Dear Tribal Leader Letter

February 26 at 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm Eastern |Register

February 27 at 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm Eastern | Register

February 28 at 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Eastern | Register

February 29 at 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm Eastern | Register

The Department of the Interior (Interior, the Department) invites you to participate in listening sessions regarding the Department’s planned update to its Climate Adaptation Plan. This update would succeed the existing Climate Action Plan, issued on October 7, 2021, and fulfill direction laid out in section 211 of Executive Order 14008, “Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad;” section 5(d) of E.O. 14030, “Climate-Related Financial Risk;” and section 503 of E.O.14057, “Catalyzing Clean Energy Industries And Jobs Through Federal Sustainability.”
The update, renamed to “Climate Adaptation Plan” (CAP), is expected to evaluate exposure to climate hazards and drivers of change across the full suite of DOI buildings and employees, and to the lands, waters, and cultural and natural resources it is responsible for stewarding. The CAP will also outline actions to address the threats these exposures present—through investments and changes to policy, budgeting, grant funding, and training.
Interior is working with Tribal Nations and Alaska Natives, as well as the Native Hawaiian Community and Indigenous people of the U.S. Territories, on a range of climate adaptation and resilience efforts. The Department also recognizes that Tribal Nations and Alaska Natives have shared input during recent consultations that can inform the development of the CAP. Interior will reference this input and incorporate it into the development of this plan.
The Department is seeking your input on several topics related to the potential content of the CAP, including:

• What data and knowledge sources should we consider as we assess climate risk?
• Recognizing that all lands, waters, and those who inhabit them are important, are there particular Interior-managed resources that hold special significance for Tribal Nations and/or Alaska Natives and should be considered for prioritization in climate adaptation planning?
• How can the Department address exposure to climate hazards for these resources that hold special cultural or natural significance?
• How can the Department incorporate climate resilience and accessibility for Tribal communities into its grants and funding opportunities?
• What barriers prevent the implementation of climate adaptation and resilience efforts on Tribal lands and in Tribal communities?

The Office of Policy Analysis will conduct four Tribal listening sessions listed below and will accept oral and written comments. Please register in advance for any listening session you plan to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please note that these Tribal listening sessions will be closed to the press and the public to protect confidential information that may be discussed during the sessions.

The Department welcomes your written comments, which should be submitted by email to
ryan_richards@ios.doi.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on March 30, 2024. If you have any
questions, please contact Ryan Richards at ryan_richards@ios.doi.gov.