Events - White House Council on Native American Affairs

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.

The Inflation Reduction Act is the most significant piece of clean energy and climate legislation in U.S. history with hundreds of millions of dollars exclusively for Tribal Nations and Native Communities.

The White House Council on Native American Affairs Climate Adaption Subcommittee invites you to join a panel of senior Administration and Indian Country leaders for a discussion of Indigenous Led Community Relocation. The speakers will share lessons learned from their experiences in protecting and relocating their village from the changing climate. Please register at the Eventbrite link below. Speaker biographies are included in the event flyer, also below. Due to limited time we have together, we are asking that questions are submitted in advance through the Eventbrite link.

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.

Tribal Nations are on the frontlines of climate change, which threatens Tribal homelands, food sources, cultural resources, and sacred ways of life. Native communities have faced chronic underinvestment for generations, and climate impacts—including drought, wildfires, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events—have exacerbated pre-existing challenges and inequities. Since the first day of his administration, President Biden has made clean energy and climate action a top priority.