Tribal Consultation
NEPA requires that Federal agencies consult with Indian tribes while implementing the NEPA process. While the statutory language of NEPA does not mention Indian tribes, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations and guidance do require agencies to contact Indian tribes and provide them with opportunities to participate at various stages in the preparation of an EA or EIS. This page summarizes the Tribal Consultation efforts for this project. Tribal consultation documentation is downloadable via the links at the bottom of this page, or the Document Library.
November 30, 2009: The Quechan Indian Tribe notified DOE that because "the proposed project lies outside of the traditional land area of the Quechan . . . the Tribe will defer all comments on this project to the Kumeyaay and will support the Tribe as needed."
September 16, 2009: A meeting was held at the Campo Band’s offices, where the scope of the project and the cultural resources associated with the project area were discussed. The Campo Band Chairperson was supportive of the project and considered the meeting sufficient for closure of consultation (with the Campo Band).
June 2009: The Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians (Campo Band) responded to DOE’s invitation, requesting a meeting “to discuss cultural resources and historic preservation activities.”
May 2009: DOE sent letters to Tribal contacts in the project region, inviting them to consult with the DOE regarding the project. [The list of Tribal contacts was obtained from the Native American Heritage Commission (NAHC)].
March 2009: DOE received an email from the Quechan Indian Tribe in response to the Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the EIS.
Record of Tribal Consultation (these are also listed on the Document Library page):
- Email correspondence with Quechan Indian Tribe; November 2009 (14 KB)
- Summary of consultation with Campo Band, including highlights of September 16 meeting (23 KB)
- Archaeological and historical resources information packet sent to Campo Band (2.6 MB)
- Letter from Campo Band of Kumeyaay Indians requesting a meeting, June 29, 2009 (655 KB)
- Consultation invitation letters sent to Tribal contacts in the project region, May 28, 2009 (157 KB)
- Email from the Quechan Indian Tribe in response to the NOI, March 10, 2009 (56 KB)