Alaska Native Village Corporation Association

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Home / ANCSA Contaminated Land

ANCSA Contaminated Land

Background

Contaminated Land map - graphic only
Contaminated sites spread through Alaska (some sites have been remediated)

The goal of the Alaska Native Village Corporation Association (ANVCA) is to change current federal policy on land clean up and remediation.   There are over 600 contaminated sites on land conveyed to Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs) and additional sites on land pending conveyance. These sites were contaminated under ownership and/or responsibility of the federal government and then transferred to Native ownership.

In 1998 the Department of the Interior issued a report to Congress, entitled Report to Congress Hazardous Substance Contamination 1998 .  The report identified the need for a comprehensive fix and six action items to initiate the process.

ANVCA became involved when this report was brought to our attention in 2012 by one of our member Alaska Native Village Corporations. Since 2012, ANVCA has worked to educate Alaska’s State Legislature, Congressional delegation and other members of Congress, and federal agencies to keep the issue in the forefront.  In 2014, Congress asked for an update to the 1998 report, to identify the status of each site; for example, if any remediation had been done, and recommendations going forward. In June of 2016 the update was released,  2016 Update Report to Congress_ Hazardous Substance Contamination of Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act Lands in Alaska.

Contaminated sites contain a variety of toxic materials including:

Arsenic ● Solvents ● PCBs

Asbestos ● Mining Waste Chemicals ● Mercury

Toxic Metals ● Unexploded Ordinances ● Petroleum & Oil

One of ANVCA’s objectives is to work with ANCs, state and federal agencies and other stakeholders to develop criteria to prioritize remediation ANCSA contaminated sites. Potential criteria could include impacts on health and safety, severity of contamination, cultural significance of the site, or economic development potential.  Few studies have been conducted on the health and safety impacts of the contamination on human health, however anecdotally villages report higher rates of cancer and other illnesses linked to hazardous substances.  Many of the rural contaminated sites are Villages which practice subsistence lifestyles there has been only limited research on the contaminants impacts to fish, berries and wildlife in these areas.Guide to ANCSA Land Clean up

ANCSA Resource Guide – Site Cleanup

In 2016, ANVCA and a strategic task force including state, federal and tribal representatives developed the ANCSA Resource Guide to Cleanup for ANCSA Conveyed sites.  This brochure is an overview of the current process from suspected contamination to restoration, list of potential resources, definitions and recommended practices.

To download the brochure, click here.

To visit the online database of these sites click HERE

 

Legislative Leave Behinds

As part of the 2018 Legislative Fly In event, ANVCA created materials outlining our agency and congressional “asks.”  See the 2018 materials below:

Infrastructure – Telecom 

2016 ANCSA Contaminated Land – Agency handout

To learn more about the ANVCA Legislative Fly In review the 2016 Full Report.

 

ANCSA Contaminated Land Policy Priorities for ANVCA

See Advocacy page.

 

ANCSA Contaminated Land Timeline

Dec 1971

Dec 1971

PL 92-203 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act

Dec 1980

Dec 1980

PL 96-487 Alaska National Interest Lands

Nov 1993

Nov 1993

ANCSA Land Transfer Equity Act -

Nov 1995

Nov 1995

PL 104-42 Amended ANCSA This 1995 federal

Dec 1998

Dec 1998

DOI submits report to Congress on Contaminated

Jun 12, 2012

Jun 12, 2012

Natives of Kodiak raise the contaminated site

Oct 4, 2012

Oct 4, 2012

Resolution 2012-03 from ANVCA passes This

Oct 12, 2012

Oct 12, 2012

AFN passes resolution 12-42 During the 2012

Sept 10 2013

Sept 10 2013

Regionals pass resolution 13-01 contaminated

Sep 18, 2013

Sep 18, 2013

AK delegation requests action from Sec.

Jan 14, 2014

Jan 14, 2014

Sec. Jewell responded to the AK delegation. U.S.

Mar 14, 2014

Mar 14, 2014

HJR 15 passes  AK State Legislature The Alaska

Dec 14, 2014

Dec 14, 2014

PL 113-235 (Division F) DOI, Environment and

March 2015

March 2015

Alaska State Legislature passes Resolution

April – September 2015

April – September 2015

AK BLM hosts meetings on contaminated

May 15, 2015

May 15, 2015

AK BLM submits updates to 1998 report Alaska

Oct 15, 2015

Oct 15, 2015

Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) pass resolution

June 2016

June 2016

Public Law 2015 -235 Consolidation and Further

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Alaska Native Village Corporation Association
880 H Street
Suite 201
Anchorage, AK 99501

Hallie Bissett, Executive Director
Phone: (907) 222-5258
hbissett@anvca.biz

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