The Yerington Paiute Tribal land is located next to a large site of contaminated groundwater that resulted from an abandoned copper mine.
Atlantic Richfield now owns that mine.
Nevada and Atlantic recently signed a deal that would prevent the Anaconda Copper Mine from being listed as a priority Superfund site.
Officials with the tribe have said the move was retaliatory.
Representatives from Atlantic Richfield declined to be interviewed, but sent the following statement: The Atlantic Richfield Company (ARC) is cooperating with the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP) to clean-up the Anaconda Copper Mine in Yerington, NV.
With the termination of EPA’s involvement, legal authority to direct the cleanup transferred to NDEP with ARC and NDEP signing an Agreed Order on Consent (AOC).
NDEP immediately then directed ARC to continue the programs of ground water sampling and delivery of bottled water on properties north of the mine site, that had been included in EPA’s orders.
Without an agreement to allow access on YPT property, ARC has offered to make bottled water available to the YPT for pick-up, at an alternative location off site.
Since the YPT’s rejection of the amended access agreement, bottled water has been delivered to the YPT off tribal property and the YPT has been distributing the bottled water on tribal property.
ARC has been working with NDEP and NDEP has agreed to potential modifications of the AOC in an effort to resolve YPT’s concerns about tribal sovereignty and NDEP authority on tribal property.