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U.S. EPA APPROVES CAMPO LANDFILL REGULATORY PROGRAM

Release Date: 4/13/1995
Contact Information: Lois Grunwald, U.S. EPA, (415) 744-1588

    (San Francisco)--  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(U.S. EPA) today announced that it has approved the Campo Band of
Mission Indians program to implement strict federal pollution
control standards for municipal solid waste landfills on its
reservation. The Campo reservation is located in eastern San
Diego County.  

     "We are confident that the program meets all of the federal
requirements and includes the same regulatory controls we require
of states," said Jeff Zelikson, director of waste management for
U.S. EPA's western regional office. "Indian tribes are sovereign
nations, and we respect this sovereignty. Their environmental
protection programs must meet the same stringent standards as
states."
   
    Under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA), U.S. EPA has the authority to review and to approve or
disapprove state and tribal solid waste landfill permitting
programs. Under RCRA, the U.S. EPA does not issue permits for
municipal solid waste landfills.

     Today's decision is not an approval of the landfill
currently proposed for the Campo reservation. Tribes and states
issue permits for construction and operation of landfills. In
today's action, U.S. EPA has determined that the Campo
Environmental Protection Agency's regulatory program meets or
exceeds federal environmental standards.
   

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