Brownfield
The Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Office of Environmental Protection currently administers grants from the EPA (Brownfield Tribal Response Grant) and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA Solid Waste Grant) to manage solid waste on the Lake Traverse Reservation.
EPA’s Brownfield initiative will empower tribal communities, and other stakeholders in economic development to work together in a timely manner to prevent, assess, safely clean up, contaminated sites for reuse.
What is a Brownfield Site?
The term ‘Brownfield site’ in general means real property , the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant.
What is not a Brownfield Site?
The term ‘Brownfield site’ does not include the following…
A site that is already in the process of a removal action by another organization.
A site that is listed on the National Priorities List by the EPA.
A site that has a court order to be cleaned up.
A site that you are liable for and that you are using as an open dump site.
What do you do if you have or think you have a Brownfield Site?
The first thing that you should do after reading the information, is fill out the Brownfield Site Reporting form that is available at your district offices or at the Office of Environmental Protection.
The second thing that you can do if after filling out the form and you are still uncertain, feel free to contact Jason Eastman, Brownfield Coordinator, at the Office of Environmental Protection. You can then ask any questions you have.
The third thing that will happen, after receiving the information, then if it is determined that you do have a Brownfield site, they will come out and assess the area and determine the level of contamination.
After Clean up, what does a Brownfield Site need to be restored to?
Once a site is cleaned up, the site needs to be restored to one of the three following states in order to be in collaboration with the grant. They are…
Commercial development
Recreational Property
Return to a Natural State
Brownfield Coordinator – Jason Eastman
Email: JasonE@swo-nsn.gov
Phone: 605.268.1400