Past News Items

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today presented President's Rank Awards or Secretary's Executive Leadership Awards to 36 Senior Executive Service employees of the Department of the Interior at a ceremony at the main Interior building.

Secretary Kempthorne said the awards recognize executives who exemplify Interior's core values­ "Stewardship for America with Integrity and Excellence."

Commissioner of Indian Affairs Morris Thompson on February 8, 1974 issued the following statement in connection with Feb, 7’s tribal election at the Oglala Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge, South Dakota:

Following yesterday's election in which the uncertified results indicate that Richard Wilson won by a plurality of about 200 votes over Russell Means, a number of allegations of "massive election fraud" have been made, and the Department of the Interior has been asked by Wounded Knee Legal Defense/Offense Committee to send a large investigation team to the reservation.

Award of three school construction contracts on the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservations in Arizona totaling $1,224,334 and increasing pupil capacity by more than 50 percent was announced today by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The contracts involve the replacing of a trailer school with permanent facilities; construction of a new school replacing one destroyed by fire; and construction of new facilities replacing two old schools on the reservation which are beyond rehabilitation.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs announces the Indian Energy Opportunity Roundtable: Tribes, Companies and Government Explore Oil and Gas Possibilities. The half-day event, which will be held in Denver, CO on October 18, 2005, is cosponsored by the Department’s Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development and the Domestic Petroleum Council. The Roundtable is being held to gather all interested stakeholders to discuss the development of the vast energy resources owned by American Indian tribes.

It is a great honor to be invited to participate in the annual ceremonies of the Ponca tribe and be the guest of the respected leaders of the tribe, chairman John William and councilman Dana Knight.

He's also distinct pleasure to appear before the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce forum and renew my acquaintance with so many of my longtime friends.

Award of two contracts totaling $59,370.47 to complete the storage tank rehabilitation and the range-water supply phases of the Indian Bureau's development program on the Papago Indian Reservation, Arizona, was announced today by the Department of the Interior.

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs Director W. Patrick Ragsdale today announced that BIA Special Agent Selanhongva McDonald, an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and a 13-year veteran of BIA law enforcement, successfully completed his training at the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy (FBINA) in Quantico, Va., last month, graduating with his class on March 18. He is now one of a select group of BIA law enforcement officers who are FBINA graduates.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Department of the Interior today announced the addition of two new sections to the Code of Federal Regulations to provide for leasing of lands on the Colorado River Indian Reservation within the State of Arizona and the leasing of lands on the Navajo Reservation for periods up to a maximum of 99 years.

Both changes are in line with laws recently enacted by Congress.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs David W. Anderson today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) is one of several major sponsors of “RES 2005,” the 19th Annual National Reservation Economic Summit & American Indian Business Trade Fair, which will be held Feb. 7-10, 2005, at the Las Vegas Hilton in Las Vegas, Nev. The BIA also will host one of four conference tracks and Anderson will be the keynote speaker at the RES 2005 Indian Business Achievement Awards Luncheon on Feb. 10.