In the first agreement of its kind, the Cherokee Nation signed a compact with the federal government on Tuesday to let the tribe control its own road construction and transit projects without oversight from Washington, D.C.
The United States’ No. 2 transportation official, Deputy Secretary of Transportation Polly Trottenberg, traveled to Tahlequah to sign the measure in person, a sign of the significance the government is placing on the agreement. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had planned to make the trip himself but had to cancel after testing positive for COVID-19.
Tribal officials welcomed the compact as an expansion of the Cherokee Nation’s “right to self-determination and self-governance.”
“Having oversight for the first time to plan, lead and oversee the finance of our own road projects,” said Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., “will only mean more and better investments in terms of travel and infrastructure in the Cherokee Nation to the benefit of thousands of citizens.”
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The tribe has two electric transit buses and new charging stations to accommodate the vehicles, which were purchased through a $1.5 million federal grant in 2018. The tribe also operates an electric school bus.
The Cherokee Nation invested $19.2 million and improved 88 miles of roadway in fiscal year 2021 and so far this year has spent $10.3 million to improve 50 miles of roadway across the 14-county reservation, officials said.
The tribe “has led a sophisticated transportation program for several years,” Hoskin said, “helping our tribal communities, state and federal partners with safer, well-maintained roadways.”