Blackfeet Tribe applies for Clean Water Act standards program (MT)
Comment period open through Sept
30
(Denver, Colo. – August 26, 2010) –
The Blackfeet Tribe of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in
north-central Montana has applied to the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) for eligibility to administer the Water
Quality Standards program under the Clean Water Act. This
eligibility is also referred to as Treatment in a similar manner as
a State, or TAS. EPA is reviewing the Tribe’s application and
will solicit comments on the Tribe’s assertion of authority
through September 30.
The Clean Water Act’s goals include
restoring and protecting the chemical, physical and biological
integrity of the nation’s waters. Water Quality Standards
established under the Act serve as a foundation for pollution
control efforts and are a fundamental component of watershed
management. Specifically, these standards serve as water quality
goals for individual surface waters, guide and inform monitoring
and assessment activities, and provide a legal basis for regulatory
pollution controls.
EPA’s review of the Tribe’s Water
Quality Standards program application is not an approval or
disapproval of the Tribe’s standards. EPA review and approval
or disapproval of specific standards is a separate Agency
action.
If approved, the Blackfeet Tribe would be the
fourth tribe in Montana to obtain authority to administer the Water
Quality Standards program. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai
Tribes of the Flathead Indian Reservation and the Assiniboine and
Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation currently have
standards in effect under the Clean Water Act. The Northern
Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation received
authority for the Water Quality Standards program in 2006. To date,
the Northern Cheyenne Tribe has not submitted standards to EPA for
approval.
Local governments and individuals wishing to
comment on the Blackfeet Tribe’s application should submit
comments by September 30 through the State of Montana, which will
include all comments received in its response to EPA. Comments
should be sent to Bob Bukantis, Montana Department of Environmental
Quality, P.O. Box 200901, Helena, MT, 59620-0901, or via fax:
406-444-4386, or via email at:
[email protected].
Comments must be received by 5 p.m. on September 30.
For more information including a fact sheet,
public notice and copies of the Tribe’s application
materials, please visit: http://www.epa.gov/region8/water/wqs
.