U.S. EPA Administrator Reaffirms Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations

July 22, 2025

U.S. EPA Administrator Reaffirms Indian Policy

In 1984, EPA became the first federal agency to adopt a formal Indian Policy. On July 17, 2025, U. S. EPA Administrator Zeldin formally reaffirmed the EPA Policy for the Administration of Environmental Programs on Indian Reservations, in which EPA recognizes the right of Tribes as sovereign governments to self-determination and the federal government’s trust responsibility to Tribes, working with Tribes on a government-to-government basis to protect their human health and environments.

Read the Press Release: 

EPA Administrator Zeldin Reaffirms EPA’s Indian Policy, Hosts National Tribal Caucus Meeting in DC

Brian D. Melzian, Ph.D.; Oceanographer; U.S. EPA

July 22, 2025

Thumbnail photo credit:  USFWS/Katrina Liebich