Peters Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Increase Tribal Access to Priority Resource Concern Determination Process

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) introduced bipartisan legislation to increase tribal visibility in the priority resource concern (PRC) determination process.

A priority resource concern (PRC) is currently defined as a natural resource concern or problem determined by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, and identified at the national, state, or local level. Peters’ Tribal Conservation Priorities Inclusion Act – which he introduced with U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE) in June 2023 – would amend this definition to include tribes as entities that can identify PRCs. Adding tribes to the list of entities that can identify PRCs would increase tribal visibility during the PRC determination process and facilitate a deeper consideration of tribally driven concerns through National Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) funding, which can be used to address soil erosion, surface and groundwater contamination, plant and animal health, and more. The NRCS is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) primary private lands conservation agency and provides financial assistance and personalized conservation planning to help producers meet their unique natural resource conservation and business goals.

“The process of identifying and determining natural resource concerns is critical to keeping our environment strong and healthy for future generations. We need to ensure our tribal communities, who have a deep understanding of these issues, have the ability to voice their concerns. I’m leading this bipartisan bill and working to get it passed through the upcoming Farm Bill to improve the inclusivity and effectiveness of this process,” said Senator Peters.  

Peters’ bill would not require any changes to the PRC determination process – it simply enables states to take tribally identified environmental priorities into consideration. Peters is pushing for the bill to be included in the 2023 Farm Bill. Companion legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO-2).

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