Following the Environmental Justice and Tribal Consultation Training session on May 26, 2015, in Washington, DC, two more training sessions were held with Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico and the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) in Lakewood, Colorado. These two sessions were organized in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs and the DOE Office of Environment, Health, Safety and Security.
As with the first training session at DOE Headquarters, these half-day sessions were designed to promote the underlying principles of Executive Order 12898, Federal Actions To Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations; DOE Order 144.1, Department of Energy American Indian Tribal Government Interactions and Policy; and the Environmental Justice Five-Year Implementation Plan. The Department also wanted to advance its policy to support positive and productive tribal government and community relations. While the original focus of the training was staff working on tribal energy programs, the core concepts discussed at these sessions were applicable to all federal staff working with tribal populations on any issue. Its purpose was to help federal staff, decision-makers, and other programs associated with tribal affairs, better understand:
- Federal Indian Law and Policy impacts on tribal communities
- Tribal government authority and structure
- Best practices for working and consulting with tribes on environmental justice
- Cultural awareness, sensitivities, and communication skills
Training sessions were facilitated by Milton Bluehouse, Jr. Former Pueblo de Cochiti Governor, Regis Pecos, served as guest speaker for the Los Alamos training session, which was attended by over 70 people. Administrator Mark Gabriel provided welcoming remarks to over 90 participants at the WAPA session and tribal attorney Melissa Candelaria provided support to the overall presentation.