On December 9th, 2016, the Department of the Interior released a “Dear Tribal Leader Letter” regarding an upcoming consultation on the process of negotiating and reviewing Indian water rights settlements, including improvements to this process.
The Department of the Interior is seeking your feedback on these questions:
- Do the Criteria and Procedures need to be reviewed and reconsidered given that the Criteria and Procedures were promulgated in 1990, prior to negotiation and completion of the great majority of enacted Indian water settlements?
- Have the Criteria and Procedures been useful in achieving Indian water rights settlements? Have they been applied consistently and fairly?
- If reconsidered, should both the substantive criteria and the procedures, including process through various Federal agencies, be re-examined?
- What criteria or procedures should be revised? Why should they be revised? What is the best mechanism to accomplish the revision?
An in-person consultation session will be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2017, at 9am-11am local time in Seattle, WA at the Jackson Federal Building (South Auditorium, 915 2nd. Ave, Seattle, WA 98104).
You may also submit your feedback in writing by January 31st, 2017, by emailing Ms. Pamela Williams, Director, SIWRO at Pamela_Williams@ios.doi.gov. You can also mail your written feedback to the below address:
Secretary’s Office of Indian Water Rights1849 C St. NW, MS-6040-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240
1849 C St. NW, MS-6040-MIBWashington, D.C. 20240
Washington, D.C. 20240
Please click here to download the full Dear Tribal Leader letter for this consultation.
