Past News Items

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Bryan Newland announced today that the Tribal Energy Development Capacity Grant Program awarded more than $2.5 million to federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native entities to develop Tribal energy resources.

WASHINGTON – The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs today announced proposed revisions to the federal regulations at 25 C.F.R. Part 226 regarding leasing of the Osage Mineral Estate for oil and gas mining.

Increase due to rising operational and regional energy costs over past 16 years.

Alternative 2 provides guidance on controlling noxious weeds across Navajo Nation

The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) today announced a $15 million investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for repairs to the Oglala Dam on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota. This investment is in addition to over $21 million allocated for the project last year, as part of a $29 million investment for dam safety programs in Tribal communities across the country.

Previously based in Mescalero, NM, the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Vulcan Peak Helitack program is now successfully operational from its new location in Albuquerque, NM, as of April 2022. Since moving the program from Mescalero, NM, staff were hired, training and qualifications were achieved, and a 6-person helitack crew was reestablished.

In the fall of 2022, Northern Arizona University (NAU), in partnership with the Intertribal-Timber Council, hosted its bi-annual Tribal Forestry Fire Student Summit. This year’s theme focused on “Investing in the Future of Tribal Forest Resource Management & Wildland Fire.” Seventy-four Tribal fire and forestry students from NAU and other campuses throughout the nation participated in the summit virtually and in-person on the NAU campus in Flagstaff, Arizona.

This October, 12 students received certificates for completing S-219 Firing Operations training (S-219) at the BIA Pine Ridge Agency in South Dakota. The instructors for the course were Justin Bauer, BIA Pine Ridge Agency Forestry Aid, Kyle Golus, BIA Sisseton Agency Fire Operations Specialist and Eric O’Connor, Lieutenant with the Rapid City Fire Department’s Wildfire Mitigation Program. The students came from six different fire management offices including BIA Agencies, state, city, and a volunteer fire department.

The Department of the Interior’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs today announced the publication of proposed revisions to two regulations, one regarding the fee-to-trust process and one regarding Class III gaming compacts. The updated regulations will provide clearer and more efficient processes for Tribes that are applying to place land into trust or enter into gaming compacts.

The TCR Regional Assessment Report aims to evaluate the effectiveness of TCR’s Annual Awards Program and technical assistance and incorporate direct Tribal input to meet Tribal needs and priorities.