Tribal Clean Mobility Planning & Capacity Project
Organization: Morongo Band of Mission Indians
Funding Request: $156,446.00
Project Summary
The Tribal Clean Mobility Planning & Capacity Project is a planning and capacity-building effort led by the Morongo Band of Mission Indians to advance equitable clean transportation on the Morongo Reservation. The vision is to improve clean transportation readiness in ways that support safer, healthier, and more accessible mobility while strengthening community resilience and economic opportunity, laying the foundation for future investments that reflect Tribal priorities and community needs. The Reservation, home to roughly 1,000 Tribal members, descendants, and community members, is designated a Low-Income Community and Disadvantaged Community under California Climate Investments Priority Populations 4.0.
The work centers on building knowledge and planning tools. Educational materials, including age-appropriate curriculum and digital resources, will be developed for the Tribal community and Morongo School to increase understanding of EVs, clean transportation benefits, and local mobility options. Transportation data will be collected and analyzed to understand vehicle types, travel patterns, and infrastructure across the Reservation, and a Transportation Needs Assessment will integrate that data with staff input and community perspectives to document priorities and guide project selection. The effort will also research and document funding opportunities, producing a planning document to help the Tribe pursue future resources. Throughout, the work aligns with the ongoing Tribal Master Development Plan, and final outputs include a transportation database, the Needs Assessment, a prioritized list of clean transportation projects, and a funding opportunities document.
Project Descriptions and Transportation Equity
The Reservation’s transportation and environmental challenges are shaped by its setting along the I-10, a highly trafficked freeway through the San Gorgonio Pass that serves as the major route between Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties and the Coachella Valley. Vehicle emissions contribute to poorer air quality and health risks, particularly for children, elders, and residents with respiratory conditions, and those living closer to high-traffic areas face more frequent pollutant exposure that can worsen existing health disparities. Limited access to information about EVs, charging, active transportation, and available resources makes it harder for Tribal members to make informed transportation choices. These issues are compounded by environmental threats, including extreme floods, heat, wind, fire, and drought, that can disrupt the transportation system, Tribal facilities, water, electrical power, and health and safety services, disproportionately affecting residents with limited mobility, limited transportation options, or health vulnerabilities during travel and emergencies.
The project advances transportation equity by ensuring future investments reflect lived experience and reduce service gaps for those most affected, recognizing that transportation shapes access to jobs, healthcare, education, and everyday needs, and that the impacts of limited or unsafe options fall hardest on elders, low-income households, people with disabilities, and those with health conditions. It does this by strengthening community awareness of clean mobility options, organizing and analyzing transportation data, and engaging Tribal staff and stakeholders to document priorities and barriers. Equity is embedded in the engagement: outreach is intentionally directed to groups often excluded from transportation decisions, embedded within existing community gatherings and school events to reduce participation barriers, and supported through flexible formats, accessible materials, and convenient scheduling, while decision-making power remains with the Tribal Council and community input is incorporated into the Needs Assessment and project priorities.
Community Benefit
The project benefits Tribal members living on the Morongo Reservation, with particular focus on residents facing transportation barriers such as limited access to reliable vehicles, high transportation costs, long travel distances, and few clean mobility options. By identifying community-specific needs and priorities, it establishes a foundation for safer, more affordable, and more accessible transportation that supports daily access to jobs, education, healthcare, and essential services, while an EV Adoption Program component increases awareness and understanding of clean mobility options, helping reduce costs, improve air quality, and expand mobility choices. Tribal staff and programs also benefit through increased planning capacity and readiness to pursue future clean transportation projects.
Engagement activities intentionally involve residents often excluded from planning, with a particular focus on youth, who typically have limited opportunities to participate. The project collaborates with Morongo School to develop age-appropriate educational materials and activities that engage students in providing input on transportation challenges and priorities, presents materials at Tribal events, and conducts interviews with Tribal members for additional insight. It builds long-term capacity by organizing existing transportation data, coordinating with the Master Development Plan, and developing a community-driven Needs Assessment, while educational materials strengthen understanding of clean transportation options and support informed decision-making and long-term EV adoption. Early actions funded by the grant include developing and delivering educational materials, quarterly presentations at Morongo School and youth programs, community outreach at Tribal events, and structured engagement with Tribal departments.
Partnerships and Structure
The partnership is Tribally led and designed so that decision-making authority rests with the Morongo Tribal Council, with clearly defined roles ensuring all voices are heard while minimizing potential power imbalances. The roles are organized as follows:
Morongo Tribe (Lead Applicant): Well-suited to lead because the project directly benefits Morongo community residents and aligns with Tribal priorities. Within the Tribe, the Morongo Environmental Protection Department (EPD) leads day-to-day implementation, drawing on its established education and outreach program and strong community relationships, and handles grant management, outreach material development, community engagement, and identification of transportation needs, including review and approval of deliverables.
Consultant (Technical Partner): Provides technical expertise and additional capacity in grant administration, educational material development, transportation data collection and analysis, assessment creation, and identification of future funding opportunities, supporting a comprehensive, implementation-focused planning effort.
Morongo Cultural Department (Community Partner): Brings deep knowledge of Morongo history and culture, guiding the project to ensure outreach, educational materials, and engagement activities are respectful and relevant to Tribal members.
Community input is central to guiding the project and is gathered through outreach, education activities, and meetings that directly inform the identification of transportation needs and the prioritization of projects, building equity into the structure. The Morongo EPD’s readiness is well established: created by Tribal Ordinance in 2000, it manages a wide range of environmental programs and an active community education and outreach program, and brings staff with expertise in environmental planning, project coordination, data management, and community outreach, including an Environmental Director, Program Manager, Climate Risk and Energy Resilience Specialist, and Data Analyst.