The Biden Infrastructure Law makes funds available to Tribes for transit programs and highway safety initiatives.
A Tribal Summit scheduled for 2023 will give Tribes and leaders from the Federal Transit Administration to meet with and discuss matters related to funding opportunities available for projects like the Tribal Transit Program, which funds the planning of Tribal public transit services under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, according to a Nov. 30 White House statement.
"We’re working with Tribal leaders to identify and invest in projects with the greatest community impact, and we’re making it easier for Tribal leaders to access this once-in-a-generation infrastructure funding," Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said in a Dec. 11 post on Twitter.
Funding for Tribal communities and Native people include $32 billion from the American Rescue Plan, $13 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to assist with the community-driven relocation of Alaska Native Villages due to climate change and $700 million from the the Inflation Reduction Act to address unused capital by Tribal communities, the statement reported.
Part one of the plan will identify and summarize all loan and financing programs available to Tribes, according to the statement.
A Tribal Aviation Symposium, to be held in 2023, will be open to all 574 Tribes and will cover grant applications, Tribal access to airports, commercial sea plan access, drone usage and Tribal youth engagement and education, the statement reported.
Alaska Natives transportation departments and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will expand the initiative to address roadway safety in 2023, according to the release. This campaign will bring attention the disproportionate number of fatal crashes in Indian country and will include safety strategies for Tribes.
Additionally, the statement reported the Maritime Administration will host its first-ever Tribal Maritime Roundtable in 2023 to inform Tribes about the Port Infrastructure Development Program.
