OPA

WASHINGTON, DC - At a press conference at the National Press Club today, Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne announced budget increases for Indian Country initiatives and joined Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson and other Administration officials and Indian leaders in announcing a new Native American-focused training course. Called "Working Effectively with Tribal Governments," the online course is now available to federal employees.

"This new online training is just one of the programs by which we are supporting the efforts of Native Americans to improve their lives," Secretary Kempthorne said. In a preview of the Department of the Interior budget to be unveiled on Monday, he announced proposed FY 2009 budget increases for two Department of the Interior initiatives begun in FY 2008-the Improving Indian Education Initiative and the Safe Indian Communities Initiative.

In order to assist tribes in suppressing the distribution of methamphetamine by organized crime and drug cartels, the Administration's budget proposal would sustain the full $24 million in funding for the Safe Indian Communities Initiative provided by Congress in 2008, plus add $3million more for the initiative, for a total of $27 million in 2009. Likewise, in 2009 the Administration proposes not only to maintain the full funding for the Improving Indian Education Initiative but also to increase it to more than $25 million.

"The Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs will not cease to provide support for these programs until we shut down the peddlers of poison who are victimizing Native American families - and particularly Indian children," said Kempthorne. "It is not enough, however, to simply-protect Indian children from drugs and crime. We must also help them to achieve a brighter future through better educational opportunities in Indian Country."

Administrator Johnson and the other Administration officials then launched the new on-line training course for federal employees. Joe Garcia, President of the National Congress of American Indians, gave the invocation at the National Press Club event. In addition to Kempthorne and Johnson, other participants included Jovita Carranza, Small Business Administration Deputy Administrator; Janet Creighton, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Intergovernmental Affairs; Carl Artman, Assistant Secretary of the Interior - Indian Affairs; Jeffrey Sedgwick, Acting Assistant Attorney General; and John Nau, Chairman, President's Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

This new online training was produced by the interagency Federal Employee/Workforce Native Education and Training workgroup. A subcommittee of the Indian Affairs Executive Working Group, it identified the need for a primer available to all federal employees charged with the important responsibility of working with Indian tribes.

"The training is rich with information - respectful of the rich historical and cultural heritage the tribes we are working with - which will better prepare government employees who collaborate with Native American/Alaska Native communities," said EPA Administrator Johnson.

"The public safety of our Nation's citizens is paramount to our mission and we are pleased to partner with our fellow federal agencies to develop a training program that helps all of us work more effectively with tribal governments," said Jeffrey L. Sedgwick, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs.

EPA, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and the Department of Justice developed the online training with support from numerous agencies including the Department of the Interior, Forest Service, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, the General Services Administration, the Department of Energy and the Small Business Administration. The training is hosted by the Office of Personnel Management.

The training modules within the course include "Introduction to Tribal Concepts," which covers concepts essential to understanding the unique political status of federally recognized Indian tribes--such as tribal sovereignty, the government-to-government relationship and the federal trust responsibility. It also contains information on Native American demographics, and explains tribal land status and the definition of "Indian Country."

The "Federal Indian Law and Policy" module outlines the history of tribal-federal relations, explains the complex issues of jurisdiction in Indian Country and provides links to various federal statutes that pertain to Indian tribes.

The last module, "Cultural Orientation and Tips for Working More Effectively with Tribal Governments," provides essential cultural information that can greatly increase the quality of cross-cultural communications.

Program oversight in the development of the on-line training was provided by the President's eTraining Initiative, an e-Government initiative managed by OPM. Technical assistance was provided by GoLearn.gov, a training service provider that offers a wide range of e-Learning products and services.

"As demonstrated by the modules developed for this program, the President's eTraining initiative provides the infrastructure, processes, and expertise needed to develop and deliver world-class on-line training," according to Karen Evans, Administrator of E-Government and Information Technology.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne and Rep. Rick Renzi of Arizona will join Hopi and Navajo leaders at a historic signing ceremony in Phoenix, Ariz., tomorrow. Representatives of the Navajo Nation and Hopi Tribe will sign a compact resolving a long-standing dispute over access to sites for traditional tribal religious observances.

Signing the agreement will be Todd .Honyaoma, Vice Chairman of the Hopi Tribal Council, and Joe Shirley, President of the Navajo Nation. The signers, Secretary Kempthorne and Rep. Renzi will make remarks.

