BLM revising tribal consultation agreement

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is soliciting input from tribes, State Historic Preservation Offices and its field offices on revisions to an agreement governing activities on federal lands that could affect historic properties. The revisions clarify the BLM's responsibilities for consultation with tribes. "When examining proposals for activities on the public lands, we must be mindful of our unique relationship with the tribes and carefully consider their views and concerns," said BLM Director Bob Abbey. "Through consultation and with a spirit of mutual respect and understanding, we can help preserve treasured resources on public lands for generations to come." Revisions will be made to the programmatic agreement signed in 1997 between the BLM and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers to guide BLM's planning and decision making under the National Historic Preservation Act. Among other things, the draft revised programmatic agreement emphasizes the requirement for the BLM to consult with tribes in order to obtain their views on the potential effects of actions on resources of significance to tribes and resolution of any adverse effects stemming from those actions, according to the BLM...more