Letter to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of the Unites States - Udall Urges Better Tribal Consultation for Federal Decisions on Projects Like Dakota Access Pipeline
Letter
Dear President Obama:
Thank you for hosting your eighth annual White House Tribal Nations Conference today in Washington. These events are important opportunities for the Tribes and Pueblos of New Mexico to visit with high level federal officials with key roles in policy affecting Native Americans. I appreciated the opportunity to attend and visit with Tribal leaders and members of your Administration.
Further, I welcome the Administration's announcement of formal, government-to-government consultations on how to improve Tribal input into Federal decision-making on all types of infrastructure projects. In particular, I look forward to the upcoming Tribal consultation session scheduled for October 27, 2016, in Albuquerque, N.M. Tribal leaders in New Mexico have significant experience in this field and will have much to offer. Such a conversation is much needed, and I believe this process needs to be thorough, substantive and lead to concrete recommendations for how to ensure Tribal voices are included in significant decisions over siting and permitting infrastructure projects, especially when they impact Tribal land and/or culturally significant sites.
Tribal consultation in federal permitting and the laws governing the preservation of historic Tribal sites and artifacts are of great significance, given our nation's history with Indian Country. As a representative of the Pueblos and Tribes of New Mexico, and as a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, I look forward to being a part of the discussion of improvements the Federal government can make to the existing Tribal consultation process and whether Congressional action is needed to reform current law.
Thank you again for hosting this event and moving forward with an important discussion about the need for reform of the Tribal consultation process.
Sincerely,
Tom Udall
United States Senator
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