Tribal

text size: T T T

Tribal Liaison - What We Do

  • The Tribal Liaison office provides a central contact point for tribal access to department resources, such as:
  • Helps establish and maintain communication between WSDOT staff and tribal government offices in areas of policy, planning, real estate, cultural resources, natural resources, and Tribal Employment Rights Ordinances (TERO).
  • Strives to improve coordination and communication with the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Indian Reservation Roads Program and the Federal Highway Administration regarding tribal interests in transportation.
  • Acts as a point of contact for other state agencies and tribal liaisons, national and regionally, regarding projects, resolving issues, or promoting partnerships in joint ventures.
  • Facilitates problem-solving strategies for dealing with transportation issues between the tribes and WSDOT.
  • The Tribal Liaison provides support for legislative actions that relate to tribal matters and communicates with tribes regarding the same, i.e., SB 6188 – Transportation Efficiency and Accountability Act established environmental streamlining procedures.
  • Assists other offices in establishing processes to effectively gain tribal participation in community focused processes.
  • Supports technical training programs for tribes and the public including:
    • Data input into the State Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP)
    • Cultural Resources and Historic Preservation Act, Section 106 Compliance.
    • Financing Federal Aid Highways
    • Tribal Employment Rights Ordinance Compliance in Highway Construction
  • The office coordinates government-to-government training for WSDOT staff in tribal sovereignty, history, and culture.
  • Tribal coordinators have been identified at regional offices and within certain departments to mobilize the resources and the agency locally. The Tribal Liaison works closely with each of those tribal coordinators

Copyright WSDOT © 2008