OPA

WASHINGTON – Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development – Indian Affairs George T. Skibine today announced the publication of a Notice of an Amended Proposed Finding declining to acknowledge that a group known as Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe in Louisiana is an Indian tribe according to federal law. This finding determined that the petitioner does not meet three of seven mandatory criteria for federal acknowledgment under the regulations governing the federal acknowledgment process at 25 CFR Part 83, and therefore does not meet the requirements for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

The Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe (PACIT), petitioner #56b, claims to be the continuation of a historical Indian community that settled in the mid-19th century on the boundary of Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes. It has described its members as descendants of the Chitimacha, Acolapissa, Atakapa, Choctaw, and Biloxi Indian tribes. It does not claim to descend from the Houma tribe, although its members and ancestors have been called “Houma” Indians since at least 1907. The PACIT has never had a treaty or other formal relationship with the federal government.

Most of the PACIT’s 682 members were part of the United Houma Nation (UHN), petitioner #56, in 1994, when it received a proposed finding declining acknowledgment. The PACIT organized separately and submitted a letter of intent to petition for federal acknowledgment in 1996. The Department told the PACIT in 1997 that it would issue an “amended Proposed Finding” after the PACIT had responded to the UHN proposed finding as it applied to their petition. The Department also told the PACIT that it would evaluate them “as a petitioner with a proposed finding.”

The PACIT petitioner meets criterion 83.7(a) requiring petitioners to be identified as an American Indian entity since 1900. The PACIT finding concluded that identifications of a “Houma” population or group and other identifications of Pointe-au-Chien as a “Houma” settlement demonstrated continuous identifications of the PACIT as an Indian entity since 1900

The petitioner also meets three other criteria. It meets criterion 83.7(d), which requires petitioners to submit its governing documents, and criterion 83.7(f), which requires that a petitioning group be composed principally of persons who are not members of any already acknowledged Indian tribe. It also meets criterion 83.7(g), which prohibits the Department from acknowledging petitioners with congressional legislation forbidding a government-to-government relationship with them. The petitioner has not been the subject of such legislation. The petitioner also meets three other criteria. It meets criterion 83.7(d), which requires petitioners to submit its governing documents, and criterion 83.7(f), which requires that a petitioning group be composed principally of persons who are not members of any already acknowledged Indian tribe. It also meets criterion 83.7(g), which prohibits the Department from acknowledging petitioners with congressional legislation forbidding a government-to-government relationship with them. The petitioner has not been the subject of such legislation.

The PACIT petitioner does not meet three criteria. It does not meet criterion 83.7(b) requiring the petitioning group to comprise a distinct community from historical times to the present. The evidence does not show that the petitioner’s ancestors lived together in a community before 1830. After 1830, the PACIT meets criterion 83.7(b) during all periods. Between 1830 and 1940, it meets this criterion based on the 1994 UHN proposed finding, and after 1940, it meets it based on available evidence. Because the PACIT failed to meet criterion 83.7(b) before 1830, it has not demonstrated that it meets the requirements of this criterion.

The PACIT petitioner does not meet criterion 83.7(c) requiring that the petitioner show political influence and authority over members from historical times to the present. The PACIT has not demonstrated that it maintained political influence over its historical ancestors before 1830, but it meets this criterion between 1830 and 1940 based on the 1994 proposed finding on the UHN petitioner. For the period since 1940, the evidence available is sufficient to demonstrate the PACIT meets this criterion only since 1988.

The PACIT petitioner does not meet criterion 83.7(e) requiring that petitioners submit an official membership list and demonstrate that its members descend from a historical Indian tribe or tribes that combined and functioned as an autonomous political entity. The petitioner submitted a membership list of 682 members. An analysis of selected members showed most of them descend from at least one of two historical “Indians,” but those two individuals have not been shown to be part of a historical Indian tribe, or tribes that combined.

The Notice of Proposed Finding on the group known as the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe will be published in the Federal Register. As provided by the acknowledgment regulations at 25 CFR 83.10(i), the petitioner or any individual or organization wishing to challenge or support the proposed finding has 180 days after the notice’s publication date to submit arguments and evidence to rebut or support the proposed finding before a final determination is issued.