Also participating in the ceremony will be Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan; Navajo Attorney General Louis Denetsosie and other officials of the Navajo Nation; Cedric Kuwaninvaya, Chairman of the Hopi Land Team and other members of the Hopi Tribal Council.

Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs will be represented by BIA Director Pat Ragsdale; Director of Trusts Arch Wells; Western Regional Director Allen Anspach; and Navajo Regional Office Acting Director Omar Bradley.

WHO: Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne; U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi; Joe Shirley, President of the Navajo Nation; and Todd Honyaoma, Vice Chairman of the Hopi Tribal Council; and other Hopi, Navajo, State and Federal officials.

WHAT: Signing Ceremony for historic compact to resolve dispute over access to traditional religious sites

WHEN: 4 p.m. Friday, November 3, 2006

WHERE: Heard Museum, Monte Vista Room, 2301 North Central Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona.

MEDIA: All credentialed news media are invited to attend

WASHINGTON – As part of its efforts to improve and reform the management of the Indian trust for the benefit of all Indians, the Department of the Interior has revised existing—and drafted new—federal Indian trust regulations to implement the American Indian Probate Reform Act (AIPRA) and the Fiduciary Trust Model. The Department held an initial comment period on the first drafts of new regulations from January through April of this year. After incorporating comments, the proposed AIPRA regulations will be published in the Federal Register in coming weeks. A 60-day public comment period will commence when the proposed regulations are published. Interior is seeking input and comments from tribal representatives on these regulations at public meetings in South Dakota, Montana, and Minneapolis.

The intent of the regulatory initiative is to clarify existing regulations and create new regulations that would: improve services to Indian trust beneficiaries; facilitate productive use of Indian land; promote consolidation and reduced fractionation of trust asset interests; and incorporate changes to the probate process made possible through the American Indian Probate Reform Act.

The following proposed regulations will be discussed at the consultation:

• Probate of Indian Estates (25 CFR 15)
• Rules applicable to probate hearings and appeals (43 CFR 4)
• Creation of a new Code of Federal Regulations part addressing tribal probate codes (25 CFR 18)
• Life Estates and Future Interests (25 CFR 179)
• Indian land records and title documents (25 CFR 150)
• Conveyances of Trust and Restricted Land, Removal of Trust or Restricted Status (25 CFR 152)

In conjunction with the public comment period, Interior encourages tribes, tribal leaders, trust beneficiaries and other individuals working with and on behalf of these groups to submit comments on the proposed regulations. These may be submitted in writing to Michele Singer, 1849 C Street, N.W., MS4141-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240.

PHOENIX - Following approval by Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, the largest Indian water rights settlement in U.S. history is now fully in effect, concluding more than three decades of extraordinary effort by federal, state and tribal leaders to resolve critical water use issues facing tribal communities and the State of Arizona.

"The Arizona Water Rights Settlements Act is a triumph of cooperation and consensus over conflict and litigation," said Interior Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Carl Artman, who spoke on behalf of Secretary Kempthorne at an event celebrating the historic legislation. "This landmark agreement offers us a model of how states, Indian tribes, cities, farmers and the federal government - working together as neighbors and partners - can overcome deep-seated disputes with creative solutions that allow equitable benefits for all water users."

The legislation, approved by Congress and signed by President Bush in 2004, was fully implemented after Secretary Kempthorne signed two Statements of Findings on Dec. 10, 2007, finishing all actions necessary to complete the Gila River Indian Community Water Rights Settlement and amend the Southern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Act of 1982, involving the Tohono O'odham Nation.

"The Settlement Act provides the Gila River Indian Community and the Tohono O'odham Nation access to assured water allocations and the financial resources necessary to develop their land and water resources, expand their economies and ensure a better quality of life for tribal members, their children and grandchildren," Artman said. "Now that the legislation is fully and finally effective, all of the benefits promised can be delivered and these tribal water rights claims, among the largest in the West, can be put to rest."

Artman praised Senator Jon Kyl, the principal sponsor of the legislation, calling him "the catalyst who brought more than three dozen stakeholders to the negotiating table and the constant guardian who shepherded the agreement through the Congress." Artman also thanked Governor Janet Napolitano, Sen. John McCain, former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, Gila River Indian Community Governor William R. Rhodes and Tohono O' odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris, Jr. for their efforts in securing this settlement.

