The Tribal Emergency Response Resources Act (TERRA Act) lets Indian Tribes that face environmental threats combine multiple eligible Federal programs and funding into a single Tribe-developed Plan. The Department of the Interior is the lead Federal agency and has sole authority to decide which programs can be included and to approve or deny Plans. An approved Plan lets a Tribe reallocate, reprogram, consolidate, or rebudget integrated Federal funds to carry out core services or to support community-driven relocation. Tribes may request waivers of statutory, regulatory, or administrative requirements; affected agencies must decide on waiver requests within 45 days or the waiver is deemed granted. The Secretary must approve or deny submitted Plans within 90 days or the Plan is deemed approved; partial approvals are allowed and technical assistance is available.
Plans must be approved by the Tribe’s governing body and include a single consolidated budget, a list of Federal programs to be integrated, any needed waivers, and anticipated environmental or historic reviews. Traditional Ecological Knowledge submitted in a Plan is to be kept confidential and exempt from FOIA and similar disclosure laws. The Secretary will create a single annual model report and a single monitoring system; approved Tribes submit one annual report instead of separate reports for each program. The Act creates streamlined permitting and review procedures with participating agencies, coordinated project schedules, and an environmental review timetable generally not to exceed one year. It also provides an expedited fee-to-trust process for land acquired or needed for Plan implementation.
Under the bill the Secretary receives integrated funds from affected agencies and must distribute them to Tribes within 45 days. Affected agencies may set aside at least 10 percent of program appropriations for Tribes. Tribes may reallocate funds, carry over unobligated funds without fiscal-year limitation, recover 100 percent of indirect costs, and treat transferred funds as non-Federal for matching purposes. The bill requires an interdepartmental memorandum of agreement among Federal partners within 180 days and a report to congressional committees on implementation within two years. Tribes may file civil actions to challenge Plan denials, waiver denials, or failures to comply with the Act.
No publicly available information.
The bill’s stated purpose says it empowers Indian Tribes facing environmental threats to integrate funding, reduce administrative and reporting costs, and support Tribally determined goals consistent with self-determination and the Federal trust responsibility. Proponents argue the measure streamlines funding and approvals to help Tribes respond to climate- and disaster-related risks, including community-driven relocation when needed.
No publicly available information.