Please see the message below from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Tribal Justice, and the Army.
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Recent events have highlighted the need for a broader review and consultation as to how,
prospectively, Federal decisionmaking on infrastructure projects can better allow for timely
and meaningful tribal input. On behalf of the Department of the Interior, Department of Justice,
Department of the Army, and other Federal agencies, we invite you to consultations on how the
Federal Government can better account for, and integrate tribal views, on future infrastructure
decisions throughout the country. Consistent with our nation-to-nation relationship, our
consultations are with tribal leaders and your designated staff. In particular, we have identified
the following questions we seek your input on:
(1) How can Federal agencies better ensure meaningful tribal input into infrastructure-related
reviews and decisions, to protect tribal lands, resources, and treaty rights within the existing
statutory framework?
(2) Should the Federal agencies propose new legislation altering the statutory framework to
promote these goals?
We will provide a framing paper with additional detail on these questions, including a
description of the statutory framework currently in place. While these questions are of
particular interest to the Federal agencies, we welcome any input relevant to the broader topic.
We respectfully request your participation in one of the following consultation sessions:
Listening Session: Tuesday, 10/11/2016, 6:00pm-8:00pm local time, Phoenix, Arizona (at the site of the National Congress of American Indians 73rd Annual Convention)
Tribal Consultation: Tuesday, 10/25/2016, 8:30am-12:30pm (local time), Seattle, Washington
Tribal Consultation: Thursday, 10/27/2016, 8:30am-12:30pm (local time), Albuquerque, New Mexico
Tribal Consultation: Wednesday, 11/02/2016, 8:30am-12:30pm (local time), Billings, Montana
Tribal Consultation: Tuesday, 11/15/2016, 8:30am-12:30pm (local time), Minneapolis, Minnesota
Tribal Consultation: Thursday, 11/17/2016, 8:30am-12:30pm (local time), Rapid City, South Dakota
Tribal Consultation by Teleconfeerence: Monday, 11/21/2016, 12:30pm-4:30pm
The framing paper, details on the consultation locations, and any additional information will be
available at this website: http://www.biagov/WhoWeAre/AS-WORMffriballnput/index.htm.
If you would like to provide written input, please send it by email to consultation@bia.gov or by
mail to: Office of the Assistant Secretary- Indian Affairs, attn.: Office of Regulatory Affairs &
Collaborative Action, 1849 C Street, NW, MS 3071, Washington, DC 20240. We will consider
all written input we receive by Friday, November 30, 2016.
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Please click here to read the full Dear Tribal Leader Letter.
