Fort Peck Tribe enters historic agreement to manage roads

By Rich Peterson
Great Falls Tribune

POPLAR — A historic agreement between the Fort Peck Tribes and the Federal Highway Administration could mean a smoother ride for the reservation in efforts to maintain and build its roads.

Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux is one of four tribal governments in the country to enter into a government-to-government agreement with the agency, allowing Fort Peck to take control of its $10.4 million roads budget from the federal government.

Tribal road crews maintain almost 2,000 miles of roads on the reservation in northeastern Montana.

The agreement means the tribe will face less stringent regulations usually tied to the disbursement of federal funds, said Fort Peck tribal Vice Chairwoman Roxanne Gourneau. Most tribal programs fall under Public Law 638, which allows tribes to run their own programs but with the Bureau of Indian Affairs closely observing.

"This is not at all like a 638 program. We're excited because it's a new type of agreement for the future," Gourneau said. "This allows more flexibility to help with efficiency."

"This cuts a lot of the red tape we had with BIA," added Connie Thompson, of the planning department.

Under the agreement, the state of Montana will still be responsible for maintaining Highway 2.

The agreement stems from the surface transportation law enacted last year by President George Bush called the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, also known as SAFETEA-LU, through the Department of Transportation.

A ceremonial signing was held last week in Washington, D.C., with the agreement becoming official after tribal Chairman John Morales signs it later this month.

With the agreement, the new Fort Peck Transportation Department is formed. An engineer will be hired along with additional truck drivers and more heavy equipment.

Henri Headdress, of the tribe's planning department, said the agreement is also an economic boost to the reservation. He noted that federal guidelines force closure of the department in the fall and crews are laid off as the construction season and maintenance work comes to an end. The new agreement allows the tribe to keep the maintenance crews busy for most of the year.

"This agreement will be the boilerplate for other tribes wanting similar agreements," said Headdress, who will present the details of the agreement next month to a transportation conference in California.

With the agreement, the Fort Peck Tribes can bid on state highway projects on the reservation and with the heavy equipment and truck driver training programs at Fort Peck Community College, the tribes will be able to expand its workforce for upcoming road projects, Headdress said.

In the past, Fort Peck would have to share some large equipment with the six other tribes in the BIA's Rocky Mountain Region. Under the new agreement, Fort Peck can now hire local contractors to do the work, thereby avoiding the often-yearlong wait for equipment, Gourneau said.

Officials are also expecting to make some big safety improvements on secondary roads.

"We were never given enough funds for maintenance. But now we can use up to 25-percent of our construction dollars to maintain our roads: filling potholes, striping and more," Headdress said.

"It's our first year and we will make mistakes. But we'll be able to correct them immediately," said Gourneau, noting the agreement also enforces the tribes' sovereignty.

Other tribes participating in the agreement and signing were the Oglala Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, the Ramah Navajo Chapter of New Mexico and the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota.