Tribal Transportation News
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The Federal Transit Administration has announced the FY 2021 Tribal Transit project selections. Cross Timbers worked with these tribes to secure funding to expand transit services in Indian Country: Craig Tribal Association (AK), Klawock Cooperative Association (AK), Alabama Quassarte Tribal Town (OK), Kaw Nation (OK), and Wichita & Affiliated Tribes (OK). |
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The Oklahoma Tribal Transportation Council is accepting membership applications for 2022. Whether you are a continuing member or are new to the OTTC, you will need to submit the application (below) and membership fees by March 31. |
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Bipartisan Infrastructure Law |
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Below are some helpful websites for more information about BIL.
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Washington Tribe Installs Fast Cast Bridge® in One Day
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A recent Fast Cast Bridge® (patent pending) installation in Washington State is featured on the Short Span Steel Bridge Alliance (SSSBA) website. The SSSBA is a national organization of bridge and steel structure industry leaders.
The bridge was installed last October by the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation in Oakville, Washington. The 40-foot bridge replaced a previously hazardous passageway that connects homes, farms and businesses on the reservation.
Read the full story here.
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Local crews prepped the site for the new Fast Cast Bridge®, and footings were poured. |
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A local crew began installing the bridge at 8 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 22, and completed it the same day. |
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We would love to highlight one of your projects! Just contact us for more information about doing that.
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ITA Update from Mary Beth Clark, ITA President:
This year began with so many conference calls, zoom meetings, etc regarding revised and/or new Programs or funding opportunities for Indian Country. It can be overwhelming at times. But the positive swing is that Indian Country is receiving the opportunity to listen, learn, and ask questions with our Federal partners so Indian Country is able to take advantage of the new prospects. ITA will continue to share with ITA members plus put on the ITA website that is open to everyone to keep abreast of information. From this website you can also download the membership form; ITA welcomes your involvement regarding Tribal Transportation. Website: tribaltransportation.weebly.com.
NCAI/ITA Task Force Meeting: There will be a Task Force meeting held on February 23, 2022 beginning at 12:30-2:30 ET. Once the Agenda is finalized, ITA will post plus email ITA membership. Currently the tentative agenda mentions Self-Governance, BIL Rollout, TTPCC, TTAP, PROGRESS Act Negotiated Rulemaking Committee, Indian Hwy Safety Program, and begin discussion on next Transportation Bill.
On February 8 & 9th, ITA hosted four 90 minute zoom segments for USDOT Arlando Teller and Milo Booth. Each segment discussed the ‘roll-out’ on sections of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Act, such as FTA, FHWA, Housing and Urban Development, White House Council for Native American Affairs, and National Telecommunications & Information Administration. These sessions were very informative on understand current, refreshed, and/or new programs and/or funding available to Tribes.
RAISE: The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) team posted the schedule for the initial webinars we are offering to potential applicants on “How to Compete” for the 2022 NOFO. More sessions will be added as needed. Sessions will be held on the following dates and times:
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Tuesday, February 15 from 1-3pm (EST) - Tribal and Rural Applicants
- Wednesday, February 16 from 1-3pm (EST) - How to Compete for RAISE Grants
Please remember the next monthly meeting will be held on February 24, 2022, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Pacific. Monthly meetings are usually scheduled for the 4th Thursday of each month.
It would be great to have each Region represented, so please consider joining and/or rejoining ITA!
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MAGIC 2022 Symposium Registration Now Open |
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Bring your spatial needs and leave with spatial solutions!!! Registration is now open for the 2022 MAGIC Symposium held at the Hilton Branson Convention Center in Branson, MO on the beautiful Branson Landing. GIS practitioners from all industries will converge to share experience, knowledge, and ideas that make everything better as only GIS can.
April 11-14, 2022
Branson, MO
Early Registration ends March 4
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Please join us for the 11th Tribal Land Staff National Conference in 2022!. This special gathering will be held April 5-7, 2022 at the Mystic Lake Center, located in the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community near Minneapolis. The conference theme is: People, Purpose and Passion: Leading the Way in Tribal Land Management.
The conference will include more than two dozen sessions that will highlight this year's theme. Conference sessions always invoke great discussions for participants, and offer a high-quality learning experience. This year's sessions include such topics as:
- Tribal land acquisitions for economic development
- Agricultural Resource Management Plans
- Strategies for negotiating rights-of-way
- Transfer of federal land to tribal governments
- Introducing the Native Land Information System
- Much more
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Tribal Transportation Training |
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This free training is being hosted by the Citizen Potawatomi Nation and sponsored by Cross Timbers Consulting, Premier Steel, and the FHWA.
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We would love to hear from you!
With recent issues with Covid, we really need your input about this training. Please consider filling out the quick survey below.
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NTICC
August 22 - 26, 2022
Louisville Omni Hotel
Louisville, Kentucky
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The National Transportation in Indian Country Conference is the one-stop-shop transportation conference FOR TRIBES, BY TRIBES. NTICC offers access to relevant training and an opportunity for Tribal transportation professionals to engage with federal officials and their Tribal transportation peers regarding Tribal transportation issues and challenges.
NTICC provides information and resources for all who are committed to improving the transportation infrastructure of Indian Country and the safety of those who live, work, and travel the roadways of Alaska Native and Native American lands.