WASHINGTON – Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development – Indian Affairs George T. Skibine today announced a substantial enhancement in existing efforts to increase capital investment for business and economic development in Indian Country. Since the advent of the Indian Financing Act of 1974, Indian Affairs’ Guaranteed Loan, Insurance, and Interest Subsidy program has provided opportunities for tribal and Indian-owned businesses to obtain adequate credit in the capital investment market

“Sustainable economies are the foundations needed by tribes to continue their progress towards self-determination and self-governance and the full exercise of their governmental authority,” Skibine said. “The Guaranteed Loan Program is a significant tool to create jobs, businesses and sustainable economies that provide benefits to remote Indian reservations.”

Tribes and individual Indians have been historically, and continue to be, an underserved community for capital investment. Since 1974, about $948 million has been made available to help fund Indian-owned businesses. The program significantly leverages federally appropriated funds. For example, in 2006, an appropriation of $5.5 million allowed over $103 million in loans to be guaranteed for Indian-owned businesses.

To promote increased capital investment in Indian Country, the President requested an additional $2 million for the program in his FY2009 budget request to Congress. In addition to increased funding, Skibine announced that he is also directing the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) to establish four Credit Office Service Centers (COSC) around the country whose sole responsibilities will be to educate both lenders and borrowers about the benefits of investing in jobs and businesses in Indian Country and to provide training and services for Indian-owned businesses. These COSCs will significantly enhance the existing guaranteed loan activities in Indian Affairs by streamlining the training available to Credit Staff, increasing the staff members’ ability to collaborate with one another on projects, and fostering innovations in the program’s business practices.

“Through these Service Centers, we will be making a concerted effort to increase capital investment in Indian Country, either through our Guaranteed Loan Program or through the private capital investment market,” Skibine said. “The staff in these centers will get out in the field and actively promote business growth and investment in Indian Country. In addition, I have requested the IEED to set up a toll-free number where either lenders or borrowers can easily contact the appropriate Credit Staff to get information on the program or ask the status of guaranteed loan requests.”

The Credit Office Service Centers will be located in Albuquerque, N.M., Reston, Va., Lakewood, Colo., and Anchorage, Alaska. Although centrally located staff will allow the program to take full advantage of its economy of scale, they will hold lending conferences, seminars and business development workshops throughout Indian Country on a regular basis.

For more information on the current schedule for the conferences, seminars and workshops, or to learn more about the Guaranteed Loan, Insurance, and Interest Subsidy program and how tribally-owned or Indian-owned business ideas or existing businesses might benefit, please call 1-888-587-4396 or contact the IEED at 202-219-0740.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – President Bush has proposed a $2.2 billion budget for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for Fiscal Year 2008. The 2008 request is $7.0 million above the President’s 2007 budget request and $1.0 million below the 2007 continuing resolution. The budget includes two initiatives to ensure that future generations of Native Americans have safe and secure communities to call home and that Indian children attending BIE schools can fulfill their potential through education. The initiatives include new investments totaling $31.0 million to address the challenges to law enforcement and education in Indian communities.

“Raising the level of public safety in tribal communities, particularly those dealing with the devastating effects of methamphetamine use, and improving the performance of our schools is the focus of the President’s 2008 budget request for Indian Affairs,” said Interior Associate Deputy Secretary James E. Cason. “The request addresses priorities identified by tribal leaders and supports the No Child Left Behind Act goals of improving Indian student academic achievement.” Tribal leaders attest that the spread of methamphetamine within Indian Country has reached a crisis level in many Indian communities.

Tribal leaders across the nation have cited methamphetamine crime as the number one public safety problem on their reservations. The President’s 2008 budget request for the BIA’s Office of Justice Services provides $16.0 million for the Safe Indian Communities Initiative. The initiative’s focus is to assist tribes address drug and other law enforcement issues in Indian Country by providing $5.0 million for additional law enforcement officers, $5.0 million to increase staffing levels at Indian detention facilities and for training detention officers, and $6.0 million for specialized drug enforcement training for new and existing officers as well as public awareness campaigns for tribal communities on the dangers of methamphetamine.

The 2008 budget request for BIE programs is $660.5 million. To raise the level of student performance in BIE-funded schools and to increase the number of schools achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act, the request includes increases totaling $15.0 million for the Improving Indian Education Initiative. The request will support targeted intensive educational assistance to BIE-funded schools that have yet to achieve their AYP goals and proposes additional funding for student transportation, education program management and information technology.

