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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
Legislation to Promote Tribal Forest Management Passes Out of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, and U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee announced that their Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act passed out of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The legislation now heads to the Senate Floor for consideration.
"Tribes are incredibly important stewards of our natural resources, and we need to ensure that we’re working with Tribes like Tesuque Pueblo and The Mescalero Apache Tribe that have extensive expertise in forest management, wildfire prevention, and watershed restoration on their ancestral lands. I'm pleased our legislation to help scale Tribal-led and effective forestry practices across Indian Country is one step closer to Senate passage," said Heinrich.
The 2004 Tribal Forest Protection Act was intended to protect Tribal forest lands and resources from various threats, including wildfires, by allowing Tribes to enter into agreements with the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and carry out forest management activities on federal lands that are “bordering or adjacent to” lands under Tribal jurisdiction. In practical terms, the “bordering or adjacent to” requirement has proven to be too restrictive. This requirement does not adequately capture the sites, features, cultural landscapes, sacred places or objects with cultural value to Tribes that may be located on federal land that does not border Tribal land.
The Tribal Forest Protection Act Amendments Act corrects the oversight and expands the original language to enable Tribes to help restore important areas within their ancestral lands, even if their modern lands are not nearby. The legislation promotes Tribal forest management activities — including cultural burning, thinning, and restoration projects to enhance forest health and resilience. Through these sustainable forest management practices, economic development and new jobs can be created within Tribal communities.
The full text of the bill is here.
Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Native Affairs and Policy Update
The most recent FCC open meeting was on March 27, 2025. At the meeting, the Commission took action on the following items:
Steps to Improve Next Generation 911
- In its continuing effort to protect public safety and national security, the FCC proposed rules to ensure the reliability, interoperability, and accessibility of Next Generation 911 (NG 911) networks. All across the country, legacy 911 technology is being replaced by NG911, which can support text, video and data that help local authorities better respond to emergency assistance. The proposed rules are intended to ease the transition while also ensuring that no critical public safety network vulnerabilities are inadvertently created. The proposed rules will also help facilitate sharing of critical emergency information with state and local officials and help them more easily address reliability and interoperability concerns within their respective jurisdictions.
- Comments due: May 13, 2025; Reply Comments due: June 12, 2025.
Strengthen 911 Location Accuracy Rules
- In another public safety related item, the FCC also proposed action to help first responders better locate wireless 911 callers. Expanding on prior work on location accuracy, this further inquiry seeks to ensure that first responders receive accurate and actionable information that will enable first responders to quickly and precisely locate individuals in emergencies to reduce response times and save lives.
- Comments due: April 28, 2025; Reply Comments due: May 28, 2025.
FCC Explores GPS Alternatives
- Continuing its efforts to protect national security, the FCC launched a broad inquiry into possible alternatives to GPS that provide “position, navigation, and timing” (PNT) data. PNT is critical to a host of military, public safety, agricultural and commercial activities – including many facets of modern American life. GPS is everywhere, and in the absence of alternatives, can be vulnerable to serious security and public safety related disruptions. The FCC’s inquiry is intended to build a robust record on what actions it can take to strengthen GPS and promote other PNT technologies, “including FCC rule changes, public-private partnerships, testbeds, Innovation Zones, and more.”
- Comments due: April 28, 2025; Reply Comments due: May 13, 2025.
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