Artman commended Interior and other federal officials who worked with congressional staff, Arizona state officials and tribal leaders on this integrated package of agreements that benefit all central Arizona communities that receive Colorado River Water. "The Secretary would like to personally acknowledge and thank David Bernhardt, the Department's Solicitor, for his work on this Act," Artman noted. "David has been our key Interior lead on this settlement since January 2001. His effective coordination -- both within Interior as well as with the local, tribal, state and congressional leaders - was essential to the success we celebrate today."

Commissioner Bob Johnson represented Interior's Bureau of Reclamation, which played an important role in the negotiations, at the celebration. Other speakers included Ms. Susan Bitter Smith, President of the Board, Central Arizona Project; Ms. Gloria Montana, Chief of Staff for Rep. Raul Grijalva; and Herb Guenther, Director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources

"Secretary Kempthorne believes that one of the greatest challenges facing us as state, regional and national leaders in the 21st century is meeting the increasing and often
competing water needs of our dynamic communities," Artman said. "Yet we share the conviction that there is no problem created by humans that current and future generations cannot solve, if they are equipped with the right tools."

The Arizona Water Rights Settlements Act and similar settlements and pacts across the West serve as models to other states and regions that are struggling with water shortages, especially those suffering droughts and adapting their water management to deal with long-term climate change, Artman noted. "The simple fact is that the Earth is warming, and drought is not just a Western problem."

States and water districts need to avoid debilitating legal and political conflicts over the allocation of finite water resources because there are no true winners in resolving water disputes, unless everyone gets something and everyone gives up something, Artman noted. "And as Secretary Kempthorne has said, "Though the process can succeed only through compromise, all of us at Interior fully appreciate how exceedingly difficult it is to accept a lesser benefit in order to achieve a greater good."

"Yet the hard reality is that years-long litigation over water rights works to no party's benefit, exacts enormous financial costs and creates further obstacles to long-range economic planning and development," Artman noted. "With good faith and perseverance, using our best science and technology and working in a spirit of enlightened compromise, we can reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable. The Arizona Water Rights Settlements Act reflects such a vital accomplishment."

WASHINGTON - Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development - Indian Affairs George T. Skibine today congratulated the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe on the grand opening of the Cheyenne River Reservation Achievement Center in Eagle Butte, S.D. The Center was established with support from the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED), Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and Wal-Mart Stores. Skibine was represented at the Sept. 18 opening by IEED Division of Economic Development Chief Jack Stevens.

"The Cheyenne River Reservation Achievement Center combines two of the most elemental requirements for building reservation economies: education and technology," Skibine said. "I want to extend my congratulations to the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and its partners on this important achievement. I am pleased that Indian Affairs has played a role in seeing this center established."

The Cheyenne River Reservation Achievement Center is the seventh such facility to be established, and the sixth with the IEED's support, through a partnership launched in 2006 by SeniorNet, a leading technology educator of older adults, in conjunction with IBM and the Native American Chamber of Commerce of Houston, Texas, to bring computer technology access and education to low-income, remote tribal reservation communities across the U.S. Each center offers computer and Internet access, education and training for reservation residents of all ages and comes equipped with 10 new computers, printers and a variety of software programs. Each is also expected to become self-sustaining with tribal members training other users and with tribal funding for computer maintenance and replacement and the acquisition of new software and upgrades.

In addition to facilitating donations of computer hardware and software, the IEED identifies tribes for participation in the initiative, works with tribes to identify suitable locations for their centers, and provides partial funding for trainers. The centers also play a role in the IEED's job training mission by providing computer training that covers the fundamentals through more advanced courses and by serving as an education center for their communities offering classes on topics such as family history and genealogy, health, language training, work skills and tutoring, as well as a host of life skills and enrichment curriculum.

Additional centers that have opened since 2006 are the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Achievement Center in Cass Lake, Minn. (2007), the Ysleta del Sur Pueblo Tigua Achievement Center in El Paso, Texas (2007) and the Houlton Band of Maliseet Technology Achievement Center in Houlton, Maine (2008). In addition to the Cheyenne River site, two new centers also opened this month: on Sept. 12 in Rock Hill, S.C., on the Catawba Indian Nation reservation and on Sept. 16 in Pine Ridge, S.D., on the Oglala Sioux Tribe's Pine Ridge reservation.

All but two of the centers have been developed with support from SeniorNet and IBM. The centers in South Dakota were developed with support from BNSF and Wal-Mart.