Included in the request is $5.3 million to fund a new program element, Education Program Enhancements, to utilize resources for specific initiatives, projects, and new activities associated with targeted improvements to educational instruction and learning for BIE school students; an increase of $4.25 million for student transportation to offset higher fuel costs and to ensure that BIE school vehicles meet national and state safety standards; an increase of $3.6 million for Education Program Management to establish positions for specialists dedicated to the administration and management of data, contracts and school finances; and an increase of $1.85 million to fund the Native American Student Information System, an information management tool that will enable the BIE to better monitor school progress and analyze trends.

The Fiscal Year 2008 budget request for Construction is $197.6 million.

The 2008 budget request for school construction and repair is $139.8 million which includes $14.8 million to fully fund the replacement of the Circle of Life Survival School, a tribally administered K-12 day school on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota, and the Keams Canyon Elementary School, a BIE-administered K-6 day school on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. In addition, $22.6 million is requested to complete the replacement of structures at the Standing Rock Community School, a tribally administered K-12 day school on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, and to fully fund the replacement of dormitories at Riverside Indian School, an off-reservation BIE boarding school for grades four through 12 located in Anadarko, Okla.

The Education Construction budget request also includes $30.2 million for Major Facilities Improvement and Repair (FI&R) projects, $19.9 million for Minor FI&R projects, $50.7 million for annual maintenance, and $1.6 million for employee housing.

The 2008 budget request for Indian Land and Water Claims Settlements is $34.1 million of which $9.4 million is for two new settlements, including $7.0 million for the initial payment to the Puget Sound Regional Shellfish Settlement Trust Fund and $2.4 million for the initial payment towards the Pueblo of Isleta Settlement of 2006. Also requested is $16.2 million for the Snake River Water Rights settlement. The 2008 budget includes $10.7 million in reductions for two settlements completed in 2007: the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw settlement and the Quinault Indian Nation settlement.

The BIA request includes an increase of $41.3 million to fully cover fixed costs in Indian Affairs programs.

The BIA Fiscal Year 2008 budget request reflects the President’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The budget supports core mission program priorities and proposes reductions in programs which lack performance accountability or duplicate other Federal or State programs. This budget includes reductions for the Housing Improvement Program ($23.4 million), Rights Protection Programs ($3.8 million), Tribal Education Support Programs ($12.7 million), Contract Support ($2.0 million), Irrigation Operation and Maintenance ($1.5 million), and Environmental Quality Projects, Real Estate Services Projects and Forestry Projects ($4.0 million).

WASHINGTON – President Bush has proposed a $2.2 billion budget for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) for Fiscal Year 2008. The 2008 request is $7.0 million above the President’s 2007 budget request and $1.0 million below the 2007 continuing resolution. The budget includes two initiatives to ensure that future generations of Native Americans have safe and secure communities to call home and that Indian children attending BIE schools can fulfill their potential through education. The initiatives include new investments totaling $31.0 million to address the challenges to law enforcement and education in Indian communities.

“Raising the level of public safety in tribal communities, particularly those dealing with the devastating effects of methamphetamine use, and improving the performance of our schools is the focus of the President’s 2008 budget request for Indian Affairs,” said Interior Associate Deputy Secretary James E. Cason. “The request addresses priorities identified by tribal leaders and supports the No Child Left Behind Act goals of improving Indian student academic achievement.” Tribal leaders attest that the spread of methamphetamine within Indian Country has reached a crisis level in many Indian communities.

Tribal leaders across the nation have cited methamphetamine crime as the number one public safety problem on their reservations. The President’s 2008 budget request for the BIA’s Office of Justice Services provides $16.0 million for the Safe Indian Communities Initiative. The initiative’s focus is to assist tribes address drug and other law enforcement issues in Indian Country by providing $5.0 million for additional law enforcement officers, $5.0 million to increase staffing levels at Indian detention facilities and for training detention officers, and $6.0 million for specialized drug enforcement training for new and existing officers as well as public awareness campaigns for tribal communities on the dangers of methamphetamine.

The 2008 budget request for BIE programs is $660.5 million. To raise the level of student performance in BIE-funded schools and to increase the number of schools achieving Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act, the request includes increases totaling $15.0 million for the Improving Indian Education Initiative. The request will support targeted intensive educational assistance to BIE-funded schools that have yet to achieve their AYP goals and proposes additional funding for student transportation, education program management and information technology.

