"If the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians continues to allow Western Environmental Inc. to treat tainted soil in Mecca, it should insist the plant meets the high standards set by the state of California.

Tribal Chairman David Roosevelt made that commitment in March. The Desert Sun hopes he will demand the plant follow the 19 recommendations made last week by the California EPA's Department of Toxic Substances Control. Those include a double liner for the 20-acre site with a price tag of $500,000.

Because the plant is on sovereign land, it is obligated to meet only the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has a less stringent definition of hazardous materials. Considering the odors that made Mecca residents sick in 2010 and 2011, those standards are inadequate."

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Our Voice: Toxic treatment site must meet the state standards (The Palm Springs Desert Sun 5/8)