DOT finalizes Tribal Consultation Plan; effectivegovernment-to-government partnership will continue

Yesterday, I was honored to address the National Congress of American Indians. It was well-timed because DOT has just finalized our Tribal Consultation Plan, a detailed plan of actions the agency will take when developing, changing, or implementing policies, programs, or services with tribal implications.

We developed this Plan using input solicited from tribal leaders. By engaging tribes, we have created a comprehensive plan that reaffirms the unique government-to-government relationship we have with Indian tribal governments. This is consistent with the spirit of former President Clinton's remarks when issuing Executive Order 13175 and with President Obama's Memorandum of last November.

The basic point of the plan and my address to NAIC is: DOT is absolutely committed to improving existing tribal transportation resources.

Clearly, the best way to reach this goal is to work closely with tribes and tribal leaders:

• Seeking tribal input on important regulations
• Providing timely technical assistance
• Ensuring that tribes are given ample opportunities to compete for grants. 

Building and maintaining good transportation infrastructure on tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages is challenging. We need to balance transportation goals with the needs of the local workforce while protecting environmentally sensitive lands and important cultural legacies.

Working together with the people who know those challenges best just makes sense.

One reason I'm optimistic about our partnership is because our work together implementing the Recovery Act has been so successful. Stimulus funds have worked to:

• Resurface roads and improve safety for the Ramah Navajo in New Mexico
• Improve transit access for tribes from Alaska to North Carolina
• Construct a new airport improving access to life-saving medical transport for the Rosebud Sioux in South Dakota
• Revitalize 70% of the roads on the Colville Reservation in Washington

All of these projects are important for improving the mobility and safety of tribal residents, for providing necessary jobs, for energizing essential job retraining, and for stimulating development of new tribally-owned businesses.

Going forward, that is the kind of government-to-government partnership we can easily build on.

And we will.

Comments

[Michael E. Bailey]

It is great that U.S.DOT is interested in working cooperatively with the tribal governments. I am glad that transit is seen as a lifeline service even on tribal lands by the tribal governments. One case is the tribal government on the reservation in Walla Walla County Washington. They run a whole public bus system with routes to Milton-Freewater, Oregon, Walla Walla, Washington and beyond connecting members of the reservation to jobs and medical access, and colleges and connections to other transit systems at the Walla Walla Transfer Terminal. Best wishes, Michael E. Bailey.

[Laura Berg]

The link "DOT finalizes Tribal Consultation Plan; effective government-to-government partnership will continue" simply circles around to the same page that the link appears on. Where is the actual text of the DOT Tribal Consultation Plan?