October 31, 2023

Dear USET/USET SPF Family,

Today, the Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) held a Tribal Informational Session on development of its Environmental Justice Strategy and Action Plan. During this session, BSEE announced that it will accept comments on the preliminary set of four environmental justice strategy goals until Friday, November 17, 2023. Comments can be sent via email to the BSEE National Tribal Engagement Program (NTEP) at tribalengagement@bsee.gov. 

In recognition of USET SPF's region and several member Tribal Nations having considerable concerns regarding offshore wind development, we wanted to note that during the Tribal Informational Session BSEE also mentioned that it has a shared interest with BOEM regarding offshore wind development. BSEE reviews analysis conducted by BOEM under the National Environmental Policy Act and BSEE is responsible for monitoring compliance and conducting enforcement actions on offshore wind development projects. The open comment period provides Tribal Nations with an opportunity to contribute to the initial drafting of BSEE's Environmental Justice Strategy and Action Plan (EJ Strategy and Plan) and specifically raise concerns and provide recommendations related to offshore wind development. Following this comment period, BSEE plans to release a draft EJ Strategy and Plan for review and comment in early 2024. 

For more information on this initiative please view the Dear Tribal Leader Letter or visit BSEE’s Tribal consultation website by clicking here. Questions should be directed to Bronia Ashford, BSEE National Tribal Liaison, at bronia.ashford@bsee.gov.

For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.

October 18, 2023

Dear USET/USET SPF Family,

The Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) has announced that it will be hosting a webinar to receive Tribal Nation input on development of its first-ever Environmental Justice Strategy and Action Plan. BSEE oversees safety and environmental standards related to offshore energy and mineral exploration, development, and production under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, among other laws. BSEE is starting the process of developing an Environmental Justice Strategy and Action Plan in response to DOI’s issuance of a two-year work plan to advance environmental justice implementation throughout DOI and President Biden’s Executive Order 14096, Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All.

BSEE has developed a preliminary set of four environmental justice strategy goals, which include: 1) Institutionalizing Environmental Justice; 2) Delivering Equity Through Investments; 3) Reducing Burdens and Harms; and 4) Meaningful Outreach and Engagement. BSEE is inviting Tribal Nations to an informational webinar to provide feedback on the four preliminary goals as well as the development of the Environmental Justice Strategy and Action Plan.

Details regarding this upcoming informational webinar are as follows—

• Date/Time: Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 1:00pm ET
• Click Here to Register

For more information on this initiative please view the Dear Tribal Leader Letter or visit BSEE’s Tribal consultation website by clicking here. According to BSEE’s Tribal consultation website, written comments are due Friday, November 3, 2023 and should be sent via email to the BSEE National Tribal Engagement Program (NTEP) at tribalengagement@bsee.gov. Questions should be directed to Bronia Ashford, BSEE National Tribal Liaison, at bronia.ashford@bsee.gov.

For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.

Established in 2014, the USET Sovereignty Protection Fund (USET SPF) is a non-profit, inter-Tribal organization advocating on behalf of thirty-three (33) federally recognized Tribal Nations from the Northeastern Woodlands to the Everglades and across the Gulf of Mexico. USET SPF is dedicated to promoting, protecting, and advancing the inherent sovereign rights and authorities of Tribal Nations and in assisting its membership in dealing effectively with public policy issues.