Interagency Memorandum of Understanding for the Protection of Tribal Treaty Rights

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov/

May 11, 2017

In Reply Refer To:

1780 (240) P  

EMS TRANSMISSION 05/19/2017

Information Bulletin No. 2017-041

To:                   All Washington Office and Field Office Officials

                        Attn:  Deputy State Directors for Resources

From:               Assistant Director, Resources and Planning

Subject:           Interagency Memorandum of Understanding for the Protection of Tribal Treaty Rights

This Information Bulletin transmits the recently issued Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “Regarding Interagency Coordination and Collaboration for the Protection of Tribal Treaty Rights Related to Natural Resources”. This MOU was signed by seven agencies, including the Department of Interior, on September 26, 2016.  It “affirms the signatory agencies’ commitment to protect tribal treaty rights and similar tribal rights relating to natural resources through consideration of such rights in agency decision-making processes and enhanced interagency coordination and collaboration.”

We encourage offices to become familiar with points of the MOU in which agencies agree to:

1. Continue current efforts to integrate consideration of tribal treaty rights into their decision-making processes to ensure that agency actions are consistent with such applicable rights.
2. Develop and share tools and resources to identify, understand and analyze tribal treaty rights that may be affected by agency actions.
3. Consider tribal treaty rights in tribal consultation policies and procedures.
4. Identify and share best practices for considering tribal treaty rights in Federal decision-making process, for example, in determining the potential effect of proposed agency actions on tribal treaty rights, or analyzing potential environmental impacts of Federal actions pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is well positioned to address the points of this MOU with the December 2016 release of Manual Section 1780 on Tribal Relations and Handbook 1780-1 on Improving and Sustaining BLM-Tribal Relations. 

The budget impact from this MOU will be minimal.  If you have questions, please contact Byron Loosle, Division Chief WO-240, at (202) 912-7240 or bloosle@blm.gov.

Signed by:                                                                   Authenticated by:

Kristin M. Bail                                                            Robert M. Williams

Assistant Director                                                       Division of IT Policy and Planning,WO-870

Resources and Planning

1 Attachment

      1 - Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Regarding Interagency Coordination and Collaboration for the Protection of Tribal Treaty Rights Related to Natural Resources (11 pp)