---
kind: "section"
citation: "25 U.S.C. § 3901"
title: "25"
title_heading: "Indians"
number: "3901"
heading: "Findings and purposes"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/25/3901"
units:
  - "Chapter 41 — Indian Lands Open Dump Cleanup"
---

# §3901. Findings and purposes

- (a) **Findings—** The Congress finds that—
  - (1) there are at least 600 [open dumps](/usc/25/3902.md?p=7) on Indian and [Alaska Native lands](/usc/25/3902.md?p=4);
  - (2) these dumps threaten the health and safety of residents of Indian and [Alaska Native lands](/usc/25/3902.md?p=4) and contiguous areas;
  - (3) many of these dumps were established or are used by Federal agencies such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health [Service](/usc/25/3902.md?p=9);
  - (4) these dumps threaten the environment;
  - (5) the United States holds most [Indian lands](/usc/25/3902.md?p=3) in trust for the benefit of [Indian tribes](/usc/25/5130.md?p=2) and Indian individuals; and
  - (6) most [Indian tribal governments](/usc/25/3902.md?p=5) and [Alaska Native entities](/usc/25/3902.md?p=6) lack the financial and technical resources necessary to close and maintain these dumps in compliance with applicable Federal laws.
- (b) **Purposes—** The purposes of this chapter are to—
  - (1) identify the location of [open dumps](/usc/25/3902.md?p=7) on [Indian lands](/usc/25/3902.md?p=3) and [Alaska Native lands](/usc/25/3902.md?p=4);
  - (2) assess the relative health and environmental hazards posed by such dumps; and
  - (3) provide financial and technical assistance to [Indian tribal governments](/usc/25/3902.md?p=5) and [Alaska Native entities](/usc/25/3902.md?p=6), either directly or by contract, to close such dumps in compliance with applicable Federal standards and regulations, or standards promulgated by an [Indian tribal government](/usc/25/3902.md?p=5) or [Alaska Native entity](/usc/25/3902.md?p=6), if such standards are more stringent than the Federal standards.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 103–399, § 2, Oct. 22, 1994, 108 Stat. 4164.)

## Notes

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Short Title

Pub. L. 103–399, § 1, Oct. 22, 1994, 108 Stat. 4164, provided that: “This Act [enacting this chapter] may be cited as the ‘Indian Lands Open Dump Cleanup Act of 1994’.”