OPA

Office of Public Affairs

BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: April 30, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED), is soliciting proposals from tribes. The grants will be funded through IEED’s Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP) that enables tribes to assess, evaluate and promote the development of tribal energy and mineral resources. A formal solicitation was published in the Federal Register on April 27, 2010, by the Department of the Interior.

“Tribal lands have invaluable energy resources and great potential to harness projects that can be utilized to help Indian Country prosper,” Echo Hawk said. “This grant opportunity will help tribal leaders and tribal resource managers to develop concrete ways of promoting energy and mineral resources on Indian trust lands for the economic benefit of Indian mineral owners.”

The EMDP strives to expand the knowledge base through which tribes, either by themselves or with industry partners, can bring new energy resources into the marketplace through a comprehensive understanding of the potential of their undeveloped resources. A strong knowledge base will ensure that resources are produced in an environmentally acceptable manner. The EMDP funds both conventional and renewable energy projects. This is the first year where there is a specific amount of funds set aside for renewable energy projects. Some of the key components to consider when submitting a proposal are:

  • On the mineral side, tribes are especially encouraged to submit projects that emphasize the use of construction minerals, such as sand and gravel.
  • A key element of any project should be the impact that potential development will have on creating new jobs and income for the tribal community.
  • There is a 60-day period for tribes to develop proposals and submit them to IEED for evaluation, ranking, and award.
  • EMDP funding can only be made available to tribes whose lands are held in trust or restricted fee by the Federal government.

For general questions about the EMDP and the grant submission process contact Robert Anderson at (720) 407-0602 or robert.anderson@bia.gov

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, whose mission is to foster stronger American Indian and Alaska Native communities by helping federally recognized tribes with employment and workforce training programs; helping tribes develop their renewable and non-renewable energy and mineral resources; and increasing access to capital for tribal and individual American Indian- and Alaska Native-owned businesses. For more information about IEED programs and services, visit http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/IEED/index.htm.


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/echo-hawk-announces-fy-2010-energy-and-mineral-development-program
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: May 7, 2010

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that he has selected Keith O. Moore as Director of the Bureau of Indian Education. Moore, an enrolled member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota, had been serving as the Chief Diversity Officer at the University of South Dakota since August 15, 2009. He takes over from the acting BIE director, Bartholomew “Bart” Stevens. Moore’s appointment will become effective on June 1, 2010.

“Keith Moore has served Indian Country as a dedicated educational administrator for many years,” Echo Hawk said. “I will rely on him as part of my senior management team as we move forward to improve the quality of education in Indian Country. He will be responsible for the line direction and management of all education functions, including the formation of policies and procedures, the supervision of all program activities and the approval of the expenditure of funds appropriated for education functions.”

“I am pleased with Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk’s efforts to strengthen his management team with the selection of Keith Moore as BIE Director,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. “I am pleased to see that this addition will enable Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk to continue carrying forward our initiatives to improve the lives, and quality of education, of the American Indian and Alaska Native people.”

Prior to becoming the BIE director, Moore had served since August 2009 as the Chief Diversity Officer at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D. In that capacity, he served as principal advisor and coordinator of policies and programs aimed at achieving the university’s diversity goals. Answering directly to the Provost, some of the projects he worked on while at USD have been the South Dakota Partnership for Teacher Quality (PTQ), the Race To the Top Proposal for South Dakota, and the American Indian University at Crazy Horse Memorial Monument.

The PTQ is intended to increase student achievement in K-12 schools by developing highly qualified teachers. The Race To the Top Proposal for South Dakota is another project he has worked on. Its primary goal is to connect the tribes and the state in a collaborative effort to develop a Native American Residential Science, Technology, Engineering and Math School. The American Indian University at Crazy Horse Memorial Monument is a summer program to take place in June 2010. Its purpose is to prepare individuals for the rigors of college, give accepted students introductory university courses that can be transferred to any regionally accredited college or university, offer paid internships at the Memorial, and to fulfill the mission of the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation.

On July 1, 2005, he was named Indian Education Director for the South Dakota State Department of Education, where he was a liaison between the Department and tribal education officials, BIE offices in Aberdeen, S.D., and Albuquerque, N.M., K-12 educators and the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Indian Education. During his tenure, projects he directed or was involved with included an Indian Education Summit, Indian Education Advisory Council in South Dakota, the National Indian Education Advisory Committee, the Indian Education Act of 2007 in South Dakota, the U.S. Department of Education Office of Indian Education National Conference, Project Director GEAR UP South Dakota (GUSD), I LEAD, South Dakota College Access Challenge Grant (SDCAC), and Core Concepts Planning Grant (CCPG).

