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E. Shoshone leader says time with federal administrators will help with issues on Wind River

The White House recently hosted its fifth Tribal Nations Conference in Washington D.C. This was the first time that Darwin St. Clair, Chairman of the Eastern Shoshone Business Council, attended the conference. He says it “felt like we were actually making progress. It may not have been big steps, but we’re making steps forward.”

St. Clair said a highlight of the trip was a consultation he had with administrators from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of the Interior.  

“A lot of times when you go to DC you talk to staffers or you’ll talk to other individuals who then relay your message to the higher-ups,” he said. “And for us to have that opportunity to have a face to face and see the administrator McCarthy face to face was a great opportunity.”

St. Clair says environmental and energy issues were some of his biggest talking points. The tribe has worked to take over the solid waste program on the reservation and is looking to take on more environmental monitoring duties. He says he hopes to keep talking to the EPA about assistance with technical and administrative skills and training for the tribe.

Irina Zhorov is a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. In between, she worked as a photographer and writer for Philadelphia-area and national publications. Her professional interests revolve around environmental and energy reporting and she's reported on mining issues from Wyoming, Mexico, and Bolivia. She's been supported by the Dick and Lynn Cheney Grant for International Study, the Eleanor K. Kambouris Grant, and the Social Justice Research Center Research Grant for her work on Bolivian mining and Uzbek alpinism. Her work has appeared on Voice of America, National Native News, and in Indian Country Today, among other publications.
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