Events - White House Council on Native American Affairs

The U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy and Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) in partnership with General Services Administration (GSA) and Department of Defense (DOD), and in coordination with the White House Council on Native American Affairs (WHCNAA), are hosting the Tribal Power Preference Listening Session.

The Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Denis McDonough, and Indian Health Service Director, Roselyn Tso, gathered on November 30, 2023 to affirm their partnership and commitment to American Indian/Alaska Native Veterans. The Principals expressed their dedication to reduce homelessness and provide access to housing for those who are at risk.

The White House Council on Native American Affairs, the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services Tribal Justice Support, the Administration for Native Americans at the Department of Health and Human services, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture welcome your participation in the Path to Healing Wellness Conference.

The White House Council on Native American Affairs (WHCNAA) Education Committee is hosting four Tribal consultations on the development of a 10-year National Plan on Native Language Revitalization (National Plan). The 10-year National Plan will lay out a long-term, all-of-government strategy that works with Tribal Nations and, as appropriate, nonprofit organizations, subject matter experts, and other entities for the revitalization, protection, preservation, and reclamation of Native languages.

The White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) will be holding consultations on their proposed revised NEPA regulations (the Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule, a.k.a. the Phase 2 rule). The proposed rule includes a few important Tribal provisions, including ones related to incorporation of Indigenous Knowledge into environmental reviews, consideration of reserved rights in environmental reviews, and an exclusion from NEPA review for certain actions approved by Tribes on Tribal trust lands.

The White House Council on Native American Affairs (WHCNAA) is holding a Tribal leader and Native Hawaiian Community (NHC) leader consultation seeking guidance and recommendations on a draft Best Practices Guide (BPG) for Federal agencies regarding Tribal and Native Hawaiian Sacred Sites.

The WHCNAA Climate Change, Tribal Homelands, and Treaties Committee within the WHCNAA seeks Tribal leader guidance and recommendations through consultation on further efforts the Federal government could take to protect Tribal treaty rights, reserved rights, and similar rights. The Dear Tribal Leader Letter and framing questions can be found here.

The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) represents the most significant legislation to invest in clean energy and address climate change in our nation’s history. Under Section 6417 of the IRA, a new provision called an elective payment election will allow for the first time certain tax-exempt and governmental entities to access specified clean energy tax credits as payments from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

The Department of Transportation, Office Tribal Government Affairs (Tribal Affairs)will provide an update on the status of the new office and its oversight role of the TTSGP. The team will state how the TTSGP delivery option came to USDOT and describe the process for joining the TTSGP.

The White House Council on Native American Affairs Climate Adaptation Subcommittee and the Environmental Protection Agency invite you to join tribal environmental professionals for a discussion on priorities in tribal climate adaptation plans and how the federal government can effectively partner with Tribes to implement these plans. This event will be led by a panel of tribal representatives sharing their experience on climate change adaptation efforts, planning, and collaboration.