“I am deeply honored to have this opportunity to lead the Bureau of Indian Education,” Moore said. “I want to thank Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk for his confidence and to affirm my commitment to carrying out the BIE’s mission to provide quality education opportunities for American Indian and Alaska Natives in accordance with their tribes’ needs for cultural and economic well-being and in keeping with the wide diversity of tribes as distinct cultural and governmental entities.”

Moore graduated in 1990 from Northern State University in Aberdeen with a B.S. degree in Health and Physical Education/Social Sciences. He received a M.A. degree in Educational Administration from South Dakota State University - Brookings in 2002. He also holds a Governor Rounds’ South Dakota Leadership Development Program Masters level certification and a Specialist Degree in Educational Leadership from Montana State University - Bozeman 2009. Moore is 43 years old and married with four daughters.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education which operates the federal school system for American Indian and Alaska Native children from the federally recognized tribes. The BIE implements federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, in and provides funding to 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states and serving approximately 42,000 students (School Year 2009-2010). The BIE also serves post secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 26 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges. It also directly operates two post secondary institutions: Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque.


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/echo-hawk-selects-keith-o-moore-bie-director-post-0
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: May 17, 2010

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and NIKE, Inc. The MOU presents an opportunity for both the BIE and Nike to address health and social lifestyle choices in American Indian and Alaska Native communities that contribute to disease and other medical conditions. Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Paul Tsosie was present on behalf of Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk for the signing ceremony May 12, 2010, at Nike’s World Headquarters in Beaverton, Ore.

“This MOU is one important step towards acknowledging the collaboration needed across Indian Country to help promote healthy lifestyles,” Echo Hawk said. “It is an opportunity for students and teachers to promote BIE’s Health Promotion Initiative to Eliminate Health Disparities. I am pleased to see the partnership between the BIE and Nike occur so that we can work together to improve and enhance our students’ awareness of the importance of healthy minds and bodies.”

Craig Cheek, Nike North America Vice President and General Manager, signed the MOU on behalf of NIKE, Inc. “We celebrate this signing as a milestone in our work to deepen connections with Native American communities around creating opportunities for health and wellness, and providing access to sport for young people.”

Under this MOU, the BIE and Nike will launch a campaign with a series of healthy lifestyle messages for Indian Country. The campaign will focus on bringing the best health information to American Indian and Alaska Native communities to help them gain a better understanding of the importance for every individual to exercise at any age, particularly those with diabetes. The BIE and Nike hope to motivate individuals to take charge of their healthcare with a healthy exercise program.

The BIE and Nike agree to collaborate in the following areas:

  • Promote healthy lifestyles and healthy choices for all American Indian and Alaska Natives through program activities, such as co-sponsored educational and informational events, marathons, and sports demonstrations.
  • Improve communication with, and among, tribes and tribal organizations to exchange information relevant to healthy lifestyles and fitness choices in an effort to combat diabetes, a disease that affects nearly 13 percent of the American Indian and Alaska Native population.

NIKE, Inc began its programs for Native American communities in the U.S. more than 10 years ago. Through its N7 program, Nike provides grants to sports and physical fitness programs to American Indian and Alaska Native communities aiming to create access to sport for the youth of these communities. The development of the Nike Air Native N7 shoe and N7 Collection supports the N7 Fund, which provides grants to sports and physical fitness programs. For more information, visit www.niken7.com.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, which operates the federal school system for American Indian and Alaska Native children from the federally recognized tribes. The BIE implements federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, and provides funding to 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states--serving approximately 42,000 students (School Year 2009-2010). The BIE also serves post-secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 26 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges. It directly operates two post secondary institutions: Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M.


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/echo-hawk-announces-mou-between-bie-and-nike-inc
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: May 21, 2010

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Division of Transportation has obligated to-date $29.9 million of $38.7 million in funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (P.L. 111-5) to perform maintenance on transportation infrastructure on the Navajo Nation reservation in northeastern Arizona. These ARRA-funded maintenance projects will enhance or repair approximately 760 miles of roads and repair 41 bridges used by residents and visitors travelling through the Navajo Nation.

“Having a well-maintained transportation infrastructure is critical for ensuring public health and safety, the free flow of commerce and obtaining an education, especially in Indian Country,” Echo Hawk said. “Funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has made it possible for the Bureau of Indian Affairs to improve miles of roads and bridges on the Navajo Nation reservation that are used by thousands of residents and visitors every day.”

