WSP05477 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

, " . e e 0203-~ BUREAU OF RECLAMATION BRIEFING FOR: Tribal Funding under the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Program (a Federal Advisory Committee) DATE: Oct 20, 2003 ISSUE AND PURPOSE: Department of the Interior agencies (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey) want to continue to assist tribes financially to participate in and consult on issues discussed at meetings of a federal advisory committee, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group. Legal authorities must be specified to enable the agencies to enter into an interagency agreement to combine appropriated dollars and then to have one agency transfer the dollars to the tribes through cooperative agreements. If government-to-government consultation is the legal authority for the transfer of federal appropriated dollars to the tribes, does this comply with Departmental policies? Most Interior agencies do not pay consultation fees for paid tribal employees. Most agencies only pay consultation fees if the services and expertise of an unpaid tribal representative are required by the agency for a specific federal action or consultation purpose. All tribal representatives in this federal advisory committee are full-time tribal employees paid by the cooperative agreements. Therefore, the two main issues are what authorities might be used to enter into interagency and tribal agreements to enable paid tribal representatives to participate in and consult on a federal advisory committee, and whether such financial assistance complies with Department policy on consultation with Indian tribal governments. CURRENT STATUS: The Secretary of the Interior has appointed the agencies listed above, as well as the Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Navajo Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, and Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah as members ofa federal advisory committee, the Glen Canyon Dam Adaptive Management Work Group. The tribes participate in the committee because of their cultural interests in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam. Previous assistance agreements funding a full-time representative from each of the five tribes that are members of the federal advisory committee have expired. Without new funding agreements in fiscal year 2004, the tribes have informed the agencies that they will not participate in the advisory committee. The federal agencies believe this would be a significant loss and would be contrary to the Secretary of the Interior's intent in appointing the tribes as committee members, along with the federal agencies, states, and other stakeholders in Colorado River issues. The agencies and the tribes recognize that it is not a full-time job preparing for and participating in the two annual meetings of the federal advisory committee (and related work groups); however, the tribes lack the staff to participate fully in the federal advisory committee without federal assistance. The position of the agencies is that absence of the tribes would be detrimental to the committee in making reasoned recommendations to the