The 2012-2013 Environmental Justice and Community Based Transportation Planning Grants guidelines and handbook are now posted. This year’s deadline is Wednesday, April 2, 2012. Applications must be submitted via email to OfficeOfCommunityPlanning@dot.ca.gov. The office of Community Planning has a dedicated website with resources and information for the EJ/CBTP grants.

If you are planning to apply for one of these grant programs, it is strongly recommended that you contact your district Native American Liaison office, districts names and contact information are found on our ‘District Info’ page.
The Environmental Justice grant program was created to promote community involvement in planning and to improve mobility, access, and safety while promoting economic opportunity, equity, environmental protection, and affordable housing for low-income, minority, and Native American communities.

The Community Based Transportation Planning grants are intended to fund coordinated transportation and land use planning that promotes public engagement, livable communities, and a sustainable transportation system, that includes mobility, access, and safety.

In FY 2011-2012 the Office of Community Planning awarded 15 Environmental Justice Grants, including 5 to Tribe related projects:

• Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians - Tuolumne Transportation Plan
• National Indian Justice Center - Safe Journeys: Tribal Road Safety Audits
• Mendocino Council of Governments - Round Valley Non-Motorized Needs Technical Study
• Elk Valley Rancheria - Elk Valley Rancheria Comprehensive Tribal Master Plan and Long-Range Transportation Plan
• Yurok Tribe - Yurok Tribe Trails Master Plan

In FY 2010-2011 the Office of Community Planning awarded 37 EJ/CBTP grants, including one for the Pit River Tribe’s “Burney Bicycle Walkway and Pedestrian Pathway Plan” project.

In FY 2009-2010 38 EJ/CBTP grants were awarded, including 4 to tribes:

• Elk Valley Rancheria – South Beach Trails Connector
• Karuk Tribe – Middle Klamath River Community Transportation Plan
• Cher-Ae Heights Indian Community of the Trinidad Rancheria – Trinidad Rancheria: Comprehensive Community-Based Plan
• Reservation Transportation Authority – Tribal Transportation Demand Management Outreach Project – Phase II

For more information contact your District Native American Liaison. Contact info can be found on our District Info page, and be sure to check out the Office of Community Planning Resources Page, where they have the Application, Grants Toolbox, and Grants Guide available.

Download Flyer (pdf)

On July 14, Director Cindy McKim made history by attending the quarterly Native American Advisory Committee (NAAC) Meeting. Director McKim is the first Caltrans Director to ever attend one of these sessions, and the tribal members in attendance expressed their appreciation for Cindy’s taking the
time to hear from the group.

NAAC was established in 1997 to improve the government-to- government relationship between the Indian Tribes of California and Caltrans. The Committee provides advice to the Director of Caltrans regarding matters of interest or concern
to the Tribes and their constituents.

During her address to the tribes, Director McKim shared a desire to explore ways that Caltrans can strengthen their relationship with the tribal communities in California. She celebrated some of the strides made in partnership with the committee, including the delivery of the Tribal Transportation Academy, which has served to build a foundation of understanding for both the tribes and for Caltrans employees and the completion of transportation needs assessments that have led to the development of Tribal Transportation Plans. The Director also gave the NAAC a brief update on some issues of importance to Caltrans and the Tribes.

This meeting, and the Director’s presence, was beneficial to all. Director McKim had an opportunity to meet tribal leaders from around the state and to hear from these individuals directly, and the NAAC members were able to raise some issues of importance, such as the need for a consistent consultation policy in the State, to Director McKim’s attention. NAAC members also used this opportunity to express their appreciation for the Environmental Justice grants that tribes throughout the state have received over the years and to share how in many cases that funding allows the tribes an opportunity to begin the process of transportation planning.

BIA to Hold Consultation Talks

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

Implementation of Question 10 of 25
CFR Part 170, Subpart C, Indian
Reservation Roads Program

Bureau of Indian Affairs,

AGENCY: Department of the Interior.

Notice of Tribal Consultations.

ACTION:

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is announcing tribal consultations to discuss a proposed change in how BIA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will implement Question 10 of 25 CFR Part 170, Subpart C. Question 10 determines the percentages that certain transportation facilities contribute to the calculation of the Relative Need Distribution Factor (RNDF) formula for Indian Reservation Road (IRR) Program funds. The determination is significant because a facility’s eligibility for Federal funds will be used to determine the amount of IRR funds a tribe may be eligible to
receive. The proposed change will affect the allocation of funding among tribes.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division of Transportation, BIA, 1951 Constitution
Ave., NW., MS–320–SIB, Washington,
DC 20240, telephone (202) 513–7711; or
Robert W. Sparrow, Jr., IRR Program
Manager, Federal Highway
Administration, 1200 New Jersey Ave,
NE, Room E61–311, Washington, DC
20159, telephone (202) 366–9483.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Federally recognized tribes are invited to attend one or more of the following consultation sessions regarding how BIA and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will implement Question 10 of 25 CFR Part 170, Subpart C. Question 10 states, in part:10. Do All IRR Transportation Facilities in the IRR Inventory Count at 100 Percent of their CTC and VMT? No. The CTC and VMT must be computed at the non-Federal share requirement for matching funds for any transportation facility that is added to the IRR inventory and is eligible for funding for construction or
reconstruction with Federal funds, other than Federal Lands Highway Program funds.

BIA currently determines a facility’s percentage contribution based on ownership. BIA proposes to change its approach by utilizing the facility’s functional classification as the determining factor. The IRR Program falls under the Federal Highway
Administration’s Federal Lands Highway Program. This approach will closely align the IRR Program with the FHWA Federal-Aid classification.

Meeting Dates and Locations

The consultation sessions will be held on the following dates, at the following locations:

Meeting Agenda (All Times Local)

9 a.m.–9:15 a.m. (or 1 p.m.–1:15 p.m.)
Welcome, Introductions, Ground
Rules
9:15 a.m.–9:30 a.m. (or 1:15 p.m.–1:30
p.m.) Opening and Overview
9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m. (or 1:30 p.m.–2:30
p.m.) Question 10 Directive
10:30 a.m.–12:45 p.m. (or 2:30 p.m.–
4:45 p.m.) Public Comment and
Questions
12:45 p.m.–1 p.m. (or 4:45 p.m.–5 p.m.)
Closing Comments
1 p.m. (or 5 p.m.) Adjourn

Dated: July 7, 2010.
Larry Echo Hawk,
Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs.

[FR Doc. 2010–17174 Filed 7–13–10; 8:45 am]

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