In 1990, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST) established the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), formerly known as Environment Protection Department (EPD). The DENR works in conjunction with the Land and Natural Resources Committee, formerly known as the Water, Energy, and Environment (WEE) Committee, to develop the framework necessary to ensure that the Tribe’s environment and natural resources are protected for current and future use.

The DENR obtains funding through grants offered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). The US EPA is divided into 10 different regions. The CRST DENR falls within Region 8.

Within our region alone, we compete with 26 other tribal governments to procure the funding necessary to protect our respective environments and natural resources.

Currently, the DENR consists of four programs: General Assistance Program (GAP), 106 Water Quality Program, Brownfields Tribal Response Program (TRP), and Pesticide Circuit Rider Program. These programs allow us to develop and draft codes, monitor water quality, clean up hazardous sites, and inspect pesticide use or mis-use on the reservation. Please visit our archives link to view other programs that we’ve been funded for in the past.