Tribal leaders of the Meskwaki Nation joined U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 officials in a signing ceremony on Thursday as the tribe assumed responsibilities to administer the Clean Water Act’s Water Quality Standards and Certification programs. The Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa is the first tribe in the region to receive authority from the EPA to administer the Clean Water Act’s programs, the EPA said. Under the authority, the Meskwaki Nation can develop water quality standards for waterways within its reservation, similar to the process used by states under the Clean Water Act. After the EPA approves standards, the tribe will administer surface water quality standards.