Officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Cherokee Nation recently signed a compact as part of the Department's Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program.
Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., of the Cherokee Nation, signed the compact, which is the first to be accepted under the TTSGP, alongside US Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg, according to a June 8 news release.
“We are honored to have U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Trottenberg visit the Cherokee Nation, which has led a sophisticated transportation program for several years helping our tribal communities, state and federal partners with safer, well-maintained roadways in the reservation," Hoskin stated in the release, “Having oversight for the first time to plan, lead and oversee the finance of our own road projects will only mean more and better investments in terms of travel and infrastructure in the Cherokee Nation to the benefit of thousands of citizens.”
Under the terms of this agreement, the Cherokee nation will be able to design its own road building and public transit projects without USDOT review or approval, according to the release. This autonomy offers the tribe more control over the initiatives it deems to be in its best interest.
"We’re proud to stand today with the Cherokee Nation to announce this first-of-its-kind self-governance compact," Trottenberg stated.
Although the tribe will be allowed to independently pick their own initiatives, some of these projects already coincide with existing USDOT initiatives such as electric cars, the release reported.
