Tribal Knowledge Brings Both Community, Complexity to Permitting

The White House’s new push to include traditional indigenous knowledge in federal decisions will let the public benefit from a wealth of practices that have long been proven to work—even if it raises some complications in permitting, regulatory experts say.

Under a Nov. 15 memo, the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Science and Technology Policy will stand up an interagency working group before the end of the year to determine how traditional knowledge “can and should inform federal decision making along with scientific inquiry.” The working group will deliver a guidance document in 2022. ...