Of the 70,000 to 100,000 miles of roads known to be on the Navajo Nation reservation, 10,000 are in the BIA’s Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) inventory, and only 1,500 of the 10,000 miles are paved. All of the Bureau’s roads on the 16 million-acre reservation are public roadways which serve the residents of both the Navajo and Hopi reservations, some with traffic of up to 20,000 vehicles per day. The roads service approximately 70 schools and 25 health care facilities within the Navajo Nation as well as seven counties and three states: Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

The BIA Navajo Regional Office in Gallup, N.M., awarded a $23.8 million contract on March 30, 2010, to International Surfacing System of Chandler, Ariz., to apply rubberized chip sealing on 305 miles of paved roads under the Division’s Road Maintenance Program for Road and Bridge Repair and Restoration (R&R). Separately, $1.8 million was awarded by the Bureau to San Juan County, Utah, for maintenance of BIA roads within the county.

The Navajo Regional Office began its R&R field work in November 2009, and work is scheduled to continue through 2010.

The roads are being rehabilitated to ensure the life-cycle of the targeted road surfaces are extended for many years. Funds will be used to prevent roads and bridges from deteriorating further to unacceptable conditions or from becoming unsafe by replacing missing or badly deteriorated road features such as guard rails, fencing, bridges, bridge railings, signal lights, pot holes and ruts, and re-marking roads so that centerlines and passing lanes are visible for drivers.

The repairs made possible by the ARRA funds will bring quality-of-life improvements for residents such as reductions in missed school days and law enforcement and emergency response times due to bad road conditions, as well as improved access to medical facilities and quicker delivery of goods to schools and businesses.

The current list of the Indian Affairs ARRA projects can be found at the following link: http://recovery.doi.gov/press/bureaus/bureau-of-indian-affairs/.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act offers a unique opportunity to invest in improvements to American Indian communities that enhance the long-term economic development potential and promote near-term economic recovery. The $500 million allocated to the Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education will repair and upgrade Indian schools and detention centers, construct reservation housing, provide for road and bridge maintenance, spur economic development, and train a workforce with viable skills that can be used now and in the future.

-DOI-

Note to Editors: A map of the Navajo and Hopi reservations with the locations of the ARRA funded road projects may be viewed via the following link: http://www.indianaffairs.gov/idc/groups/xopa/documents/stillimage/idc00…. Source: Navajo Region Division of Transportation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior.


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/echo-hawk-announces-387-million-arra-funding-perform-maintenance
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: June 25, 2010

WASHINGTON – Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs George T. Skibine on June 13, 2010, issued a final determination that affirms the proposed finding of December 15, 2009, to acknowledge the Shinnecock Indian Nation (Petitioner #4) as an Indian tribe. This petitioner, located in Southampton, Suffolk County, N.Y., has 1,292 members.

The evidence in the record for the proposed finding demonstrated that the petitioner met all seven of the mandatory criteria for Federal acknowledgment as set forth in 25 CFR 83.7. The Department did not receive comments from any party other than the petitioner during the comment period. Its comment did not change the overall findings of the proposed finding that the petitioner meets all seven mandatory criteria. In accordance with the regulations (section 83.6(c)), a petitioning group that meets all seven criteria is an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. Therefore, the Department affirms the proposed finding to acknowledge the Shinnecock petitioner.

This final determination treats the Shinnecock Indian tribe of New York that existed in 1789 as the ―historical Indian tribe.‖ Only three years later in 1792, an act passed by the State of New York re-organized this tribe as a trusteeship. At the time, its members lived on a leasehold created in 1703 in Southampton, N.Y. The new law provided for annual elections of three Indian trustees, and these trustee elections have taken place from 1792 to the present. The trustees have allocated the group’s land and resources consistently for almost 220 years. The proposed finding found that the petitioner met the acknowledgment criteria by demonstrating that it has evolved from this historical Shinnecock Indian tribe of New York and has continuously existed. This final determination affirms the proposed finding.

The petitioner commented on the procedural evaluation in the proposed finding that found that the evidence in the record did not demonstrate that the Federal government had ever recognized the Shinnecock Indian tribe, but knew of its state relationship. The evidence submitted with the petitioner’s comments reinforced the proposed finding that the Federal government has never recognized the Shinnecock Indian tribe. Therefore, the provisions of the regulations (83.8) relating to previously acknowledged Indian tribes, that would have reduced the petitioner’s evidentiary burden, did not apply to the evaluation of the Shinnecock petitioner.

The Shinnecock petitioner meets the seven criteria and affirms the proposed finding as follows:

Criterion 83.7(a) requires that external observers have identified the petitioner as an American Indian entity on a substantially continuous basis since 1900. This final determination affirms the proposed finding that state and local government officials, missionaries, journalists, and others have identified the petitioning group continuously as an American Indian entity since 1900, and the petitioner meets this criterion.

