Comment on FR Doc # 2011-26133

January 11, 2012 Ms. Michele Brooks Director Program Development and Regulatory Analysis USDA Rural Development 1400 Independence Avenue, STOP 1522, Room 5159 Washington, DC 20250-1522 Dear Ms. Brooks: The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (“CNHA”) hereby submits these comments in response to the proposed federal regulations pertaining to Substantially Underserved Trust Areas. The proposed regulation addresses the Rural Utility Service’s ability to provide loans and grants to facilitate the construction, acquisition, or improvement of infrastructure projects in Substantially Underserved Trust Areas (SUTA). Founded in 2001, CNHA is a national network of over 150 Native Hawaiian Organizations dedicated to enhancing the cultural, economic, and community development of Native Hawaiians. CNHA delivers its mission through the administration of the Native Hawaiian Policy Center, operation of a Native CDFI Loan Fund, provisions of Capacity-Building and Community Initiatives, and coordination of the Annual Native Hawaiian Convention in Hawaii each year. CNHA is most comparable to other Native organizations such as the National Congress of American Indians and the Alaska Federation of Natives. These comments are submitted based on consultation and convening with CNHA organizational members, with a particular emphasis on CNHA member organizations that have elected leaders by Hawaiian Home Land beneficiaries as defined under the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act, due to the significant relevance and similarity to trust lands and allotment lands of American Indians and Alaska Natives. Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 In 1921, relying in part on the precedent of the General Allotment Act, which provided individual lands for American Indians under Federal protections, Congress passed the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920. The purpose of the Act was to rehabilitate the Native Hawaiian people by setting aside for Native Hawaiian Settlement and agricultur