The Tribal Treaty Rights Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the Sacred Sites MOU were recently renewed between tribal and federal partners.
The announcement was made at the 2021 White House Tribal Nations Summit, according to a release from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It was the first tribal summit to be held since 2016.
“I am honored that EPA, along with 16 of its federal partners, have signed on to renew the 2016 Tribal Treaty Rights Memorandum of Understanding,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said. “The revised MOU strongly reaffirms the federal government’s duty to protect on and off-reservation treaty, reserved rights and other similar rights, such as rights guaranteed by federal statute.”
The revised Tribal Treaty Rights MOU replaces the current one which is set to expire in December. The MOU “calls for early consideration of Tribal treaty and reserved rights in agency decision-making, for Tribal treaty and reserved rights to be integrated in agencies’ ongoing work to address the climate crisis, and for strengthening agency tribal consultation policies,” the release said. This revised MOU will expire in 2031.
The Sacred Sites MOU, meant to protect areas of cultural significance, “is a result of interest in proactive work by federal agencies to protect tribal sacred places and allows its partners to leverage each other’s resources, expertise, and products,” the release said. It will expire in 2024.
The summit was hosted by President Joe Biden to improve public safety and justice for Native Americans. More than 570 tribal leaders were expected to participate in the virtual event with nearly three dozen attending in person, The Associated Press reported.
American Indians and Alaska Natives are more than twice as likely to be victims of a violent crime and at least two times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted compared to other races, according to the Association of American Indian Affairs.