Criterion 83.7(b) requires that a predominant portion of the petitioning group has comprised a distinct community since historical times. The proposed finding did not use direct evidence as described at 83.7(1) and 83.7(i)-(iv) to demonstrate the group meets this criterion. Rather, it found that the petitioner meets criterion 83.7(b) from 1789 to the present based on its meeting criterion 83.7(c) using "high" evidence described at 83.7(c)(2)(i) for the same period. The regulations at 83.7(b)(2)(v) provide a "crossover" provision for groups with especially high evidence for demonstrating criterion 83.7(c). This final determination affirms those findings.

Criterion 83.7(c) requires that the petitioning group has maintained political influence over its members as an autonomous entity since historical times. The proposed finding determined that because the group’s three elected trustees have allocated and managed the reservation’s lands and resources since 1792, it demonstrated it meets this criterion using "high" evidence described at 83.7(c)(2)(i). This final determination affirms those findings.

Criterion 83.7(d) requires that the petitioner provide a copy of its governing document including its membership criteria. The proposed finding determined that the petitioner described its membership criteria and how it governs itself for this process. This final determination affirms these findings.

Criterion 83.7(e) requires that the petitioner’s members descend from a historical Indian tribe. The evidence in the record shows that at least 97 percent of the 1,292 members descend from the historical 1789 Shinnecock tribe, as determined by their descent from the 1865 reservation residents listed in the New York State census. Thus, this final determination affirms the proposed finding—but with a revised membership total and percentage of descent—that the petitioner meets this criterion.

Criterion 83.7(f) requires that the petitioner’s membership be composed principally of persons who are not members of another federally recognized Indian tribe. The proposed finding determined that the petitioner meets this criterion, and this final determination affirms that finding. Only ten members are enrolled in other federally recognized tribes, including Ft. Sill Apache, Hoopa Valley, Mashantucket Pequot, Navajo, Taos Pueblo, and White Mountain Apache.

Criterion 83.7(g) requires that the petitioner not be subject to congressional legislation that has terminated or forbidden the Federal relationship. This final determination affirms the proposed finding that there is no act of Congress or other legal impediment to the Department’s acknowledging the group as a Federal tribe.

In view of the receipt of minimal substantive comments, the Department has not produced a report or summary under the criteria for the final determination other than the Federal Register notice. Therefore, the Federal Register notice is the Final Determination.

The petitioner or an interested party may request reconsideration by the Interior Board of Indian Appeals of this Final Determination. The settlement agreement provides a 30-day deadline for filing an appeal.

The Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Interior Department’s trust responsibilities and promoting self-determination on behalf of the 564 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments. When the decision becomes final and effective for the Department, the Shinnecock Indian Nation will be the 565th federally recognized Indian tribe. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is responsible for providing services to approximately 1.8 million individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes, and the Office of Federal Acknowledgment (OFA), which is responsible for administering the Federal acknowledgment process.

The Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs delegated authority to sign certain Federal acknowledgment findings, including this proposed finding, to the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary–Indian Affairs effective June 4, 2009. Copies of the Federal Register notice will be posted on the Department of the Interior website at http://www.doi.gov.

FEDERAL REGISTER VOL. 75, NO.117, JUNE 18, 2010


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/skibine-issues-final-determination-acknowledge-shinnecock-indian
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Frank Quimby, 202-208-6416
For Immediate Release: June 23, 2010

WASHINGTON, DC – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today applauded the Senate’s confirmation of Tracie Stevens as chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission. The President nominated Stevens on April 28, 2010.

“Tracie Stevens brings to the commission a wealth of expertise and experience from a distinguished career working on both tribal government and gaming issues,” Salazar said. “She will be an outstanding chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission.”

Stevens, an enrolled member of the Tulalip Tribes in Washington State, most recently served as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk. In this role, Stevens provided policy guidance to the Assistant Secretary regarding tribal issues such as gaming, law enforcement, energy, tribal consultation, economic development, land-into-trust, tribal government disputes, budget priorities, and treaty and natural resource rights. She has also been active in rebuilding the nation-to-nation relationship between Tribes and the Department of Interior.

The National Indian Gaming Commission's primary mission is to regulate gaming activities on Indian lands for the purpose of shielding Indian tribes from organized crime and other corrupting influences. The independent Commission also works to ensure that Indian tribes are the primary beneficiaries of gaming revenue and that gaming is conducted fairly and honestly by both operators and players.

To achieve these goals, the commission is authorized to conduct investigations and undertake enforcement actions, including the issuance of notices of violation, assessment of civil fines, and/or issuance of closure orders. The Commission conducts background investigations and audits and reviews and approves tribal gaming ordinances. Under the legislation establishing the Commission, at least two of the three commissioners must be enrolled members of a federally recognized Indian tribe, and no more than two members may be of the same political party.

