Nalemp

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, administering the Department of Defense Appropriation Act of 2003 (CFDA 12.116), awarded the Tohono O'odham Nation a Cooperative Agreement valued at $554,106.97 on September 29, 2025, with a completion date of January 21, 2028. Under the Native American Lands Environmental Mitigation Program (NALEMP), this award supports environmental remediation and restoration activities on the Nation's tribal lands in Sells, Arizona, addressing environmental impacts resulting from past Department of Defense operations. The Tohono O'odham Nation will develop prioritization systems for environmental mitigation, conduct environmental impact assessments, estimate remediation costs, and implement restoration projects to address environmental remnants such as abandoned structures, debris, and contaminated sites that affect traditional cultures and subsistence activities.

This Cooperative Agreement reflects NALEMP's Congressional mandate to address environmental impacts on Indian lands that would otherwise receive lower priority under standard federal cleanup systems due to remote locations and low population densities. The award includes technical assistance and capacity-building components to strengthen the Nation's environmental management capabilities. As a federally recognized tribal government with demonstrated expertise in environmental management and infrastructure maintenance across multiple federal facilities, the Tohono O'odham Nation is well-positioned to execute this multi-year environmental restoration initiative through the extended performance period ending in January 2028.