Included in the request is $5.3 million to fund a new program element, Education Program Enhancements, to utilize resources for specific initiatives, projects, and new activities associated with targeted improvements to educational instruction and learning for BIE school students; an increase of $4.25 million for student transportation to offset higher fuel costs and to ensure that BIE school vehicles meet national and state safety standards; an increase of $3.6 million for Education Program Management to establish positions for specialists dedicated to the administration and management of data, contracts and school finances; and an increase of $1.85 million to fund the Native American Student Information System, an information management tool that will enable the BIE to better monitor school progress and analyze trends.

The Fiscal Year 2008 budget request for Construction is $197.6 million.

The 2008 budget request for school construction and repair is $139.8 million which includes $14.8 million to fully fund the replacement of the Circle of Life Survival School, a tribally administered K-12 day school on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota, and the Keams Canyon Elementary School, a BIE-administered K-6 day school on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. In addition, $22.6 million is requested to complete the replacement of structures at the Standing Rock Community School, a tribally administered K-12 day school on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota, and to fully fund the replacement of dormitories at Riverside Indian School, an off-reservation BIE boarding school for grades four through 12 located in Anadarko, Okla.

The Education Construction budget request also includes $30.2 million for Major Facilities Improvement and Repair (FI&R) projects, $19.9 million for Minor FI&R projects, $50.7 million for annual maintenance, and $1.6 million for employee housing.

The 2008 budget request for Indian Land and Water Claims Settlements is $34.1 million of which $9.4 million is for two new settlements, including $7.0 million for the initial payment to the Puget Sound Regional Shellfish Settlement Trust Fund and $2.4 million for the initial payment towards the Pueblo of Isleta Settlement of 2006. Also requested is $16.2 million for the Snake River Water Rights settlement. The 2008 budget includes $10.7 million in reductions for two settlements completed in 2007: the Cherokee, Choctaw and Chickasaw settlement and the Quinault Indian Nation settlement.

The BIA request includes an increase of $41.3 million to fully cover fixed costs in Indian Affairs programs.

The BIA Fiscal Year 2008 budget request reflects the President’s commitment to fiscal discipline. The budget supports core mission program priorities and proposes reductions in programs which lack performance accountability or duplicate other Federal or State programs. This budget includes reductions for the Housing Improvement Program ($23.4 million), Rights Protection Programs ($3.8 million), Tribal Education Support Programs ($12.7 million), Contract Support ($2.0 million), Irrigation Operation and Maintenance ($1.5 million), and Environmental Quality Projects, Real Estate Services Projects and Forestry Projects ($4.0 million).

WASHINGTON – Interior Associate Deputy Secretary James E. Cason today issued a Final Determination to acknowledge the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, Inc., (Mashpee) as an Indian tribe. The Mashpee is a group of 1,453 members located on Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Mass.

On March 31, 2006, the Department issued a Proposed Finding recommending the Mashpee for Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe based on evidence presented in its petition. Since the 1620s the Mashpee has existed as a community distinct from other populations in the area. Social interactions and relationships among group members are maintained through kinship ties and residential proximity. The Mashpee has maintained political influence and authority over its members as an autonomous entity since first sustained contact. The exercise of political authority has taken many forms including political control of the town of Mashpee by the group from 1870 to 1974 and by an incorporated council from 1974 to the present. About 97 percent of the group’s current members have ancestors who were a part of the historical Mashpee tribe enumerated in a State report by John Milton Earle in 1861. Overall, the group presented evidence meeting all seven mandatory criteria of the Federal acknowledgment regulations (25 CFR Part 83).

The Department made the Final Determination following a review of the petitioner’s and public’s comments on the Proposed Finding, as well as the petitioner’s response to the public comments. The Office of the Attorney General of Massachusetts provided the only substantive comments from a third party. The Department considered these comments and concluded that they did not affect the decision to acknowledge the Mashpee as an Indian tribe.

Federal acknowledgment of a group as an Indian tribe establishes a government-to-government relationship between the United States and an Indian tribe and is a prerequisite to the protection, services, and benefits of the Federal government available to Indian tribes by virtue of their status as Indian tribes. This determination is final and effective 90 days after publication of a notice in the Federal Register unless any interested party requests reconsideration with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals.