For the past 12 years, Stevens worked in various capacities for her tribe in both government and business operations. In her most recent position as senior policy analyst with the Tulalip Tribes’ government affairs office, Stevens managed day-to-day operations, including overseeing external public affairs and government relations functions. She also carried out advocacy and networking efforts, and served on state, regional and national Indian gaming-related boards and committees. She had served previously as a legislative policy analyst in the government affairs office, working on tribal sovereignty, treaty rights and tribal governance issues.

Stevens began her professional career at the Tulalip Tribes’ casino where she developed expertise in business management and administration. Her work in human resource management, employee recruitment and training, and operations planning and analysis eventually led her to becoming the Tulalip Casino’s executive director for strategic planning.

Stevens received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Social Sciences from the University of Washington-Seattle in 2006.


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/salazar-commends-senates-confirmation-tracie-stevens-chair-national
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

Salazar, Echo Hawk: “Actions Must be ‘Principled and Transparent’”

Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: June 28, 2010

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior will continue to process eligible pending applications for gaming on Indian lands while it consults and collaborates with tribal leaders in a comprehensive review of federal Indian gaming policy, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk said today.

“Secretary Salazar believes that the Interior Department needs to establish clear guidelines for how it will review and make decisions on Indian gaming applications or requests under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act,” Echo Hawk said. “I agree with the common-sense approach outlined in Secretary Salazar’s memorandum on Indian gaming. With this guidance, we intend to continue to move forward not only on pending applications and requests for gaming on Indian lands, but also on meaningful consultation on federal Indian gaming policy in accordance with President Obama’s commitment to the government-to-government relationship with tribal nations.”

The Interior Department’s path forward on Indian gaming policy is outlined in a memorandum from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk.

The Interior Department, through the Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, has the authority and responsibility to review and approve applications to take land into trust for Indian gaming, adhering to the legal standards set forth in federal law, including the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and the Indian Reorganization Act. Congress enacted IGRA to provide a basis for gaming by federally recognized tribes “as a means of promoting tribal economic development, self-sufficiency, and strong tribal governments.”

Revenues from tribal gaming are used for specific purposes, including funding tribal government operations and programs, and providing for the general welfare of the tribe and its members. Proceeds from gaming can allow a tribe to provide greatly needed services such as health care, education and housing, thereby increasing the tribe’s self-reliance, one of the Act’s goals.

Under IGRA’s implementing regulations, Interior also has the responsibility to determine whether gaming can occur on lands acquired after IGRA’s enactment in 1988. The Act established two distinct types of post-1988 Indian gaming applications or requests: “Off Reservation” Land-in-Trust/Gaming Requests [25 U.S.C. Section 2719(b)(1)(A)] and Reservation and Equal Footing Exceptions [25 U.S.C. Sections 2719(a) and (b)(1)(B)].

In the more than twenty 20 years since IGRA was passed, Interior has approved only five applications under the “off reservation,” or “two-part” determination, provision and only 36 applications under the reservation and equal footing exceptions.

In accordance with the Secretary’s memorandum, the Assistant Secretary will undertake a review of issues raised by off-reservation gaming applications, including an examination of current guidance and regulatory standards and consultation with tribes, to guide Interior’s decision making in this area. As noted by the Secretary in his memorandum, the adoption of “principled and transparent” criteria regarding such determinations will lead to sound federal Indian gaming policy on two-part determination applications and requests.

In addition, the Assistant Secretary will work with the Interior Solicitor to determine whether the lands in certain other applications are eligible for gaming under the reservation and equal footing exceptions of IGRA.

Click here to view the memorandum at http://www.doi.gov/tribes/loader.cfm?csModule=security/getfile&PageID=3…


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/interior-details-path-forward-indian-gaming-policy
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: June 28, 2010

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Michael S. Black today announced that he has named Weldon “Bruce” Loudermilk as Regional Director of the BIA’s Great Plains Regional Office in Aberdeen, S.D. Loudermilk, an enrolled member of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, had been serving as the acting regional director since March 18, 2010. The Great Plains Regional Office oversees 12 agencies serving 16 federally recognized tribes located within the states of Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. His appointment became effective on June 20, 2010.

“I am pleased that Bruce Loudermilk has joined my regional management team as the Bureau of Indian Affairs Great Plains Regional Director,” said Black. “His substantial knowledge of BIA tribal programs, his expertise in trust management and his private sector experience make him well-suited to carrying out the BIA’s mission of service to the tribes.”

“I am very honored to become a part of BIA Director Mike Black’s and Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk’s regional directors team,” said Loudermilk. “I am looking forward to working with them in their efforts to improve the BIA’s delivery of services to the tribes throughout the Great Plains Region and across Indian Country.”

