The Interior Department announced plans to develop a new consultation policy, saying it will support self-determination and self-governance by giving tribes a greater voice in shaping federal policies.

Interior will develop a department-wide policy and each bureau and office will have a supplemental, specific policy, Secretary Ken Salazar said. The goal is to engage in “regular and meaningful consultation and collaboration," Salazar said.

"Establishing a comprehensive, department-wide policy for meaningful consultation is vital to our goals of supporting tribal self-determination, ensuring tribal self-government, respecting tribal sovereignty and carrying out our federal trust responsibilities," Salazar said in a press release.

The policy will be based on input the department received from tribal leaders during a series of meetings in December 2009 and January 2010. According to Interior, the policy will:

· Respect tribal sovereignty and support self-determination and self-governance;
· Honor the trust relationship between the United States and tribal governments;
· Demonstrate Interior’s commitment to improving communications while maximizing tribal input and coordination;
· Ensure that Interior consults on a government-to-government basis with appropriate tribal representatives;
· Identify appropriate Interior officials who are knowledgeable about the matters at hand and are authorized to speak for Interior;
· Ensure that Interior’s bureaus and offices conduct consultation in a manner consistent with the department-wide policy, thus harmonizing the consultation practices of Interior’s bureaus and offices;
· Be clear, understandable, and workable.

The policy will be drafted by a "Tribal Consultation Team" of department officials and tribal leaders. A time line wasn't given but the final policy will be made available for comments before being published in the Federal Register.

Relevant Documents:
Department of the Interior Plan to Develop a Tribal Consultation and Coordination Policy Implementing Executive Order 13175 (February 22, 2010)