Their land holdings vary in size from a few hundred acres to many millions of acres. BIA is part of the Department of Interior. About that same time the federal Department of Energy created the Office of the Nuclear Waste Negotiator. These 1988 events marked the beginning of a major assault on Indian lands by the regulatory-industrial complex, an assault now in full swing. For its part, industry did not need much prodding to see the wisdom of using Indian lands as dumping grounds.
Indian lands are exempt from state and local laws.
However BIA would be the first to acknowledge it has no technical staff competent to evaluate proposals and no regulations governing operation of waste facilities. EPA does have authority over hazardous waste facilities on Indian lands but industry knows well that EPA rarely if ever turns down an application for a hazardous waste incinerator, even when it has to ignore serious environmental concerns and substantial public opposition. Pick your poison-Bechtel would like to help you take it if you are an Indian. Amoco, the oil giant, has been much more selective. This enormous assault has brought forth an intense response from native people, who recognize that more than their health is jeopardized.