The Secretary of the Interior created the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development to encourage economic development in Indian Country. The IEED's mission is to foster strong Indian communities by creating jobs, Indian-owned businesses, and a trained workforce, and by developing Indian energy and mineral resources, and increasing access to capital. The IEED believes that thriving economies and opportunities for work are the best solutions to Indian
Country's economic and social challenges.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – As part of President Obama’s commitment to fulfilling this nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Office of the Secretary of the Interior will convene the Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform’s third public meeting on June 11-12, 2012.

The five members of the Commission will meet, along with the Designated Federal Officer for the Commission, to move forward on their comprehensive evaluation of Interior’s management and administration of the nearly $4 billion in trust assets. The Commission is charged with providing recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior at the end of their two-year tenure on how best to improve the Department’s trust management and administration. Building upon the progress made with the historic Cobell Settlement, the Commission will help establish a new era of trust administration, stressing responsive, customer-friendly, accountable and transparent management of these substantial funds and assets.

Attendance is open to the public. Members of the public who wish to attend must RSVP by June 8, 2012 by e-mailing trustcommission@ios.doi.gov.

For more information, please visit: http://www.doi.gov/cobell/commission/index.cfm.

WHO: Fawn R. Sharp, Commission Chair (Quinault Indian Nation) Dr. Peterson Zah, (Navajo Nation) Stacy Leeds, (Cherokee Nation) Tex G. Hall, (Three Affiliated Tribes) Robert Anderson, (Minnesota Chippewa Tribe-Bois Forte Band) Lizzie Marsters, Designated Federal Officer for the Commission, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary, DOI

WHAT: 3rd meeting of the Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform

WHEN: Monday, June 11, 2012, from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. (MDT) and Tuesday, June 12, 2012, from 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. (MDT)

WHERE: Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians 4400 Masthead Street NE Albuquerque, NM 87109 505-816-1000

PUBLIC: Attendance is open to the public, but limited space is available. Members of the public who wish to attend should RSVP by June 8, 2012 to: trustcommission@ios.doi.gov

MEDIA: Members of the news media are invited to attend the meetings. For further information, contact: trustcommission@ios.doi.gov

Robert Abbey will hold a news media teleconference regarding domestic oil and gas production on public and Tribal lands.

Credentialed media may also participate in the teleconference media roundtable by telephone by dialing 1-888-972-9240 and entering the access code INTERIOR.

WHO: Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior Robert Abbey, Director of the Bureau of Land Management
WHAT: Teleconference on oil and gas production
WHEN: 11:00 am EDT; Friday, May 4, 2012
MEDIA: All credentialed media are invited to join the teleconference by dialing 1-888-972-9240 and entering the access code INTERIOR.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs announces that the Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians of Dudley, Massachusetts does not exist as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. This notice is based on a determination that the petitioner does not satisfy criteria 83.7(a), 83.7(b), and 83.7(c) of 25 CFR Part 83 and therefore, does not meet the requirements for government-to-government relationship with the United States. Criterion Part 83.7(a) requires that the petitioner have been identified as an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1900. Part 83.7(b), a predominant portion of the petitioning group comprises a distinct community and has existed as a community from historical times until the present. Part 83.7(c), the petitioner has maintained political influence or authority over its members as an autonomous entity from historical times until the present. As provided by 25 CFR 83.10(i), any individual or organization wishing to challenge the proposed finding may submit factual or legal arguments and evidence to rebut the evidence relied upon. This material must be submitted within 180 calendar days from the date of publication of the notice in the Federal Register.

The Nipmuc Tribal Council, Hassanamisco Reservation, in Grafton, Massachusetts, submitted a letter of intent to petition for Federal Acknowledgement on April 22, 1980, and was designated as petitioner #69. The Bureau of Indian Affairs placed the original petitioner #69, the Nipmuc Tribe (or Nipmuc Nation), on active consideration July 11, 1995. The Webster/Dudley Band of Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck Indians submitted a letter of intent to petition for Federal acknowledgement on May 31, 1996, withdrawing from petitioner #69, and was designated as petitioner #69B.

