Certification requirements must be met in order to comply with the Tribal Operator Certification Program. To be certified in the Tribal Certification Program, an applicant must meet the following criteria:

• Have qualifying experience and must be currently working at a facility on tribal lands for at least six weeks
• Must have a high school diploma or a G.E.D.
• Must score a minimum of a 70% on a certification examination

Reciprocity

Reciprocity means the Tribal Certification Program may recognize certifications obtained from other States or Jurisdictions and certify contingently. The Tribal Certification Program may certify qualified tribal operators by the following special considerations.

• An operator who holds a certificate from another jurisdiction and wishes to receive a certificate from ITCA without taking an examination will submit an application and a notarized copy of his/her original certificate, as proof of current standing as a certified operator, with the required application fee
• The request for certification shall be considered by the Certification Administrator within 30 days of receiving the request. If the criteria is met, a certificate shall be issued by the Certification Administrator and the notarized copy of the original certificate will be returned to the applicant
• The criteria used in determining whether a certificate shall be issued will be as follows:
  • The certificate from another jurisdiction must be current and valid. If the certificate has expired, the Certification Administrator shall direct the operator to take the examination and
  • The applicant must have qualifying experience
• The application requesting a certificate shall not be considered until all information and fees are submitted. If approved, a certificate shall be issued. In the event of disapproval, the applicant shall be notified in writing that he/she will be afforded an opportunity to take the next examination and that his/her fee will be applied to the cost of taking the examination

Operators are responsible for maintaining their certification. Responsibilities and procedures for the issuance of renewals are the following:

• All certification shall be considered valid for a period of 3 years
• Renewal of the certification is the responsibility of the operator
• A notice of renewal form may be sent to the operator approximately 60 days prior to the expiration date of the certificate. In the event an operator moves or leaves the job, it is the responsibility of the operator to inform the Administrator
• The operator must request and return a completed certification renewal application to the Certification Administrator at least 30 days prior to the expiration date of the certificate
• The request for renewal shall be approved by the Certification Administrator, unless there are significant modifications to the facility or the operator is no longer working at a facility located on tribal lands. If significant modifications were made to the facility, renewal request will be reviewed by the Certification Administrator on a case-by-case basis

EPA -> Water -> State & Regional Links - Region IX