In addition to the TWAR Steering Committee there are several other official Tribal Partnership Groups, which provide two-way communication between Tribal
programs and federal agencies, as well as assisting their Tribal colleagues in a variety of ways.
• National Tribal Operations Committee
• National Tribal Caucus
• National Tribal Air Association
• National Tribal Water Council
• National Tribal Science Council
• Tribal Pesticide Program Council
• National Tribal Toxics Committee
• EPA Environmental Information Exchange Network
• National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
National Tribal Operations Committee
EPA established the National Tribal Operations Committee (NTOC) in February 1994 to improve communication and build stronger partnerships between the Agency
and federally recognized tribes. It is comprised of 19 tribal members from nine EPA Regions (these members are collectively referred to as the NTC) and EPA's
senior leadership team. The NTOC serves as the forum for the NTC and EPA senior leadership to work together on policy and resource matters related to tribal
capacity building, and environmental programs in Indian country.
National Tribal Caucus
The National Tribal Caucus (NTC) is a national body of high-level tribal advisors. Members are selected on a regional basis by each Regional Tribal
Operations Committee (RTOC) or its equivalent, and represent all tribes within their regions. Their primary focus is to identify and address tribal
environmental issues that are national in scope, cross-agency or cross-media in nature, or that may be emerging or urgent. EPA also interacts with
tribes through other tribal partnership groups including the National Tribal Air Association, the National Tribal Water Council, the National Tribal
Science Council, Tribal Pesticide Program Council, Tribal Waste and Response Assistance Program, National Tribal Toxics Committee, Exchange Network
Tribal Governance Group, and the NEJAC Indigenous People’s Subcommittee.
National Tribal Air Association
The mission of the National Tribal Air Association (NTAA) is to advance air quality management policies and programs, consistent with the needs, interests,
and unique legal status of American Indian Tribes and Alaska Natives. Their goal is to advocate and advance tribal environmental, cultural and economic
interests in the development of air policy at all levels of government (tribal, federal, state, local and international).
National Tribal Water Council
The National Tribal Water Council (NTWC) is a technical and scientific body created to assist the EPA; federally recognized Indian tribes, including
Alaska Native Tribes; and their associated tribal communities and tribal organizations with research and information for decision-making regarding
water issues and water-related concerns that affect Indian and Alaska Native tribal members, as well as other residents of Alaska Native Villages
and Indian country in the United States.
National Tribal Science Council
The National EPA-Tribal Science Council (TSC) was created in partnership with tribal representatives to help integrate agency and tribal interests,
specifically with respect to environmental science issues. The TSC provides a forum for tribes and EPA to identify priority environmental science issues
and collaboratively design effective solutions. The Council seeks to increase tribal involvement in EPA’s scientific activities – building bridges
between tribal and agency programs.
Tribal Pesticide Program Council
The Tribal Pesticide Program Council (TPPC) is a tribal technical resource and program and policy development dialogue group, focused on pesticides issues
and concerns. The TPPC assists tribes in building tribal pesticide programs, providing pesticide education and training, and researching, developing and
presenting a broad range of tribal pesticide-related issues and concerns.
National Tribal Toxics Council
The National Tribal Toxics Council (NTTC) focuses on providing tribes with an opportunity for greater input on issues related to toxic chemicals and
pollution prevention, and gives tribes a forum for providing advice on the development of EPA's chemical management and pollution prevention programs
that affect tribes.
EPA Environmental Information Exchange Network
ITEP is partnering with EPA to help disseminate information to tribes about participation in the Environmental Information Exchange Network (Exchange Network).
The Exchange Network is a program that aims to share environmental, health, geographic and other types of data between tribes, states and territories through
the Internet using common data standards.
National Environmental Justice Advisory Council
The National Environmental Justice Advisory Council (NEJAC) is a federal advisory committee to EPA, established September 30, 1993. NEJAC provides advice
and recommendations about broad, cross-cutting issues related to environmental justice, from all stakeholders involved in the environmental justice dialogue.
NEJAC also provides a valuable forum for discussions about integrating environmental justice with other EPA priorities and initiatives.
