Two tribal officials have been named to a national Environmental Protection Agency panel to develop and carry out plans to clean up underground storage tanks, a problem faced throughout Indian Country.

Syed Huq, the director of Rosebud Sioux Tribe's water and environmental programs, and Randy Bettelyoun, the underground storage-tank technician for the Oglala Sioux Tribe, are members of the National Strategy Group on Underground Storage Tanks. The panel is holding its first meeting this week in Phoenix.

For the fiscal year ending September 2003, EPA reported more than 1,000 confirmed leaks of storage tanks in Indian Country. Cleanup actions were started at 945 sites and cleanup was completed at 592 sites.

Get the Story:
Officials named to national panel (The Rapid City Journal 12/6)

Relevant Documents:
FY 2003 Semi-Annual End-of-Year Activity Report on Underground Storage Tanks (November 25, 2003) | Navajo Nation Underground Storage Tank Act of 1998

Relevant Links:
Underground Storage Tanks - http://www.epa.gov/swerust1

Related Stories:
Navajo Nation cleaning up storage tank sites (01/26)