Tribal Consultation

At Interior, we fundamentally believe that honoring our relationship with Tribes and upholding our trust and treaty responsibilities are paramount to our mission. 

We take our commitment to strengthening Tribal sovereignty and self-governance seriously, and we know that robust consultations are the cornerstones of Federal Indian policy.

We host consultations with Tribal Nations to:
  • Honor our nation-to-nation relationship;
  • Hear directly from Tribal leaders as we address the health, economic, racial justice, and climate crises — all of which disproportionately impact American Indians and Alaska Natives; and
  • Commit ourselves to a process that addresses Tribal needs and ensures we respect and take input to heart.

Recent and Ongoing Consultations

Climate Change

We know that climate change disproportionately impacts Tribal Nations and their communities. We know that it puts their natural, cultural resources, and ways of life at risk. We also know that we need to put Tribes at the forefront of important national conversations about responsible fossil fuel development of renewable energy on Tribal lands to meaningfully address climate change issues. 
 
President Biden’s Executive Order “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad” directs the Secretary of the Interior to engage with Tribal authorities about developing and managing renewable and conventional energy resources on Tribal lands. To get input, we sent a letter to Tribal leaders about two Tribal consultation sessions that we are hosting via teleconference. 
 
We hosted these consultations on:
  • Tuesday, April 27 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET and 
  • Thursday, April 29 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET
We are seeking input from Tribal leaders on the following questions:
  • How can we help Tribes access capital to develop renewable energy resources?
  • How can we improve processes and policies that affect Tribal development of renewal energy resources, including improving communication and support among federal agencies?
  • What steps can we and other federal agencies take to ensure that Tribes have greater control over energy development projects on their lands?
  • What barriers do Tribes face when attempting to develop resources on their reservations?

American Rescue Plan Funding

The American Rescue Plan (ARP) is a transformational policy that provides historic investments in American Indian and Alaska Native government programs to serve Native communities across the country. Not only will these funds help weather the storm from COVID-19, they will also address the long-standing issues that put Native communities so far behind. 

We recently consulted with federally recognized Tribes and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCU) about funding from the ARP. These consultations focused on:

  • The Department of the Interior's collection of Tribal enrollment information;
  • The Office of the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Affairs’ process for distributing $900 million in ARP funds to Tribal governments; and
  • The Bureau of Indian Education’s process for distributing $850 million in ARP funds to K-12 schools and TCUs.

You can find the schedules for the March 25, 26, and 29 consultations in the March 16 letter to Tribal leaders.

Consultation at Interior on Improving Consultation 

In March 2021, Interior consulted with Tribal leaders to improve our consultation process, identify best practices, and strengthen our relationship with Tribal governments. 
 
Transcripts from these consultations are available below:
To read the questions that guided our discussions, see our fact sheet.
 
To read the final plan DOI submitted to OMB, see the Detailed Plan for Improving Interior’s Implementation of E.O. 13175.  
 
 
Bureaus across the Department will continue to schedule consultations. We will plan future consultations based on the feedback we receive from these sessions.

 Additional Resources 

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