For copies of the Proposed Finding and Final Determination, visit the Interior Department website at www.doi.gov/bia/federal_acknowledgment_decisions.html.

PHOENIX - Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne will meet with tribal leaders and law enforcement officials from tribes in Arizona at the Heard Museum on Thursday, Feb. 22 and hold a press conference on the President's budget proposals for Indian country.

The Secretary will meet with tribal chairman and other leaders to get their input on education and law enforcement needs. The President has proposed a $16 million increase to fund the Bureau of Indian Affairs' Safe Indian Communities Initiative, which will strengthen law enforcement capabilities on tribal lands to help combat the epidemic of methamphetamine use.

To raise the level of student performance in Bureau of Indian Education schools, the President's budget calls for an additional $15 million investment to improve Indian student academic achievement. The BIB system has 184 schools that educate about 50,000 students.

WHO: Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne W. Patrick Ragsdale, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs Thomas M. Dowd, Director, Bureau of Indian Education Tribal chairmen and law enforcement leaders of tribes in Arizona

WHAT: Press conference following meeting on education and law enforcement issues

WHEN: 12:00-12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Phelps Dodge Plaza (press check-in) Heard Museum 2301 N. Central Avenue Phoenix, AZ 85004

WASHINGTON -- Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today praised the U.S. Senate's confirmation of Carl J.' Artman to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs.

Artman, an enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin, currently serves as the department's Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs. He previously was chief counsel of the Oneida Tribe and served on the staff of U.S. Rep. Michael Oxley.

"Carl is an outstanding choice to oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs because of his extensive experience working with and for tribal governments as well as in the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government," Kempthorne said. "I have personally worked with him and know he will ably serve his fellow American Indians, Alaska Natives and all Americans as we address important issues, such as education, law enforcement and economic development in Indian Country."

As chief counsel for the Oneida Tribe, Artman managed all legal affairs of the tribe and provided legal guidance for tribal-wide reorganization and economic development. Artman also has experience with various telecommunications companies, including serving as general manager of development and operations for VoiceStream Wireless and vice president of legal affairs for Airadigm Communications.

Artman received his bachelor's degree from Columbia College in Columbia, Mo., and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

WASHINGTON – Carl J. Artman was sworn into office today as the Interior Department’s tenth Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. Artman is an enrolled member of the Oneida Tribe of Wisconsin whose nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 5, 2007.

“Carl is an outstanding choice to oversee the Bureau of Indian Affairs because of his extensive experience working with and for tribal governments as well as in the executive and legislative branches of the U.S. government,” said Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. “I have personally worked with him and know he will ably serve his fellow American Indians, Alaska Natives and all Americans as we address important issues, such as education, law enforcement and economic development in Indian Country.”

A public swearing-in ceremony with Secretary Kempthorne is expected to take place in Washington, D.C., within the coming month.

Artman, 41, had served as the Department’s Associate Solicitor for Indian Affairs since February 2006. Prior to joining the Solicitor’s Office, he served as chief counsel for the Oneida Tribe where he managed all legal affairs of the tribe and provided legal guidance for tribal-wide reorganization and economic development. He also has experience with various telecommunications companies, including serving as general manager of development and operations for VoiceStream Wireless and vice president of legal affairs for Airadigm Communications.

Artman received his bachelor’s degree from Columbia College in Columbia, Mo., and his law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs Director W. Patrick Ragsdale today announced that he has named Omar C. Bradley as the Regional Director for the BIA’s Navajo Regional Office in Gallup, N.M., which serves the 16 million­ acre Navajo Reservation located in western New Mexico, northeastern Arizona and southern Utah. Mr. Bradley, a member of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, had been serving as the acting regional director since May 2006. His appointment was effective February 4, 2007.

“Omar Bradley brings with him almost 30 years of experience working with BIA programs and tribal governments,” Ragsdale said. “I am pleased that the Bureau and the Navajo Nation will continue to benefit from his extensive knowledge and expertise.”

The Regional Director is the senior manager for the Navajo Region and provides executive direction for BIA program operations that deliver services to the Navajo Nation tribal government and the 220,000 tribal members living in the area either directly or under P.L. 93­ 639 contract with the tribe. His areas of responsibility include management oversight of the 16 million acres of the Navajo Indian Reservation and adjacent off­-reservation tribal trust lands and 950,000 acres of individually held allotted trust land located in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. He is responsible for the administration, execution and funding of trust services, water and natural resources management, forestry, fire management, irrigation, dam safety, housing, education, and social services programs as well as the construction and maintenance of over 6,000 miles of reservation roads.

