5 Oklahoma tribes receive EPA monetary awards

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Five American Indian tribes in Oklahoma have received monetary awards totaling $720,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency.
The Miami, Modoc and Seneca-Cayuga tribes and the Wyandotte Nation each have received $120,000. The EPA says the tribes will use the money to help implement tribal-wide recycling programs, develop tribal indoor air and education and outreach programs, update environmental codes and ordinances and train staff on environmental protection issues.
The Seneca-Cayuga tribe also will use the money for implementing solid waste cleanup activities, conducting baseline monitoring for indoor air contaminants and developing emergency management plans.
The EPA has given the Cherokee Nation $240,000. Officials say the tribe will use the money to conduct its annual inter-tribal environmental council conference and assist other tribes in developing customized tribal water quality data templates.