Tulsa World: Tribal leader asks Obama to visit Oklahoma's Tar Creek Superfund site

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Tribal leader asks Obama to visit Oklahoma's Tar Creek Superfund site

President Barack Obama speaks Thursday at the White House in Washington. PABLO MARTINEZ MONSIVAIS/AP Photo

By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau
Published: 11/5/2009 2:17 PM
Last Modified: 11/5/2009 5:39 PM

WASHINGTON - Quapaw Tribe Chairman John Berrey asked President Obama on Thursday to visit the Tar Creek Superfund site to see the devastation caused by the management of tribal resources.

"We have 72 million tons of mining waste on our lands,'' said Berrey, one of hundreds of tribal leaders at a historic conference with Obama.

He also asked the president to help elevate tribes to the same level of states when dealing with remediation of Superfund sites.

That, Berrey said, could help tribes in designing a better future and environment for their people.

Obama agreed the issue is "really important'' but made no promises about making a presidential visit to the site in the northeastern corner of Oklahoma.

"Obviously the whole issue of environmental integrity on tribal lands is something that too often has slipped through the cracks or decisions have been made in the absence of consultation with the tribes,'' he said.

"So this is going to be a top priority generally -- improving our environmental quality.''

Obama said he will make sure someone follows up directly with Berrey on the Superfund site.

He also raised the issue of climate change, adding it is an issue his administration is working on diligently.

Obama praised his own Interior secretary, Ken Salazar, and Lisa Jackson, whom he appointed to lead the Environmental Protection Agency.

"And we have a lot to learn from your nations in order to create the kind of sustainability in our environment that ... we so desperately (need),'' Obama said. By JIM MYERS World Washington Bureau

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Reader comments for this story have been moved to the most updated version of the story, now under the headline "Quapaw leader talks Tar Creek to Obama," which was published on 11/6/2009. So far, 34 comments have been made.