Interior aiming to bolster land work with tribes

The Interior Department on Friday launched a new initiative to coordinate public land management work with tribal governments around the country. 

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell signed an order Friday establishing a system in which federal agencies consult with tribes on land and water management matters such as fish, wildlife and plant resources, public land maintenance and cultural preservation issues. 

{mosads}The order covers the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and Bureau of Reclamation. It directs those agencies to partner with tribes and explore areas where more coordination is necessary. 

“This [order] reflects the Obama administration’s deep commitment to strengthen respect between the United States government and Native American and Alaska Native leaders and communities,” Jewell said at speech in Alaska on Friday. 

“This kind of collaboration with tribal nations will help ensure that we’re appropriately and genuinely integrating indigenous expertise, experience and perspectives into the management of public lands.”

The new effort comes amid fresh tensions between tribes and the federal government. 

The Obama administration is currently reviewing permitting standards for infrastructure projects on or near Indian land due to a lingering dispute with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and its objections to a pipeline project near its land in North Dakota. 

The tribe alleges a pipeline approved by the Army Corps of Engineers threatens its drinking water supply and cultural heritage sites. The Interior Department, the Department of Justice and the Army Corps are in the midst of holding six meetings with tribes to discuss whether to tweak the permitting process.