 Hi, I'm Con Roycino from Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico. Transportation planning in Indian country can change the face of reservations nationwide. Tribal leaders need to know that planning and funding opportunities are available across this country. This video explains why transportation is important. In this introduction, we'll explain how tribes can carry out good transportation planning without jeopardizing culture or sovereignty. The funding of transportation projects has changed dramatically in the past five years. There's been renewed emphasis on creating jobs, designing investment strategies and creating partnerships between the public and private sector. But more important, there's been a stronger emphasis on planning and programming. In 1991, Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, known throughout the industry as ICT. This law is considered cornerstone legislation, both in Indian country and the transportation industry. Since 1991, Congress has increased the funding for Indian transportation projects to an average of $191 million dollars per year through 1997. The substantial increase in funding includes an increase in the level of effort by tribes in planning their transportation needs. Your vision can become a reality through good sound transportation planning. These planning efforts are important to you and to your tribe. Through a planning process, a tribal leader can identify a tribe's needs and then develop a plan and a program. Let's take a look at some of the general issues that are important to most Native Americans. Employment. Reservations are some of the most economically depressed areas in the country, with unemployment rates reaching as high as 80%. Under ICT, Indian preference is allowable on federally assisted projects that affect Indian land. Public vitality. Striving towards independence can't happen if the majority of tribal members rely on social programs or if the majority of employment is off the reservation. If this continues, the reservation will have little hope of keeping future generations on Indian lands. Environment. Protecting the natural environment such as hunting and fishing grounds, conserving land, maintaining solid waste landfills and protecting properties from illegal dumping are all challenges facing tribal leaders today. Self-determination and sovereignty. These are key issues for all tribes. Anytime states deal with a tribe, they must respect the sovereign nature of tribal governments. Sovereignty has certain advantages for a tribe, but sometimes it creates administrative barriers when dealing with state governments. Education. By strengthening education services and emphasizing tribal history, future Indian leaders can develop stronger cultural ties and create an environment that they're proud of and one in which future generations can prosper. Health and safety. It's important to provide programs that care for the elderly, improve healthcare services and create safe living and working conditions. Property or facility access. It's just as important to create a transportation network that provides better access to reservation destinations. In the past, tribes have been primarily concerned with improving health and social services, education and businesses. As a result, quality transportation services have taken a back seat, so to speak. Although traditional concerns are important, adequate transportation planning can help a tribe improve its quality of life. Now, historically, tribes have not developed transportation facilities necessary to support their people. And there are a number of reasons for that. But ICE-T, I-S-T-E-A, can make a difference. The law is a major milestone because it represents how far Native Americans have come in making decisions about transportation. But now it's up to tribal groups to take advantage of opportunities and coordinate their efforts with state and federal governments and other local communities. ICE-T gives tribes the opportunity to use funding specifically set aside for them. They can use those funds to develop long range transportation plans and improvement programs. Tribal leaders know that proper planning can improve economic conditions on their reservations. Let's take a few minutes to talk about what transportation planning is and what the vision is for the future. Planning determines the need for improvements and the number of facilities necessary to meet future economic needs in an area. Transportation planning is described as a vision of the traveling future. Federal members and planners have the ability to create that vision. When a plan is completed, it's endorsed by elected or appointed tribal officials and in some cases, published for public promotion. In order to gain support for this vision of a better economic future, data of existing conditions is collected and future plans are designed based on that information. Through a financially feasible plan, potential funding sources are identified and this is where a realistic vision appears. Once the funding for a tribe is nailed down, a transportation improvement program, also known as a TIP, determines what a community can afford. The TIP is the important project or building block necessary to construct the vision. We've said it in many different ways, but planning your tribe's future will allow your vision to become reality. It can happen because planning helps tribal leaders focus on resources such as funds, staff and tribal members and target the issues most important to your community. By meeting the planning challenge, tribal leaders can simultaneously coordinate efforts such as transportation, public infrastructure, land use and natural resource development, tourism and economic development, environmental preservation and resource conservation. So why is transportation planning so important? It's important because without proper planning, a tribe cannot tap into funding at a national level. For example, in order for a tribe to qualify for federal assistance for transportation programs, ICT mandates that each tribe, each Regional Planning Commission and each state have an adequate transportation plan. That's so all three entities can communicate and dovetail their efforts. Tribal plans get incorporated into regional plans which then become part of a statewide plan covering all modes of transportation. But it's important for state and local agencies to communicate with tribal leaders and vice versa in order to incorporate tribal plans into our regional development. The planning of all Indian Reservation Road projects is part of a continuing cooperative and comprehensive planning process. For many Indian