Prior to becoming the acting regional director, Loudermilk had served since March 2, 2008, as the Great Plains Deputy Regional Director-Indian Services where he provided programmatic oversight in the areas of self-determination, human services, tribal government, transportation, housing, environmental, safety and cultural resource management.

Loudermilk began his 20-year federal career in May 1990 in the transportation division of the Bureau’s Billings (Montana) Area Office (now Rocky Mountain Regional Office). Prior to becoming the deputy regional director, Loudermilk served in the Interior Department’s Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) as a Financial Trust Services Officer (May 1998-June 2005) and as a Fiduciary Trust Officer (July 2005-March 2008), both of which were also located in the Rocky Mountain Regional Office.

During his tenure with the OST, Loudermilk helped carry out the Department’s responsibility for Indian trust management by providing fiduciary trust oversight for tribal and individual Indian money accounts (IIMs). He also assisted in defining OST’s fiduciary trust management roles and responsibilities through the development and implementation of regulations, policies and procedures at agency, regional and national levels.

Loudermilk also brings with him private sector experience from the financial services, energy (oil and gas) exploration and petroleum technology industries.

Loudermilk holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from what is now Montana State University-Billings (1989). He is a graduate of the DOI’s Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program, Class #14 (May 2006).

Also in 2006, Loudermilk received his designation as a Certified Indian Fiduciary Trust Specialist from the Cannon Financial Institute of Athens, Ga., a provider of professional development and training to the financial services industry.


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/black-names-weldon-bruce-loudermilk-great-plains-regional-director
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
Media Contact: Blake Androff (DOI) 202-208-6416 // Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: December 5, 2012

WASHINGTON, DC. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar joined leaders from the 566 federally recognized tribes and senior government officials today at the White House Tribal Nations Conference hosted by President Obama. The conference, the fourth held during the Obama Administration, continues to build upon the President’s commitment to strengthen the nation to nation relationship with Indian Country.

Held at the Department of the Interior, the conference also featured remarks from Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin, Acting Secretary of Commerce Rebecca Blank, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.

Secretary Salazar’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below:

A Moral Imperative: Building a Strong Foundation for a Prosperous Future for American Indians and Alaska Natives

Good morning.

Thank you all for coming. I know many tribal leaders have traveled across the nation to be at the fourth White House Tribal Nations Conference, and I see many familiar faces in the audience.

From the beginning, President Obama has made it a top priority to help bring real and lasting change in Indian Country and to open a new chapter with the First Americans.

When President Obama took office, he pledged that his Administration would uphold not just a government-to-government relationship with tribes, but a nation-to-nation relationship.

In close consultation with leaders here and across Indian Country, we have done just that.

This Administration has a comprehensive agenda to reform, repair and rebuild federal relations with Indian Country to ensure that American Indians and Alaska Natives get the opportunities they deserve.

This means respecting the inherent sovereignty of tribal nations and making sure the federal government is honoring its commitments.

This means fulfilling our trust responsibilities to tribal nations and trust resources.

This means working cooperatively to build stronger economies and safer communities.

And this means helping fulfill your vision for your nations; helping your communities achieve their promise; helping your cultures flourish.

You’ll be hearing from leaders from across the government today, but I want to spend a few minutes talking about what we’ve done at Interior over the past four years – because the accomplishments are real, and the impacts they will have are meaningful.

We have been lucky to have had Larry Echo Hawk serve as a strong advocate for three years in his role as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. And we are lucky to see his leadership carried on through Del Laverdure, and now through our newly confirmed Assistant Secretary, Kevin Washburn.

As you know, Deputy Secretary David J. Hayes, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Roberts, and Solicitor Hilary Tompkins are also leading the charge when it comes to important issues that impact Indian Country.

With their help, and with the help of many people in this room – like Jefferson Keel and Jackie Johnson with the National Congress of American Indians – we have seen real results that are helping to build safer, stronger, healthier, and more prosperous Indian communities.

First, we have worked to restore tribal homelands. When we started, there seemed to be a de facto moratorium on trust land applications. In 2007 and 2008, Interior had acquired only 15,000 acres in trust on behalf of tribes.

Thanks to the great work of BIA Director Mike Black and his team, since 2009, Interior broke that logjam and has acquired more than 190,000 acres of land into trust. We’ve processed over 1,000 requests for land acquisitions that will allow for agriculture, energy, infrastructure, health and housing projects to move forward and strengthen tribal economies.

Moreover, Indian County deserves responsive and responsible business practices when it comes to acquiring land into trust and managing funds generated from such lands. That’s why we’ve established a Trust Reform Commission to undertake a forward-looking, comprehensive evaluation of our trust management.