This finding has been completed under the terms of the Bureau directive of February 7, 2000, published in the Federal Register on February 11, 2000 (65 FR 7052). Under the terms of the directive, this finding focuses on evaluating the specific conclusions and description of the group that the petitioners presented, attempting to show that it has met the seven mandatory criteria and maintained a tribal community up until the present. As provided by 25 CFR 83.10(i), any individual or organization wishing to challenge the proposed finding may submit factual or legal arguments and evidence to rebut the evidence relied upon. This material must be submitted within 180 calendar days from the date of publication of the notice in the Federal Register.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Fiscal Year 2001 budget request is $2.2 billion, a net increase of $331.9 million above the FY 2000 enacted level. Leading the way in the increases in FY 2001 are School Construction, Trust Services, Law Enforcement, and Tribal Priority Allocation funds. Assistant Secretary Kevin Gover praised this budget, stating, "This budget is a good step forward. For too long, the needs of the American Indian people were ignored, and that neglect has created problems that are difficult to solve and expensive to fix. This budget will not fix them, even this budget is dwarfed by the great needs in Indian country, but it is an important and positive step in the right direction."

The Federal government is responsible for the funding of two school systems, the Department of Defense schools for military dependents, and the 185 schools operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the education of American Indian children on reservations within the United States. Over decades, the BIA school systems have been the victim of neglect, and the price is now steep to make these schools safe and adequately equipped for today's students. Of the 185 BIA schools, most are in need of either major repairs or new construction at an estimated cost of over $2.4 billion dollars. The request for BIA School Construction is $300.5 million, the largest amount ever requested to build schools in Indian country. This is a $167.3 million increase over the 2000 funding level, an increase of 126 percent. The requested construction funds will be used to replace older, unsafe, and dilapidated schools on reservations. The schools to be built include the Tuba City Boarding School in Arizona, Second Mesa Day School in Arizona, Zia Day School in New Mexico, Baca Consolidated Community School in New Mexico, Lummi Tribal School in Washington, and Wingate Elementary School in New Mexico. These six schools have structural and code deficiencies that threaten student safety and are not equipped with modern educational tools. "Our children have been attending schools in buildings that are dangerous, and this must stop," said Gover, "The education of our children is so important and these buildings have been ignored for so long, that we cannot build new schools fast enough in Indian country." In addition to replacement school construction, the budget also includes an increase of $103.4 million to address critical health and safety concerns at existing education facilities. This request will fund maintenance and repair projects to reduce the backlog for needed repairs to BIA school buildings.

Improving the trust management systems is a major priority of this administration, and the FY 2001 budget requests reflect this commitment. No one wants the Trust Fund management system fixed more than the American Indian people of the BIA," said Assistant Secretary Gover, "We are requesting the money to do this job, and do it right." The FY 2001 budget request includes an increase of $35.1 million dollars to bring the total to $107.6 million. These additional resources are critical to ensuring that the accumulated trust management problems being corrected under the Department's High Level Implementation Plan do not reoccur. The budget requests $12 million for realty services to improve real property management and ensure timely processing of transactions including sales, acquisitions, patents in fee, rights of way, and surface and subsurface leases). Additional increases include $5.3 million to perform cadastral surveys, $2.2 million for real estate appraisals, $3.0 million for probate functions, and $4.8 million for the Land Titles and Records Office to ensure land records are kept current. For general Trust services, a $4 million increase is requested to provide technical support to Tribes, and an increase of $2 million is request to expedite the processing of Alaska Native allotments. In addition to these increases, an increase of $7.5 million has been requested to expand the successful Indian Land Consolidation program.

Improving law enforcement and public safety is a major concern for all of Indian country, and this year’s budget requests an additional $18.9 million increase for BIA Law Enforcement. These funds would continue efforts to strengthen core law enforcement functions on the reservations such as uniformed police, communications, basic detention services and detention officers. Since I have been here as Assistant Secretary, we have buried five police officers who were killed in the line of duty. All of these officers were on patrol alone, and I believe their deaths could have been prevented if we had enough resources to provide two cops for every reservation patrol car, or at least backup within a reasonable distance for every cop on the reservation. Our cops are doing heroic work, and far too often they are paying the ultimate price," stated Gover, All the memories of officers Hoskie Gene, Jack Spenser and Tenny Gatewood force us to be ever vigilant in getting enough resources for law enforcement in Indian country."

American Indian Tribes depend on the Tribal Priority Allocations (TPA) for basic necessities and programs critical to the quality of life and economic potential on reservations. The FY 2001 budget request funds TPA activity at $761.2 million, with program and uncontrollable increases of $60.5 million over FY 2000. Within TPA an increase of $16.3 million is requested for the Housing Improvement Program to provide critical low and no income housing repair and replacement services on reservations, and a $2.2 million increase is requested for scholarships to students seeking higher education. A $3.5 million increase for contract support funds for administrative expenses incurred by contracting Tribes are also requested.