After months of negotiations, the Oklahoma Legislature’s Joint Committee on State-Tribal Relations today approved a renewal of the state’s motor vehicle compact with the Cherokee Nation, following the Council of the Cherokee Nation’s approval earlier this month.

The Cherokee Nation has been awarded a $1.3 million grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to conduct environmental assessments and cleanup planning across multiple sites within the reservation.

Language connects us to our ancestors, our identity and our place in the world. For Cherokee Nation, preserving and revitalizing our unique language is a sacred duty. With every word of Cherokee spoken or written, we reclaim another piece of what it means to be Cherokee.

Cherokee Nation is continuing to accept applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program for those who qualify through Dec. 31.