We know that the federal government must be more transparent and customer-friendly in managing Indian funds and assets, and I look forward to receiving the Commission’s recommendations. I am grateful for the leadership that Chairwoman Fawn Sharp and Commissioners Tex Hall, Peterson Zah, Bob Anderson and Stacey Leeds are providing on this important effort.

Of course, one of the most significant developments regarding our trust responsibilities was when President Obama signed the Claims Resolution Act of 2010.

Just last week, the settlement of the Cobell litigation cleared the final legal hurdle. Now, after more than 16 years of contentious litigation that created a great fissure between the United States and American Indians, this painful chapter in our nation’s history is over.

The $3.4 billion Cobell settlement has the potential to profoundly change and improve the lives of American Indians and the administration of American Indian trusts.

At Interior, we will be working to implement the Trust Land Consolidation Program that will free up land for the benefit of tribal communities. We need to work together to solve the fractionation problem that has plagued Indian Country for decades.

I am pleased that, as part of the settlement, Elouise Cobell’s legacy will include the $60 million Scholarship Fund for American Indian and Alaska Native students.

Building on Cobell, the Administration has engaged tribes in nation-to-nation negotiations that have led to 59 additional settlements totaling over $1.1 billion to resolve long-standing trust accounting and trust management claims.

The Cobell settlement – and the work to successfully settle tribal trust cases – marks the beginning of true trust reform and is nothing short of historic.

Second, the Obama administration is working to strengthen tribal economies through the development of water, energy, and infrastructure projects on tribal lands.

This starts with a reenergized commitment to meeting the critical water needs of Native American communities. Water is the lifeblood of communities, and President Obama has signed landmark legislation on six historic water rights settlements.

I have been honored to travel over the past three years across the country to help celebrate the water settlements and projects that will deliver water to these communities – many for the first time. The settlements include: Taos Pueblo and Aamodt case pueblos, including the Pojoaque, Tesuque, San Ildefonso, and Nambe pueblos in New Mexico; as well as the Crow Tribe in Montana; the White Mountain Apache Tribe in Arizona; the Navajo Nation in New Mexico; and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes in Nevada.

These settlements will provide more than $2 billion to some of the most poverty-stricken regions in the nation. For these communities, the permanent water supply will vastly improve their quality of life and will offer greater economic security both now and in the future.

When it comes to Indian gaming, we have made timely and balanced decisions on applications based on law and regulations. Rather than letting applications languish, we’ve made 23 decisions in 29 months. These projects have the potential to add tens of thousands of jobs in Indian Country.

We are also working to engage tribal governments in the President’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to safely and responsibly expand our nation’s domestic energy resources.

We know that tribal lands hold great capacity for solar, wind and geothermal projects, and we are committed to helping you unlock that potential. In June, we approved the first-ever, utility-scale solar project on tribal lands. The Moapa Band of Paiute Indians of Nevada partnered on this trailblazing effort to develop a 350-megawatt solar energy project that will help power over 100,000 homes and generate 400 jobs at peak construction.

And in October, I was on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota with Chairman Tex Hall, Del Laverdure and Mike Black to approve the Three Affiliated Tribes ‘land-into-trust’ application. The land will be used to build the first new refinery in the United States in more than 30 years - and the only tribally-owned refinery in the lower 48 states.

These two projects are historic in nature, not just for their energy but also for their potential to transform the tribes’ economies. We can, and should, do more of this across the nation.

These same principles of enhancing tribal self-determination and promoting meaningful economic development opportunities were embodied in the HEARTH Act that many worked so hard to enact into law, and which President Obama signed earlier this year.

And this past month, Interior took another step to give tribes and individual Indians greater control over their own lands with the finalization of the most sweeping reform of federal surface leasing regulations in more than 50 years. The new regulations remove bureaucratic red tape and streamline the approval for home ownership, expedite economic development and spur renewable energy.

With the HEARTH Act and the new leasing regulations in place, individuals and tribes will have the ability to do fundamental things, like buy a home or build a business. Third, President Obama is investing in the next generation through our efforts to create educational opportunities in Indian Country.

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, along with Bureau of Indian Education Acting Director Brian Drapeaux and national experts, are heavily engaged in developing a national education reform agenda that will better serve Indian children.

Just yesterday, Education and BIE signed an agreement to bolster cooperation and coordination between the two agencies to better support Indian schools and serve Indian children.

And the two agencies have entered into an agreement to strengthen our efforts to bring Native languages and cultures back into the Indian education framework.

We can and must do better by our young people.

Fourth, the Obama administration is working to help build safer communities.

We are combating violence in Indian Country where crime rates far exceed national averages.

