Indian Environmental General Assistance Program Grant

The Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP), administered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), provides crucial funding to tribal governments and intertribal consortia for developing environmental protection programs. The program emphasizes tribal sovereignty while aiding in capacity building, policymaking, and establishing joint EPA-Tribal Environmental Plans to effectively address environmental challenges faced by tribal communities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers the Indian Environmental General Assistance Program (GAP), providing non-competitive GAP grant funds to tribal governments and intertribal consortia to develop environmental protection programs. While acknowledging tribal sovereignty of their lands and resources, the grants support federally authorized EPA regulatory programs as established through joint EPA-Tribal Environmental Plans (ETEPs).
In more recent years, climate change impact assessments and adaptation plans have qualified for GAP funding, as activities related to establishing environmental programs not administered by EPA, but that are “consistent with those provisions of law for which Congress has given EPA authority,” are allowable. Through the GAP, the EPA also provides technical assistance to build environmental protection program capacity for tribes, with the intent of helping tribes in policymaking, setting standards, and directing project implementation.
GAP resources should support:
Developing and maintaining core environmental program capacities (administrative, financial management, information management, environmental baseline needs assessment, public education/communication, legal, and technical/analytical);Engaging with the EPA to negotiate joint EPA-Tribal Environmental Plans (ETEPs), that reflect intermediate and long-term goals for developing, establishing, and implementing environmental protection programs;Linking GAP-funded assistance agreement work plans to the ETEPs;Developing baseline capacities for media-specific environmental protection programs that are related to the needs of the recipient and to EPA statutory programs (e.g., ambient and indoor air quality; water quality; managing wastes; managing asbestos, lead-based paint, pesticides, toxics, and pollution prevention programs); andImplementing waste management programs.
Potential Adaptation Uses
Some examples of allowable activities can directly support climate adaptation planning and programming include:
Activities to establish baseline environmental conditions are considered essential to developing a tribal environmental protection program and are allowable under GAP. This may include assessing environmental impacts of climate change, or greenhouse gas emissions inventories.Activities related to establishing environmental protection programs that are consistent with those provisions of law for which Congress has given EPA authority, are allowable - including using GAP funds to develop a climate change adaptation plan.Initial purchases of equipment necessary to administer tribal environmental protection programs are also allowable as direct costs - such as: GIS survey instruments and related equipment; vehicles for environmental program operations; and sampling, measurement, analysis, and other related equipment.

Eligibility

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides non-competitive GAP grant funds to tribal governments and intertribal consortia to assist tribes in planning, developing, and establishing tribal environmental protection programs consistent with programs and authorities administered by the EPA.The term Indian tribal government (tribe) means any Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any Alaska Native village, which is recognized as eligible by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) for the special services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians. The term intertribal consortium or consortia means a partnership between two or more tribes that is authorized by the governing bodies of those tribes to apply for and receive assistance under this program. Tribes that form consortia may be able to use their resources more efficiently and address environmental issues more effectively than they could if each tribe individually developed and maintained separate environmental protection programs.