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TAHLEQUAH, OK - The Cherokee Nation was recently recognized for their leadership in environmental services at a regional environmental summit.

The Cherokee Nation received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for being the first tribe to develop and administer a lead-based paint training and certification program.

"We have put together a comprehensive program to train our employees who work in these areas," said Shaun West, environmental specialist with the Cherokee Nation. "We currently have around 36 people who are certified to work with testing paint on houses."

The Cherokee Nation currently tests the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation houses for lead based paint when they are scheduled for remodeling. If a house has lead-based paint, the Cherokee Nation begins a clean up process. That involves removing the old paint and applying new, lead-free paint.

"We do sampling and find out where it is coming from and work with a special crew to remove the lead paint," West said.

For more information on the Cherokee Nation lead-based paint program, contact Shaun West, phone: 918-456-7453.