On December 28, 2022, the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (“Reclamation”) published a notice announcing that it plans to consult with federally recognized Indian Tribes in western states on implementation of certain programs funded through the IRA. Specifically, the IRA provided funding to Reclamation for domestic water projects, canal improvement programs, drought mitigation, and emergency drought relief. Indian Tribes located in seventeen western states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming — are eligible to participate in the programs.
The notice issued on December 28, 2022 states that “Reclamation is making it a priority to garner input from Tribal leaders” on implementation of the programs and states that a virtual listening session will be held on January 24, 2023. Reclamation accepted written comments from Tribes through January 31, 2023.