NEPA in Indian Country Workshop August 17 & 18 in Denver

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INTERNATIONALINSTITUTE FOR INDIGENOUSR ESOURCE MANAGEMENT 444 South Emerson StreetDenver, Colorado 80209-2176Phone: (303) 733-0481; FAX: (303) 744-9808E-Mail:iiirm@iiirm.orgWebsite:www.iiirm.org
A WORKSHOP ON THESTRATEGICAPPLICATION OF THENATIONALENVIRONMENTALPOLICYACT(NEPA)ININDIANCOUNTRY Designed for Tribal Council Members, Attorneys, Natural and Cultural Resource Specialists and EnvironmentalProtection Professionals and Federal Agency Personnel and Contractors Working in Indian CountryAugust 17-18, 2011Doubletree Hotel Denver3203 Quebec StreetDenver, CO 80207 Application Submitted to the Colorado Supreme Court for Continuing Legal Education Credit The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) can be an important part of federal agency consultation with Indian tribes.However, effective tribal participation in the NEPA process requires an awareness of the workings and proceduralrequirements of NEPA, technical expertise, knowledge of the broad range of tribal environmental, social, cultural, healthand safety interests that may be affected by federal programs and activities and a strategy that links NEPA responses toother legal and statutory requirements such as the federal-Indian trust doctrine, treaty rights, AIRFA, NAGPRA, etc. ThisWorkshop will provide practical instruction and assistance to inform tribal decision-makers on: the requirements and latestdevelopments in NEPA compliance and litigation; the role of tribal, federal and state regulators in the NEPA process.Additionally, instead of viewing NEPA only as a shield to protect tribal interests from the encroachments of a proposedFederal activity, the workshop will also suggest strategies to use NEPA as a sword to advance tribal interests. Theworkshop instruction views NEPA not simply as a process, but as a way to help tribes achieve development that isculturally appropriate, economically sustainable, environmentally sound, and supportive of the tribes’ political integrity andthe tribes’ social fabric.