DOE-NE Grant for Tribal Engagement and Support of the Nuclear Energy Tribal Working Group (NETWG)

The purpose of this Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to fund a cooperative agreement that engages tribal government leaders and representatives on issues and activities involving the topics for which NE has responsibility such as advanced reactors, siting an interim storage and/or disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste, transportation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste, cultural resource management, STEM education, environmental justice, etc. The cooperative agreement will support DOE policies and programs related to energy infrastructure and possible development on tribal lands, as well as deployment of nuclear energy technologies affecting Tribes. The purpose of NETWG is to help DOE accomplish its Tribal objectives and maintain and strengthen the government-to-government relationship between NE and Tribal Nations.

As part of this cooperative agreement, the selected organization (awardee) would manage, organize, and execute Working Group Meetings pursuant to DOE General Counsel guidelines and requirements governing such Working Group meetings. The meeting management would include up to four meetings a year (depending on DOE’s needs and budget). The awardee staff would provide administrative and logistical support for NETWG meetings, including securing meeting and hotel space; arranging for Tribal representative travel to the meetings; researching and compiling information and materials relevant to the meeting topics; development of the meeting agendas; arranging for any associated tours of DOE and National Lab, and other nuclear facilities; providing on-site support; and taking notes and compiling meeting summaries. The awardee would conduct quarterly meetings of NETWG, providing expertise in programming, administration, logistics/travel, policy analysis and other necessary support to DOE-NE and members of NETWG. The awardee would also host conference calls or webinars to allow DOE-NE leadership and staff to provide updates to NETWG members on DOE-NE initiatives and activities. Awardee staff would provide assistance to DOE office(s) and working group members to research, develop and compile information relevant to meeting topic(s), preparing white paper reports pertinent to Tribal issues, and support working group members in order to prepare and participate in scheduled meetings.

Potential applicants are invited to provide an application with a project period of up to five years that supports the objective of successfully conducting NETWG meetings and providing for appropriate Tribal engagement. NETWG, which was chartered under the DOE Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) would be staffed by the awardee to assist in engaging federally-recognized tribal governments and their designated representatives in DOE-NE activities. Through this agreement, NETWG member Tribes would contribute their expertise to DOE staff, DOE sites, and other Tribes on issues related to nuclear energy, and share information on best-practices related to tribal impacts from DOE activities and the importance of cultural resource management.

Applications should demonstrate the ability of effectively working with Tribal organizations and coordinating the necessary meetings/webinars with DOE/NE. The proposed interactions could be adopted and implemented by NE with staff who would be involved in the Tribal affairs of the office. The intent for the awardee is to conduct successful oversight of Tribal meetings and efficient communication among all parties, including the ability to meet or exceed all necessary steps for appropriate government-to-government actions.