Publication

Unchecking the box: Overcoming barriers to meaningful consultation
2025
Environmental Science & Policy
Sorgen, J., Nelson, P., Butsic, V., LaRosa, S., Gaughen, S., Crosby, E., Geary, R., Sowerwine, J.
This study analyzes key barriers to meaningful Tribal consultation through analysis of intergovernmental consultation policy and practice in California. We argue that these barriers trace back to asymmetrical power relations and legacies of colonial governance and exclusion, and we offer recommendations to strengthen Tribal-agency relations in cultural resource protection.
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Summary
  • An original case study of barriers to meaningful consultation with agency planners and Tribal Historic Preservation Officers involved in cannabis permitting in California.
  • The study reveals five types of barriers and distinguishes between “soft” and “structural” barriers.
  • Barriers to meaningful consultation trace back to power asymmetries, which are closely related to colonial legacies of land dispossession and exclusionary governance.
  • A list of actionable recommendations to strengthen consultation policy and practice.

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