Mr. Bradley began his BIA career in 1978 as a realty officer with the Bureau’s Southern Pueblos Agency in Albuquerque, a position he held for the next 12 years. In 1990, he was promoted to Natural Resources Program Administrator where he was responsible for the oversight and delivery of natural resources programs and activities to 10 Pueblo tribes and over one million trust acres within the agency’s jurisdiction. During these years, Mr. Bradley also periodically served as the acting agency superintendent for his and other BIA agencies including the Mescalero Agency in Mescalero, N.M., and the Ute Mountain Ute Agency in Towaoc, Colo. As the acting superintendent he was responsible for the daily administration and management of all agency program services to the federally recognized tribes within their areas.

In 1998, he became the Regional Water Rights Protection Manager in the Bureau’s Albuquerque Area Office (now known as the Southwest Regional Office) where he was responsible for water management, irrigation construction, operations and maintenance, and dam safety on trust lands belonging to 24 federally recognized tribes. He held the position until 2000 when he was named Deputy Regional Director for the Navajo Regional Office.

As Deputy Regional Director, Mr. Bradley was the principal advisor to the Regional Director for all program activities under the jurisdiction of the Navajo Regional Office and was responsible for all day-­to-­day managerial and technical functions of the regional office and its agencies and field offices on the Navajo Reservation.

Following a reorganization of the BIA, his title changed in 2004 to Deputy Regional Director for Trust Services. His responsibilities included the day­-to­day administration and management of the BIA’s trust programs servicing the Navajo Nation, implementation of the Interior Department’s Comprehensive Trust Management Plan, and overseeing the work of BIA trust program employees. He held the title of Deputy Regional Director for Trust Services until May 2006.

Mr. Bradley received a bachelor’s degree in University Studies in 1974 and a master’s degree in Business Administration in 1975 from the University of New Mexico. That same year, he began his career in serving tribal communities as a business economic development specialist with the All Indian Development Association, a non­profit organization in Albuquerque, N.M. As such, he was responsible for promoting and facilitating business development among the 24 tribes located in New Mexico and southern Colorado, including the Navajo Nation. He remained with the AIDA until 1978, when he was hired by the BIA.

Mr. Bradley currently resides within the Manuelito Chapter jurisdiction of the Eastern Navajo portion of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico.

WASHINGTON - Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Carl J. Artman today announced the departure of Michael D. Olsen, currently the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, who is going to work for the Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management in the Department of the Interior where he will assume the position of Deputy Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. Artman also announced that effective Monday, April 2, 2007, George T. Skibine, who currently serves as Director of the Office of Indian Gaming Management and as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development - Indian Affairs, will become acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary.

"I want to thank Mike Olsen for his steady leadership as the Department has sought to improve the administration of Indian programs and for his leadership on natural resources, gaming, Federal acknowledgment, and in elevating the Department's profile on economic issues for Indian Country," Artman said. "We wish him well in his new position."

Olsen has been the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary since June 11, 2006, after having served for 18 months as the acting PDAS. He joined the Department in May 2003 as Counselor to the Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs where he served as an advisor to the Assistant Secretary and other senior departmental officials on Indian affairs, natural resources and land issues, and legislative matters. Olsen had worked previously for the House Committee on Resources (now the Committee on Natural Resources) and for the Washington, D.C., law firms of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Keller and Heckman LLP. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and BYU's J. Reuben Clark Law School.

"George Skibine is an able executive with long experience in Indian Affairs and I am pleased that he will provide needed continuity while the search is undertaken for a permanent Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary," Artman said.

Skibine, an enrolled member of the Osage Tribe of Oklahoma, has directed the Indian Gaming Management Office since 1995 and has served as the acting Deputy Assistant Secretary since 2004. His experience at the Interior Department includes having served as an attorney and later as Deputy Associate Solicitor for the Division of Indian Affairs within the Office of the Solicitor after having spent several years at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Skibine holds an economics degree from the University of Chicago and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School.

The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs serves as the first assistant and principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary on policies regarding the administration of Office of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) programs.