First-Ever Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee Convenes
Committee leadership announced
September 29, 2022
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior’s first-ever Secretary’s Tribal Advisory Committee (STAC) held its kick-off meeting this week. Secretary Deb Haaland announced that President Whitney Gravelle (Bay Mills Indian Community) and Chairwoman Erica Pinto (Jamul Indian Village) will serve as the new Chair and Vice Chair of the STAC, respectively.
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Assistant Secretary Trujillo Highlights $20 Million Investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for El Paso Water Purification Facility
September 27, 2022
El Paso, Texas — Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Tanya Trujillo, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar and El Paso Water leadership today celebrated a $20 million investment from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to support construction of an El Paso Water Advanced Water Purification facility. The funding was allocated as part of an over $310 million investment in water recycling and drought resilience projects. Once completed, the direct-to-distribution potable reuse project is expected to produce 13,000 acre-feet of water annually and reduce dependence on Rio Grande water and the Hueco-Mesilla Bolson Aquifer.
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SCHATZ, MURKOWSKI: SENATE CONFIRMS ROSELYN TSO AS INDIAN HEALTH SERVICE DIRECTOR
September 21, 2022
WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i), chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), vice chairman of the Committee, released the following statements on Roselyn Tso’s confirmation as Director of the Indian Health Service (IHS) at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
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Bureau of Indian Affairs announces Richard “Glen” Melville will lead the Office of Justice Services
Ensures continuity for BIA’s community safety, law enforcement, Tribal courts, detention and corrections programs
September 21, 2022
WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs announced today that Richard “Glen” Melville, an enrolled member of Makah Tribe of Washington, will lead the Office of Justice Services as a deputy bureau director starting this month. Melville joined the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1997 and served a 29-year career with the bureau and Tribal law enforcement programs before retiring in 2021 as the deputy associate director for the Office of Justice Services. He has since returned from retirement to lead OJS’s public safety programs.
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Interior Department Issues Guidance to Strengthen Tribal Co-Stewardship of Public Lands and Waters
September 13, 2022
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today released new guidance to improve federal stewardship of public lands, waters and wildlife by strengthening the role of Tribal governments in federal land management. New guidance from the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), National Park Service, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS)outlines how each bureau will facilitate and support agreements with Tribes to collaborate in the co-stewardship of federal lands and waters.
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Interior Department Completes Removal of “Sq___” from Federal Use
Decisions of the U.S. Board on Geographic Names are effective immediately
September 8, 2022
WASHINGTON — The Department of the Interior today announced the Board on Geographic Names (BGN) has voted on the final replacement names for nearly 650 geographic features featuring the word sq___. The final vote completes the last step in the historic efforts to remove a term from federal use that has historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial and sexist slur, particularly for Indigenous women.
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Secretary Haaland Meets with Tribal, Local Leaders Regarding Conservation Efforts in Southern Nevada
September 7, 2022
LAUGHLIN, Nev. — Today Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland visited public lands in southern Nevada to meet with Tribal and local community leaders and to experience the landscape that is considered sacred by several Tribal nations, including the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe.
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Additional Information on the Biden-Harris Administrations Efforts to Bring High-Speed, Affordable Internet to Tribal Communities
August 12, 2022
Yesterday, The Biden-Harris Administration announced efforts to increase access to high-speed internet for Tribal communities along with Vice President Harris, Mitch Landrieu, Senior Advisor to the President and White House Infrastructure Implementation Coordinator, and Pueblo of Isleta Governor Vernon Abeita provided additional information on how Tribal communities can take advantage of these grants and opportunities.
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Biden-Harris Administration Helps to Bring High-Speed, Affordable Internet to Tribal Communities
Department of Commerce announces $146 million in awards through the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, with another $1 billion in funding now available
August 11, 2022
In the 21st century, access to affordable, high-speed internet is no longer a luxury: American families need high-quality internet to do their jobs, participate in school, access health care, and stay connected. But far too many Tribal communities remain unconnected: by one definition, over 30 percent of the population on Tribal lands do not have access to broadband infrastructure that provides minimally adequate speeds.
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NTIA and BIA Sign Agreement to Streamline Environmental Permitting for High-Speed Internet Projects on Tribal Lands
August 9, 2022
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) announced an agreement to coordinate responsibilities in ensuring compliance with environmental, historic preservation, and cultural resources requirements related to the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program (TBCP).
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Secretary Haaland Announces Members of the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names
August 9, 2022
WASHINGTON — Today, on the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland?announced the members of the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names, a federal advisory group to help identify and recommend changes to derogatory terms still in use for places throughout the country.
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