Indigenous Knowledge

Council on Environmental QualityRescinded

Apr 22

Update: On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued E.O. 14154, which rescinded E.O. 11991 and directed CEQ to "propose rescinding" its NEPA regulations in their entirety. CEQ removed its NEPA implementing regulations from the Code of Federal Regulations (40 CFR 1500–1508), effective April 11, 2025. On January 8, 2026, CEQ published a final rule adopting its February 25, 2025, interim final rule rescinding all iterations of CEQ's NEPA implementing regulations.

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued federal government-wide guidance directing all agencies to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge in federal research, policy, and decision making. The definition of “Indigenous Knowledge” is “a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, innovations, practices, and beliefs developed by Tribes and Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with the environment.” CEQ identified the Endangered Species Act, National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), Marine Mammal Protection Act, Fishery Conservation Management Act, National History Preservation Act, and the National American Graves Protection and Reparation Act as federal statutes where Indigenous Knowledge may be relevant.

Agencies are encouraged to create plans to identify what Indigenous Knowledge could be relevant to their decision-making processes and include ways to engage with Tribes and Indigenous Peoples. These plans will affect federal programs that regulate local land, forests, and species. For example, comments recently closed on proposed changes to NEPA, including incorporating Indigenous Knowledge into the process. The Bureau of Land Management also recently published a public hearing policy that permitted Alaska “Native Elders” to comment first, without time limits, with remaining attendees chosen to speak at random with a two-minute limit.