President Obama signed the Tribal Law and Order Act, which will allow us to accelerate our focus on safe tribal communities.

We are putting more law enforcement officers in Indian communities, and improving training and equipment.

We are revamping the recruiting process for Bureau of Indian Affairs law officers, increasing the number of applicants for those positions by 500 percent – and overseeing the largest hiring increase in BIA history.

Last year, we completed the first pilot of an intense community policing program on four reservations experiencing high crime rates. We saw promising results – a combined reduction of violent crime of 35% after the first 24 months. Now, 12 months later, we have seen this drop continue to a combined 55% reduction. We have since expanded the program to two additional reservations, where we are starting to see great progress.

Finally, government-to-government consultation is a keystone to our nation-to-nation relationship. Responding to the charge the President gave to us, all Cabinet Secretaries are working to develop a consultation policy to guide their Departments.

With the advice of tribal leaders, Interior released our consultation policy in 2011, which will serve as an enduring, living document that guides everything we do and will more effectively engage tribal leaders in policy development.

This makes for a more predictable and stream-lined process and reflects our heartfelt commitment to an open, comprehensive and effective consultation policy.

We’ll look to this policy when it comes to critical issues, such as identifying and avoiding impacts to the sites that you hold sacred. In fact, today I’m pleased to announce that five government agencies – Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation – have entered into an agreement to bolster our coordination and best management practices when it comes these sacred sites.

These accomplishments are significant. As one tribal chair told me at last year’s White House Tribal Nations Conference, President Obama’s administration has done more on tribal issues in two years than has been accomplished in the last 20.

But there is no doubt that much more needs to be done.

That’s why we’re working with you and the Congress to fix the Carcieri decision to ensure that we can continue to make strong progress on restoring homelands for all tribes.

That’s why we’ll continue our record efforts to resolve trust mismanagement claims in a fair and reasonable way. And that’s why we’ll continue to fight for healthy budgets that will support Indian Country’s priorities.

We all know that the federal government’s history with Indian nations is long and troubled. We live with a somber legacy of injustice and broken promises.

For me, and for this Administration, that memory drives our commitment to do right and to turn a new page in the relationship between our nations. It is nothing short of a moral imperative.

I am proud of what we have done together over the past four years to build a solid foundation – a lasting framework - for a bright, prosperous and more fulfilling future for the First Americans.

Let’s keep up the momentum.

Thank you.

###


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/secretary-salazar-outlines-progress-empowerment-agenda-fourth-white
BIA Logo Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs

Majority of Non-Gaming Trust Applications are Vital to Building Tribal Self-Determination Through Self-Sufficiency

Media Contact: Nedra Darling, OPA-IA Phone: 202-219-4152
For Immediate Release: July 1, 2010

WASHINGTON – Secretary Ken Salazar has laid out his vision that restoration of tribal lands is key to Interior’s strategy of empowering tribes and that there must be an improved land-into-trust process for non-gaming applications, Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk said today.

“We want to continue the rebuilding of strong relationships with tribal governments that began at the Tribal Nations Conference hosted by President Obama last November,” Echo Hawk said. “Tribal self-determination through self-sufficiency rests on the restoration and protection of tribal homelands, and that is key to the Department’s strategy of empowerment for Indian tribes. To achieve that, we must have, and we will have, a land-into-trust process that is transparent, orderly, lawful and timely.”

The Secretary’s views are outlined in a memorandum to the Assistant Secretary dated June 18, 2010.

The Secretary of the Interior’s authority to take land into trust is the primary means to help restore and protect homelands of the nation’s federally recognized tribes. From the allotment period of 1887 to 1934 and the Termination Era of the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. Government removed over 90 million acres of tribal lands. To date, nine million acres of tribal lands have been reacquired and taken into trust, mostly within the bounds of existing reservations.

The vast majority of land-into-trust applications processed by the Department are for tribal self-determination purposes such as providing housing, health care and education for tribal members and for supporting agricultural, energy and non-gaming economic development. Of the more than 1,900 trust land applications currently pending before the Bureau of Indian Affairs, over 95 percent are for non-gaming purposes.

In accordance with the Secretary’s memorandum, the Assistant Secretary will ensure that pending non-gaming land-into-trust applications fully satisfy the requirements set forth in applicable federal law, including but not limited to the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the land-into-trust application regulations (25 C.F.R. Part 151), and any applicable case precedent. Once these applications have been evaluated under all applicable legal standards, the Assistant Secretary will then move forward “diligently and expeditiously” with decisions on such applications.

The memorandum may be viewed at: http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/BIA/OTS/RealEstate/index.htm.


https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/salazar-policy-land-trust-sees-restoration-tribal-lands-key-interior