Listening to Tribes and understanding Tribal priorities drives our programs and services we offer.

Welcome to the Tribal Waste and Response Steering Committee

Welcome to the website of the Tribal Waste and Response Steering Committee (TWAR SC). Members of the TWAR SC are working on the front lines, in Superfund, emergency response, underground storage tanks, solid waste, and brownfields. They communicate the concerns and perspectives of Tribes to US EPA staff and leadership through conversations and by producing their highly respected Priorities Document). Members of the TWAR SC network with other Tribal Partnership Groups on issues of mutual interest (such as PFAS, data issues, emerging technology, etc.), and engage with – and even mentor – other Tribal professionals working in these critical environmental media. They also work closely with ITEP staff to help create and deliver the annual Tribal Lands and Environment Forum, and provide guidance on courses and other educational resources.

If you are interested in applying to serve on the TWAR SC, please visit our Join Us page.

Thank you for visiting!

Welcome to the website of the Tribal Waste and Response Steering Committee (TWAR SC). The TWAR SC is an official Tribal Partnership Group that strives to communicate the concerns and perspectives of Tribal professionals engaged in the fields of Solid Waste, Emergency Response, Superfund, Underground Storage Tanks, Brownfields, and other contaminated sites to US EPA staff. As part of this work the TWAR SC develops, on an annual basis, a Priorities Document. The purpose of this document is to communicate the evolving needs and priorities of Native American and Alaskan Native village. This document is shared with US EPA’s Office of Land and Emergency Management (OLEM), the National Tribal Caucus, other EPA Partnership Groups, and the environmental community to use for discussion and transformation of environmental policy and programmatic change. The TWAR SC also meets annually with the leadership of US EPA’s OLEM to discuss the Priorities Document and other issues of importance to tribal professionals.

Members of the TWAR SC also provide their input on other environmental issues that come up from time to time and work collaboratively with the National Tribal Superfund Working Group and their Advisory Committee to assist with the advocacy that is needed within that specific arena.

Finally, the TWAR SC assists ITEP with the planning and coordination of the Tribal Lands Environmental Forum (TLEF), a national conversation on Tribal land and water resources.

Thank you for visiting our website and we look forward to working with you!

CONNECT WITH US

Todd Barnell
Program Manager
Todd.Barnell@nau.edu

Julie Meikowski
Assistant Manager
Julie.Meikowski@nau.edu

Amanda Kapp
Program Coordinator, Sr.
Amanda.Kapp@nau.edu

Your tax deductible donation supports ITEP’s programming efforts.
Please contact us if you would like to contribute to our endowment or for any additional information regarding donations.

Rebecca Stevens

Chair

Coeur d’Alene Tribe – Idaho

Program Manager/Restoration Coordinator
Working with the Tribe since: 2005

Rebecca is the Program Manager for the Tribe’s Natural Resources Department-Hazardous Waste Management Program. She also serves the role as the Restoration Coordinator with the Restoration Partnership. Rebecca has been working on water quality related issues for over 19 years. She represents the Tribe in the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site working with EPA while implementing their remedy for the Basin. She is also the Tribe’s Restoration Coordinator for the Restoration Partnership for which all Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) claims have been settled and on the ground restoration work has been underway since 2019. Rebecca continues to work with other Tribes on NRDA issues while coordinating with the US DOI, USDA, and the State of Idaho.

Rebecca is a proud member of the Tribal Waste and Response Steering Committee where she also serves on the Tribal Superfund Work Group and Advisory Council. Rebecca enjoys x-country skiing in the winter, summertime water sports, Frisbee golf, and spending time with her friends, family, and blue heeler. Rebecca is very honored to work for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and is proud to be a part of restoring natural resources in the Coeur d’Alene Basin.

Rebecca can be reached by e-mail at rstevens@cdatribe-nsn.gov.

National Tribal Forum on Air Quality

The National Tribal Forum on Air Quality (NTFAQ) aims to support tribal programs by fostering information-sharing and networking opportunities that are focused on building tribal capacity in air quality management. The event’s agenda is driven by tribal input and priorities, with a focus on increasing tribal engagement in air quality initiatives that are relevant to tribal communities across the nation.