By Scarlett Holtz
Smoke Signals contributing writer

Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar announced on Feb. 22 his plans for implementing a department-wide Tribal consultation policy.
President Barack Obama ordered in November at the White House Tribal Nations Summit held in Washington, D. C. that federal agencies create Tribal consultation policies to comply with former President Bill Clinton’s November 2000 executive order.
Obama’s goal is to “implement a consistent and comprehensive policy and process on which Tribes can rely.”
Salazar said the Interior Department’s plan of action in establishing a comprehensive, department–wide policy for meaningful consultation with the nation’s 564 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes would be “supporting Tribal self-determination, ensuring Tribal self-government, respecting Tribal sovereignty and carrying out our federal trust responsibilities.”

Salazar said the policy will:

• Recognize the special legal status of Tribal governments;
• Respect Tribal sovereignty and support self-determination and self-governance;
• Honor the trust relationship between the United States and Tribal governments;
• Demonstrate Interior’s commitment to improving communications while maximizing Tribal input and coordination;
• Ensure that Interior consults on a government-to-government basis with appropriate Tribal representatives;
• Identify appropriate Interior officials who are knowledgeable about the matters at hand and are authorized to speak for Interior;
• Ensure that Interior’s bureaus and offices conduct consultation in a manner consistent with the department-wide policy, thus harmonizing the consultation practices of Interior’s bureaus and offices;
• And be clear, understandable and workable.

On Nov. 23, the Department of Interior invited Tribal leaders nationwide to participate in a series of Tribal consultation meetings held in seven cities to discuss their experiences with federal consultation efforts, to provide suggestions on the department’s plan of action and to make recommendations for improving consultation.
During a Dec 9 Tribal consultation hearing held in Portland, Grand Ronde Tribal Chairwoman Cheryle A. Kennedy, Tribal Council Secretary Kathleen Tom and Tribal Attorney Rob Greene participated in the process.
Approximately 300 Tribal representatives as well as more than 250 officials from the Department of Interior, Department of Education, Department of Labor, Department of State and Environmental Protection Agency were invited to hear Tribal ideas and concerns.
After the draft consultation policy has been circulated to Tribes and Tribal organizations for review and comment, the Interior Department will publish a revised draft in the Federal Register with a 60-day comment period.
Following the department’s publishing of the final consultation policy within 90 days of the close of comment period, Salazar will issue a Secretarial Order directing all Interior Department bureaus and offices to comply with the department–wide policy and its principles.
The department’s plan of action can be found on its Web site at www.doi.gov under Tribal Consultation Plan.