Dear USET/USET SPF Family,
On February 23, 2022 a Dear Tribal Leader Letter was issued announcing a Listening Session by the eight signatory agencies of the Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Interagency Coordination and Collaboration for the Protection of Indigenous Sacred Sites (MOU). This MOU was signed on November 16, 2021 by the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, Interior, and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the White House Council on Environmental Quality; and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The MOU seeks to improve interdepartmental coordination and collaboration for the protection of and access to Indigenous sacred sites and the incorporation of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) into management, treatment, and protection procedures.
This Listening Session is being held to receive recommendations from Tribal Nations on priorities and guidance for implementing the MOU. Tribal traditional cultural practitioners, elders, and those with TEK expertise are encouraged to participate and provide recommendations to the agencies on implementation of the MOU. Formal consultation sessions on the MOU will be announced in the coming months.
Information on the upcoming Listening Session is as follows—
To view Framing Questions for this Listening Session, please click here. Written comments are due on Wednesday, March 23, 2022 and can be submitted to whcnaa@bia.gov. Questions regarding this Listening Session should be directed to the White House Council on Native American Affairs by email to whcnaa@bia.gov.
For more information, please contact Brian Howard, USET SPF Senior Policy Analyst, at bhoward@usetinc.org.
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