tribes, planning is not a new idea. Done properly, it can be proactive and effective. Planning helps tribes make informed decisions and strengthens their relationship with government officials and citizens of other communities. New planning opportunities will allow tribal leaders to make changes, such as providing a basis to rationally evaluate public policies and proposed investments in transportation, charting a logical progression of developments and improvements, screening out probable projects that have minimal benefit to the tribe, establishing a foundation for decision making that aims at what is best for the tribe, bringing together technical and planning elements into one coordinated transportation plan, and finally cooperating with others outside Indian country to improve transportation strategies and thus improve the future of a reservation. In order to carry out your vision, you must consider completing a long-range transportation plan. This plan should cover all aspects of travel behavior, from a person's need to travel to the choice of mode and route. It should also include an economic, social, physical, environmental and fiscal development of the area. The plan should specifically include the following elements. Land Use Locating past and present uses of tribal facilities and lands set aside for residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural use. Traffic Circulation Identifying major existing and future roads and transportation routes including bicycle and pedestrian ways. Historic, cultural and scenic preservation. That includes preserving archeological sites, sacred lands as well as views and vistas of scenic beauty. Public Transportation Mapping out railroads, bus routes, airstrips and other related facilities. Your plan may also include existing Indian reservation road lengths and demand. It could also include other conditions such as safety, signage, social and economic conditions, tourism and the needs of special groups. Here are three primary elements a planner must focus on. First, to cooperate and coordinate. As a key player in the transportation planning process, tribes need to maintain contact with state officials and other government agencies such as regional planning organizations as well as federal agencies like the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management. Secondly, develop milestones. A long-range plan and a short-term tip plan need to be consistent. These two documents are necessary to fully participate in the overall planning process with states and other agencies. Remember, under the law tribal governments need to be involved in the transportation planning process. And finally, community participation. If you want better communications, support and a better exchange of information then all interested parties need to be involved. Keep in mind that the law emphasizes community participation. It's a key ingredient in the planning process. We recommend a proactive outreach program that affords everyone the opportunity to get involved and become a participant in your nation's future. An active participation program helps define tribal consensus. It should also include more than just meetings. It should offer the opportunity to present and accept feedback. What happens if you don't plan? Well, reservation conditions remain the same. Transportation systems deteriorate and without new goals and vision, tribes become complacent with their quality of life. And that could lead to a loss of tribal members, economic decline and a loss of morale. Without a plan, funds get tougher to secure. Funding will go to those tribes that have long-range transportation plans and a short-term tip plan. With money and a plan, cooperation and coordination between agencies becomes easy. Decisions become proactive and not reactive. No more stop-gap responses to needs. Instead, tribal leaders have a well-thought-out, informed approach to transportation issues. A plan can't cure all of society's ills, but it can help identify future needs. For example, if a tribe needs to improve access to healthcare facilities like this hospital, a plan can identify congested areas or hazardous roads. A plan can help get a roadway project designed to improve access. A tribe must be willing to take a long, hard look at its transportation needs and come up with a plan that will address community concerns about access to services and safety. But it can also help a tribe identify funding sources, boost economic development, protect land and environment, but most of all, it can help a tribe improve its overall transportation system. You need to know there are barriers that might hinder your planning process and you need to know what they are. Generally, they include cultural and governmental hurdles, jurisdiction and sovereignty issues. You're aware that many feel that tribes are too focused on sovereignty, but on the other hand, tribes want others to understand and honor tribal history and to realize these issues are non-negotiable. Tribes prefer government-to-government relationships, but state and local entities often see them as special interest groups, which they are not. Once your plan is complete, it's time to focus your efforts on the building blocks necessary to complete the vision. We've talked about these building blocks known as a TIP, a Transportation Improvement Program. But what is a TIP and why is it important? A TIP is important because it brings together all the pieces of the puzzle. The pieces are the Transportation Capital Improvement Programs. Remember, the TIP must be consistent with an endorsed long-range transportation plan. Your Transportation Improvement Program will then be incorporated into a more comprehensive TIP developed by a Metropolitan Planning Organization or State Department of Transportation. This overall comprehensive TIP is then submitted to the FHWA and the FTA for federal funding. The TIP reflects reservation transportation needs and presents a priority list of improvement projects and objectives based on a plan, a budget, and schedule constraints. Here's our TIP to you. Focus on a detailed description of the projects you'll need in a five-year time frame. It's important for us to consider what's needed at each of our reservations. I'd like to leave you with a couple of questions worth considering. What is the status of your transportation plan? Do you believe your TIP adequately addresses your transportation needs? Who are your state and federal contacts? And what is your plan of action? And where do you want to go from here? If you encounter a problem or need help, contact your representative at one of the following LTAP centers.