TERRA Act

The Tribal Emergency Response Resources Act, or the TERRA Act, would create a framework for Indian Tribes to integrate and administer funding from multiple eligible Federal programs into a single Plan to address environmental risks and natural disasters on reservations and other tribal lands. The lead agency would be the Department of the Interior, which would have sole authority to approve Plans and determine program eligibility for integration. The Act aims to reduce administrative burdens by permitting fund reallocation, consolidating reporting into a single annual model report, and streamlining permitting and environmental reviews through coordinated project schedules with participating Federal agencies. It also contemplates community-driven relocation as an option and provides a pathway to expedite land-into-trust actions when relocation is involved. In addition to funding integration, the bill emphasizes Tribal self-determination and government-to-government relations, and it includes protections for Traditional Ecological Knowledge as confidential. A key feature is broad waiver authority—tribes may request waivers of various statutory, regulatory, or administrative requirements to enable efficient Plan implementation, with a formal process for agency decisions and dispute resolution. The overall design is to accelerate and simplify access to resources needed for climate resilience, disaster response, and related infrastructure or relocation efforts, while consolidating oversight and accountability under the Secretary of the Interior.