Immediate Study Proposed For Presidential Indian Report

Media Contact: telephone 202/343-3171
For Immediate Release: November 30, 1984

The report of the Presidential Commission on Indian Reservation Economies, submitted to the President today, will receive "immediate and thorough review. The Department is committed to improving the economic strength and independence of Indian reservations, 11 Interior Department spokesman Rusty Brashear said today.

Brashear noted the report "is a study of reservation economies that is both detailed and complex. As a major administrator of Federal Indian programs and as trustee for reservation lands, this Department is obligated to move quickly to analyze this document and to recommend appropriate action.

President Reagan established the Commission in January 1983 to provide advice on how to develop a stronger economy on Indian reservations and to strengthen tribal government.

The nine member commission contains both Indian and non-Indian members. It held public meetings in many parts of the country, concentrating on those areas with large Indian populations.

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EDITORS NOTE: The Commission's charter provides that the Interior Department provide it logistical support. As part of that effort, copies of the Commission report are available from the Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C. 20240, telephone 202/343-3171.