The Tohono O’odham Nation utilizes U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 128(a) Tribal Response Program grant funding to increase the tribal program’s capacity to skillfully identify, investigate, inventory, and prioritize potentially contaminated properties. The Nation’s Brownfields program provides review, coordination and oversight for projects including information gathering, site investigation, community involvement, and response actions on potentially eligible sites, including suspected petroleum contaminated sites.

The Nation’s Brownfields program is the liaison between the Tohono O’odham Nation and USEPA’s Abandoned Mine Lands / Re-Power America teams, resulting in the completion of a pre-feasibility study that identified the development opportunities for a utility-scale solar energy facility on 280 acres of mine-scarred tribal land near Tucson, Arizona. USEPA Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) funding has been awarded for additional geotechnical assistance to address site stability on the mine’s tailings.

As of January 2011, Phase I Environmental Site Assessments were completed for the former sites of Vekol Mine, Copperosity Mine and O’o ham Construction.