Environmental Racism in Indian Country: An Analysis of Its Impacts on the Environment and Natural Resources and Its Connection to the Diminishment of Tribal Sovereignty

Abstract

This note seeks to discuss environmental racism and its connection to the diminishment of tribal sovereignty. First, there will be a discussion on the history and origin of tribal sovereignty, and the presence of tribes and Indigenous peoples in the United States. Second, there will be an examination of how the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts have been utilized to both diminish and promote tribal sovereignty. Next, case studies of state and federal actions against tribes will be analyzed to demonstrate the prevalence of environmental racism against Indigenous peoples today. Finally, this note generally seeks to address environmental racism in Indian country and how it works to diminish tribal sovereignty over land and natural resources while also addressing how tribal sovereignty may be further used to combat serious environmental crises facing Indigenous communities across the United States.