The Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) today announced that it will pay $541,951 to four Indian tribes as reimbursement of auditing costs for participating in the MMS's Cooperative and Delegated Audit Program during Fiscal Year 1993.
The Navajo Nation will receive $308,866; the Ute Indian Tribe, $87,600; the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, $93,000; and the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe, $52,485.
The program enables a tribe to join with MMS in providing additional audit coverage of revenues derived from oil, gas and other mineral leases located on its land.
"More than $150 million in mineral revenues were collected from Indian leases last year," Acting MMS Director Carolita Kallaur said. "Working together in this program, we can ensure the tribes continue to receive an accurate accounting of the money to which they're entitled."
Under provisions of the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982, MMS reimburses participating Indian tribes for the costs of delegated audits, such as salaries and travel expenses.
Nine states-- California, Colorado, Louisiana, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas and Wyoming--participate under similar provisions.
MMS is responsible for collecting, accounting for, auditing and disbursing revenues associated with mineral leases on federal and Indian lands. The agency handles nearly $4 billion in revenues each year, Kallaur said.
