cold War era as well as underground nuclear test sites on Amchitka Island. Last year the Aleutian/Pribilof Islands Association, representing twelve tribal governments, developed a DRAFT "Tribal Policy for Restoration of Federal Site." Like their counterparts in the Tanana Valley region in the Alaskan Interior - which I visited last year - the Aleuts face environmental challenges somewhat different from both tribal and non-tribal populations in the "Lower 48" states. The draft begins with a simple statement of purpose: "Lands will be restored so as to allow residents to drink the water, gather and eat traditional foods and build homes and other structures without encountering contamination or debris, and without fear or risk of being injured by physical hazards or contamination. The lands will be available for use as they were traditionally and able to support the natural resources upon which the people depend." The A/PIA explains the term "restoration," which is central to its vision: "As opposed to the term 'cleanup' as used by federal agencies, 'restoration,' as used in the Tribal Policy, refers to the Aleut concept for returning the land to as-close-as-possible to the condition prior to the development of the facility or initiation of land use. In short, this means a comprehensive approach including the clean-up of pollution, removal of physical hazards, demolition and removal of unwanted buildings, removal of munitions and ordnance, removal and proper disposal of waste, and 'reclamation' or the regrading and re-vegetation of the land." To understand the Aleut perspective, it's important to know the background of the U.S. military's activities in the region. Most Americans are unaware that it was a major battleground during World War II. "During World War II (WWII) the U.S. military evacuated virtually all Aleuts from Aleutian and Pribilof Islands, moving entire villages to internment camps in preparation for the possible Japanese invasion. U.S. forces constructed a number of large military installations in the region as part of a U.S. strategic defense system. Several hundred thousand military personnel were stationed at bases such as Cold Bay, Dutch Harbor, Fort Glenn, and Shemya.... When the Aleuts returned, they found their lands, villages, and homes in a condition vastly different from when they had left.... Some Aleuts were not permitted to return to their villages ... The villages of Attu, Biorka, Makushin, and Kashega were never restored." Many military facilities remained in use during the Korean War, Vietnam War, and throughout the Cold War. Some remain active today. The restoration of all federal sites is a significant challenge. A/PIA explains, "The remoteness of these sites, combined with the extent of contamination, complexity of the ecosystem, Native Alaska reliance on natural resources, and the high cost of working in the Region, make this work especially difficult." Existing formal channels for tribal participation in any form of restoration are limited. There are official public information sharing groups - generally Restoration Advisory Boards - covering only five of the 61 known federal cleanup sites in the Aleutian/Pribilof region. To fill the gap, A/PIA obtain funding from the Defense Department and established the Aleutian/Pribilof Advisory Group in 1999. The Advisory Group has drafted a statement of Tribal Criteria for Meeting Site Restoration Goals, including in the Tribal Policy document. It consists of a scoring system based upon five categories: Health, Physical Hazards, Environment, Aesthetic, and Perception. The Tribal Policy also defines protocols for facilitating the government-to-government relationship between the tribes and federal agencies, based upon these four guiding principles: "(1) Timely notice to tribal governments prior to taking any actions in regards to project planning or implementation. (2) Procedures for open and candid consultations such that all interested parties can evaluate for themselves the potential impact of relevant proposals. (3) Consideration for tribal government rights, concerns, and unique needs of tribal communities during the development of such plans, projects, programs and activities. (4) Active support, including financial support to provide resources for active tribal participation." I am not an expert on any region of Alaska, but I've been up there enough to know that environmental restoration has many unique and unusual characteristics there. The Aleutian/Pribilof Island Association has done federal representatives as well as other stakeholders a great favor by putting together this Tribal Policy, and I look forward to the preparation of the final document. Lenny Siegel -- Lenny Siegel Director, Center for Public Environmental Oversight c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041 Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545 Fax: 650/968-1126 lsiegel@cpeo.org http://www.cpeo.org ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | |
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