Approaches to Collaborating with Tribes on Relicensing and License Implementation

​It would be difficult to identify a river in North America that does not have economic, cultural and spiritual significance to one or more Native American Tribes and First Nations. It is critically important that hydro operators recognize the significance of this and seek new and manage existing licenses in collaboration with affected Tribes and First Nations. This panel will explore what a tribal perspective in natural resource decision-making means in different contexts, important protocols for early and continuous collaboration with Tribes and the layers of influence and authority that Tribes can exert in regulatory processes.  Panelists will bring recent experiences to share and will invite participants to ask questions and contribute their own ideas to the group.
 
Who Should Attend:  Natural resource managers, utility leaders, community engagement and government relations specialists.
 
Why You Should Attend:  Tribes have interests and rights in watersheds that must be respected in any natural resource process but especially in the context of FERC license implementation and relicensing.  It is increasingly difficult to achieve regulatory approvals without proactive and collaborative partnerships with Tribes.

Matt Love, Moderator
​Partner, Cascadia Law Group
about Matt: Matt is a partner in the Olympia office of Cascadia Law Group. Matt’s practice focuses on permitting and litigation matters involving federal and state natural resource and environmental law. Matt previously served as Assistant Attorney General for Washington State and as a trial attorney for the U.S. Department of Justice. In those positions, Matt defended federal and state agencies in federal court litigation involving the Clean Water Act, federal Indian law, the Endangered Species Act, and other federal and state natural resource laws.

speakers

Tim Reynon
Tribal Relations Director, City of Seattle, Office of Intergovernmental relations
About Tim: TIM REYNON is an enrolled member of the Puyallup Tribe and a former member of the Puyallup Tribal Council. He currently serves as the Tribal Relations Director for the City of Seattle’s Office of Intergovernmental Relations. Tim served his tribe for over 22 years as a tribal attorney, Executive Director of Human Resources, Training, and Education, People Operations Director/Compliance Officer, and Council Member. Tim has served on multiple tribal, state, local, and community-based task forces, committees, commissions, and coalitions, and brings a diverse background of knowledge and experience to his work at the City and in his community. Tim earned his Juris Doctorate degree from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark School of Law and his Bachelor of Social Work degree from BYU-Hawaii. Tim is a member of the Washington State Bar Association and is a past President of the Northwest Indian Bar Association.

Michael Kern
principal, Michael Kern Consulting, LLC
About Michael: From 2010-21, Michael was Director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Center at Washington State University (WSU) and the University of Washington (UW), helping it successfully conduct many important collaborative policy projects that proved the value of an independent convener at the state’s flagship universities. Prior to leading the Ruckelshaus Center, Michael was a Senior Associate at Triangle Associates, providing facilitation, mediation, strategic planning, project management, and other services. He has also provided these services at nonprofit and academic institutions for the North Cascades Initiative, Hatchery Reform Project, Hanford Openness Workshops, Tribal Risk Roundtable, and many other projects. Michael is an Adjunct or Affiliate Professor at WSU Extension, the UW Evans School of Public Policy and Governance, and Seattle University's Institute of Public Service. He is also Director of Special Projects at UW’s Center for Urban Waters. He recently served as a Fulbright Specialist in Israel.

Northwest Hydroelectric Association
providing a regional forum for the hydropower industry

P.O. Box 441 Lake Oswego, OR 97034
Phone: 503-502-7262    Fax: 503-253-9172  Email: info@nwhydro.org