The Ute Indian Tribe issued a news release on Wednesday calling out what it considers the EPA’s “crusade to seek and destroy fossil fuel production on tribal lands.” The release states that nowhere is this more evident than in the EPA Region 8’s inspection and enforcement activities on the Ute Indian Tribe’s Uintah and Ouray Reservation. According to the news release, “EPA Region 8 has historically disregarded the Tribe’s sovereignty when conducting Clean Air Act inspection and enforcement actions on Ute Tribal lands, refusing to consult with the Tribe when issuing fines and other enforcement measures on Tribal lands and dismissing Tribal input on remedies appropriately tailored to promoting localized conservation and mitigation efforts spearheaded by the Tribe, in favor of severe fines designed to punish producers rather than promote sustainable solutions.” The Ute Tribe also claims that a Memorandum of Agreement between EPA Region 8 and the Ute Tribe made in 2023 has been ignored by the EPA. The entire news release can be found on the Ute Business Committee Facebook page.
