Author: Kathleen Rose

The ten Tribes receiving the EPA grants are in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming. The grants will help fund climate pollution reduction action plans. Authorized under the Inflation Reduction Act, EPA’s Climate Pollution Reduction Grants (CPRG) program provides $25 million in Tribal grants nationwide.   The CPRG program makes awards in two phases. CPRG Phase 1 includes noncompetitive funding for Tribes and U.S. territories to plan for greenhouse gas reduction across all sectors of their economies.   This CPRG funding will accelerate greenhouse gas reductions and advance environmental justice efforts in Tribal communities across the Mountains and Plains region.KC…

The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed bipartisan legislation led by U.S. Senators Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) to settle the longstanding land claim of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC). The legislation represents a major breakthrough because KBIC has sought compensation for the unlawful taking of its land for generations. The Community’s reservation was established under the treaty of 1854. Despite the treaty, the federal government transferred thousands of acres of reservation land to the state to defray construction costs of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal. The tribe has claimed the transfer violated the treaty and created substantial economic and other…

Update: December 1, 2023 The comment period has now closed. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District is seeking public comments on the recently published Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL). The Army Corps of Engineers will also hold public meetings in November. On March 25, 2020, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Corps to prepare an EIS because the pipeline’s “effects on the quality of the human environment are likely to be highly controversial.” Despite significant opposition from tribes and environmental groups, on May 3, 2021, the Army…

In a significant stride towards ensuring essential sanitation facilities throughout Indian Country, the Indian Health Service announced it will provide $702.6 million in funding to support clean water and sanitation systems. IHS Using Funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law The funding allocation is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). This law allocates $3.5 billion to the IHS over a five-year period from FY 2022 and 2026. The purpose of this allocation over the five-year period is to to develop critical infrastructure. This includes robust drinking water sources, reliable sewage systems, and effective solid waste disposal facilities. “The projects funded through…

The Hualapai Tribe Water Rights Settlement Act of 2022 was signed by President Joe Biden last year and this week, tribal members celebrated the Settlement at an event held at Grand Canyon West. The law approved a settlement agreement that will provide much needed water for the Hualapai reservation, which encompasses about one million acres along 108 miles of the Grand Canyon and Colorado River. The law also established a $312 million trust fund for the Tribe to develop water infrastructure on its reservation. The total population of the Hualapai Reservation is about 1,600. Most people who reside on the reservation…

The Department of the Interior announced the launch of a new Tribal Electrification Program. The new program is making available $72.5 million through President Biden’s Investing in America agenda to help Tribal communities electrify homes. Electrification Program Supports Clean Energy Future This investment is a critical step toward the goal of electrifying all homes in Indian Country with renewable energy sources. The new program also advances the Biden-Harris administration’s work to reach a carbon-free electricity sector by 2035. The announcement comes as the administration celebrates the one-year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act. The Act was the largest climate investment…

California’s top water agency is now under federal investigation after a coalition of California tribal nations and environmental justice groups filed a civil rights complaint accusing it of discriminating against several Native tribes and communities of color. The complaint alleges that the California Water Resources Control Board failed to protect the water quality of one of the nation’s largest estuaries — the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Further, the complain said the Board has intentionally blocked tribal members and residents of color in some cities from giving input on major decisions. In August, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it would investigate the allegations.…

The Tohono O’odham Utility Authority (TOUA) will partner with Baicells Technologies to bring advanced broadband connectivity to tribal residents. The Tohono O’odham reservation boundary is approximately 30 miles west of Tucson, Arizona and extends south along the border with Mexico. Roughly 28,000 members reside on the reservation. They live across a number of remote villages where bringing access to broadband has always been a major challenge. Plans for Broadband to Reach Every Household Previously relying on basic Wi-Fi connectivity in limited locations, the TOUA long recognized the need to overhaul and upgrade their infrastructure and so built out their network plan. In their…

Food sovereignty has become more important to tribal communities that want to determine the source and quality of the food that they consume. In essence, food sovereignty initiatives like farm-to-table and farm-to-school programs are important for the long-term health, economic stability, and cultural preservation of tribal communities. Now, the Thunder Valley Food Summit 2023 aims to bring together a diverse range of individuals, including tribal members, community leaders, food experts, and policy makers. About the Food Summit Specifically, the primary goal of the Summit is to foster meaningful dialogue, knowledge sharing, and collaborative problem-solving surrounding healthy, locally sourced food systems and…

Native American teen pregnancies are the highest among all race and ethnicity groups, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Teen pregnancy has long term effects on teen parents and their children. For example, pregnancy and birth are significant contributors to high school dropout rates among girls. Additionally, children of teenage mothers are more likely to have lower school achievement and to drop out of high school. Meanwhile, the University of Montana (UM) center recently secured a $7.1 million grant to help address these troubling outcomes. The U.S. Office of the Assistant Secretary of Health and Office of Population…