Registration is now open!
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Updated Web-Based Trainings (WBTs) at National Highway Institute
The National Highway Institute (NHI) has created significant changes within our web-based trainings (WBT)! These popular online courses are now section 508 compliant to ensure equal accessibility for each participant. Our mission at NHI is to create a more comfortable learning experience for all.
Web-based trainings use instructional media, thought prompts, and relevant resources to provide the best content to assist you with excelling in your career. Learners can access the training from any location, and complete at your own pace during a six-month period.
Join the transportation community in discovering how WBT courses are designed to meet your individual needs by registering for a WBT course today!
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TSET Grant Opportunity
Policy and Built Environment Change
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Innovations in Active Living and Healthy Eating
Key Dates:
Last day to submit questions: March 7, 2022
Proposals due: March 15, 2022 before 4:00 pm Central Time
Applicants notified of award decisions: May 5, 2022
Grant start date: July 1, 2022
Important Notes:
- Any tribal nation that is awarded a funding agreement must submit to TSET a signed wavier of sovereign immunity prior to execution of a contract.
- Policy and built environmental change: up to $350,000 per project per year for up to two years
- All projects must take place and serve only populations within Oklahoma
Eligible projects may include the following types:
- Sidewalk improvements and pedestrian crossings that are compliant with the American with Disabilities Act and connect to everyday destinations
- Sidewalks connecting housing to schools
- Creation or enhancement of parks and public spaces for people of all ages through the purchase of supplies such as outdoor exercise equipment, playground equipment, pedestrian paths, seating, etc.
- Design and/or implementation of downtown streetscapes and/or street scape enhancements that improve bike ability and/or walkability
- Rails to trails
- Safe routes to schools, parks and/or grocery stores
- Pedestrian wayfinding signage
- Bike lanes/multi-use trails
- Upgrades to comprehensive plans, master plans, active transportation plans, bike plans, trail plans
- Built environment feasibility studies for future implementation of complete streets plan development, active transportation plans, trails, and bicycle master plans
- Traffic and pedestrian studies
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Get Your Safety Projects Funded
If you have a safety project in mind, now is the time to get prepared to request safety funding. In 2022, the FHWA Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund will accept applications for about $45 million of grant funding from fiscal years 2022 and 2023. This is over 4 times the funding that was available in 2021. In addition, FHWA will soon announce details on the Safe Streets and Roads for All program which will provide $1 billion each year to local agencies and Tribes for transportation safety plans and implementation of those plans. For additional information when there are further updates about these funding opportunities, consider subscribing to the mailing list at www.TribalSafety.org.
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Environmental Issues in the News |
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Navigable Waters Protection Rule Vacatur
The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (“the agencies”) are in receipt of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona’s August 30, 2021, order vacating and remanding the Navigable Waters Protection Rule in the case of Pascua Yaqui Tribe v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In light of this order, the agencies have halted implementation of the Navigable Waters Protection Rule (“NWPR”) nationwide and are interpreting “waters of the United States” consistent with the pre-2015 regulatory regime until further notice. The agencies are working expeditiously to move forward with the rulemakings announced on June 9, 2021, in order to better protect our nation’s vital water resources that support public health, environmental protection, agricultural activity, and economic growth. The agencies remain committed to crafting a durable definition of “waters of the United States” that is informed by diverse perspectives and based on an inclusive foundation.
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Governing the Take of Migratory Birds Under the
Migratory Bird Treaty Act
On October 4, 2021, the Service published a final rule revoking the January 7, 2021, regulation that limited the scope of the MBTA. With this final and formal revocation of the January 7 rule, the Service returns to implementing the MBTA as prohibiting incidental take and applying enforcement discretion, consistent with judicial precedent and long-standing agency practice prior to 2017. This final rule goes into effect on December 3, 2021.
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Army Corps Finalizes 41 Nationwide Permits for Activities in Jurisdictional Waters and Wetlands
On December 27, 2021, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) published a final rule modifying the Corps’ Nationwide Permit (NWP) program (December 2021 Final Rule). The December 2021 Final Rule reissued 40 existing NWPs and issued one new NWP.
As explained in our prior alert, in January 2021, the Corps published a final rule reissuing a subset of the existing NWPs (16 NWPs) and issuing four new NWPs (January 2021 Final Rule). The December 2021 Final Rule reissued the 40 remaining NWPs not covered by the January 2021 Final Rule as well as one new NWP. The December 2021 Final Rule relied on the same proposed rule as the January 2021 Final Rule, eliminating the need for a separate step in the rulemaking process.
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You can sign up now to receive an email anytime we post something new on the News & Events page. Click the Subscribe Button or visit our News & Events page to sign up. (Note: this is a separate signup from our newsletter).
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Planners Still Available!
Let us know if you would like one of our 2022 planners. Planners are available to the first 250 people who email us a request.
Just email us with your name, tribe, address, and how many planners you would like. We will put them in the mail to you.
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Click on the event name below for a link to more details |
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Apr. 5-7
Apr. 5-7
Apr. 11-14
Aug. 22-26
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Tribal Transportation Training
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PO Box 567
Guthrie, OK 73044
405-969-2862
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