The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 awarded $388,260 to the Metlakatla Indian Community under the State and Tribal Response Program Grants (CFDA 66.817) on October 1, 2025, with a completion date of September 30, 2026. This formula grant supports the development and enhancement of the Metlakatla Indian Community's brownfield response program across the Annette Islands Reserve in Alaska. Under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) Section 128(a), the funding enables the organization to establish or enhance the four statutory elements of an effective tribal response program: timely survey and inventory of brownfield sites; oversight and enforcement authorities to ensure response actions protect human health and the environment; mechanisms for public participation and cleanup plan approval; and maintenance of an annually updated public record documenting completed and planned response actions.
Specific deliverables include conducting a comprehensive survey and inventory of brownfield sites throughout the Annette Islands Reserve, expanding public education and outreach initiatives, providing oversight of site investigation and cleanup activities, and conducting cleanup activities at one priority site. The award includes no subawards, with the Metlakatla Indian Community directly overseeing and performing all planning, assessment, and cleanup activities. These activities support the remediation and reuse of brownfield properties that may be complicated by the presence of hazardous substances, helping the tribal community address environmental contamination while building long-term brownfield response capacity.