The Interior Department will hold a series of meetings across the country as part of an effort to develop a new tribal consultation policy.

The meetings start next week, on December 2, and continue through January 14. Tribes will be asked about the department's existing policy and how it should be changed.

“The President's Executive Order on consultation recognizes that the federal government has a responsibility to uphold not just a government-to-government relationship with tribes, but a nation-to-nation relationship," said Secretary Ken Salazar. "That is why we are working to implement a consistent and comprehensive department-wide tribal consultation policy and process upon which tribes can rely.”

At the White House Tribal Nations Conference earlier this month, President Barack Obama directed all federal agencies to come up with a tribal consultation policy within 90 days. He also requested a progress report within a year.

“On November 5, President Obama issued his executive memorandum supporting tribal consultation as ‘a critical ingredient of a sound and productive federal-tribal relationship’,” Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk said. “The effort we are undertaking today to develop Interior’s plan as called for by the president will begin a new and positive chapter in the history of federal-tribal relations.”

The tentative schedule follows:

2009 (All times are local time)
Date: Wednesday, December 2
Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon/1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Bureau of Indian Affairs Providers Conference
Egan Convention Center, Anchorage, Alaska

Date: Wednesday, December 9
Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon/1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore. Site to be announced.

Date: Monday, December 14
Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon/1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Washington, D.C. Site to be announced.

2010 (All times are local time)
Date: Tuesday, January 5
Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon/1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Minneapolis, Minn. Site to be announced.

Date: Thursday, January 7
Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon/1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Oklahoma City, Okla. Site to be announced.

Date: Tuesday, January 12
Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon/1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Phoenix, Ariz. Site to be announced.

Date: Thursday, January 14
Times: 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon/1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Sacramento, Calif. Site to be announced.

Get the Story:
Press Release: Interior to Develop New Tribal Consultation Policy (DOI 11/25)