The implementation of environmental policy on Indian lands: A case study on the Pueblo of Isleta

This paper examines the implementation of environmental policy on Indian land, by conducting a case study of the Pueblo of Isleta. In 1992 the EPA acknowledged the jurisdictional authority of the Pueblo to establish water quality standards for the Rio Grande. The Pueblo has since attempted to implement these standards despite opposition from the city of Albuquerque. The premise of this paper is that tribes, in general, have assumed a greater role in regulating their environments although financial, technical, and statutory impediments continue to thwart complete tribal control. By examining the historical process of inclusion of tribes into the regulatory arena and applying this to the Pueblo of Isleta, this paper presents a concise analysis of one tribes response to the intricacies of environmental regulation