OPA

WASHINGTON — On Thursday, Feb. 14, 2013, the Department of the Interior will hold the third and last in a series of consultation sessions on its Initial Implementation Plan outlining how Interior will carry out the land consolidation component of the historic Cobell Settlement. The meeting will take place in Seattle, Wash. The first and second consultation meetings were held Jan. 31 in Prior Lake, Minn., and Feb. 6 in Rapid City, S.D.

“The Land Buy-Back Program is a historic opportunity to address the fractionation problem and restore lands to Indian tribes, but it will not succeed without the active support of tribal leaders,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn. “The Department is keenly interested in receiving guidance from tribal leaders on the draft Plan.”

The Settlement provided a $1.9 billion fund to purchase fractional interests in American Indian trust lands from willing sellers, thereby enabling federally recognized tribal governments to use the consolidated parcels for the benefit of their communities. The Plan reflects comments received from tribal consultation sessions the Department held in the summer and fall of 2011 and on a draft Plan released in January 2012. On Dec. 18, the Department announced the launch of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, which will purchase the fractional interests, as well as a Secretarial Order outlining the program’s organizational structure.

For more information about the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations, the Cobell land consolidation component, the Initial Implementation Plan, and the Department’s 2011 and 2013 tribal consultation sessions, visit www.doi.gov/buybackprogram/index.cfm.

CREDENTIALS: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) and valid media credentials.

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Washington - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is requesting individuals who are interested in serving on the National Advisory Council (NAC) to apply for appointment. The NAC is an advisory committee established to ensure effective and ongoing coordination of federal preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation for natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters.

The NAC advises the FEMA Administrator on all aspects of emergency management frameworks, strategies, and plans while incorporating the whole communities input through appointed council members.

The NAC will have a position open for applications and nominations in the following disciplines:

• Emergency Management Field (one representative appointment)
• State Non-Elected Official (one representative appointment)
• Standards Setting (one representative appointment)
• Public Health (one Special Government Employee (SGE) appointment)
• Functional Accessibility (one representative appointment)
• Emergency Medical Providers (one SGE appointment)
• Tribal Non-Elected Officials (one representative appointment)
• Tribal Elected Officials (one representative appointment for a one-year term)
• Emergency Response (one representative appointment for a one-year term)
• Department of Defense (Ex Officio representative)

The NAC consists of up to 35 members, all of whom are experts and leaders in their respective fields. The members of the NAC are appointed by the FEMA Administrator and are composed of federal, state, tribal, local, and private-sector leaders and subject matter experts in law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, hospital, public works, emergency management, state and local governments, public health, emergency response, standard settings and accrediting organizations, representatives of individuals with disabilities, infrastructure protection, cyber security, communications, and homeland security communities.

Appointments are for three-year terms to June 15, 2016, unless otherwise noted. The Administrator may also appoint additional candidates to serve as a FEMA Administrator Selection for three-year terms.

Individuals interested in serving on the NAC are invited to apply for appointment by submitting a Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV) to the Office of the National Advisory Council by fax, email, or mail. Letters of recommendation may also be provided, but are not required. Applications and/or nominations must also include the following information: the applicant's full name, home and business phone numbers, preferred e-mail address, home and business mailing addresses, current position title and organization, and the discipline area of interest (i.e., Emergency Management). Applications will be accepted until Friday, March 8, 2013, 5:00 p.m. EST.

Members selected for the council serve without compensation from the federal government; however, consistent with the charter, members receive travel reimbursement and per diem under applicable federal travel regulations. Registered lobbyists, current FEMA employees, Disaster Assistance Employees, Reservists, FEMA Contractors, and potential FEMA Contractors will not be considered for NAC Membership.

For more information: www.fema.gov/national-advisory-council.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

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WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (OJS) will hold the first of three training sessions to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court judges and prosecutors in dealing with driving-under-the-influence (DUI) and driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) cases. The session will be held Feb. 27 through March 1 in Albuquerque, N.M.

The training is being conducted under the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program, a joint effort by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice that furthers the mandate of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. That legislation aims to strengthen tribal sovereignty over criminal justice matters on federal Indian lands by sharpening the skills of those who practice within the tribal court system. The program is the result of a collaborative effort by the OJS and DOJ’s Access to Justice Initiative to offer trial advocacy training with courses designed specifically for tribal courts and free training to the judges, public defenders and prosecutors who work in them.

The goal of this series is to teach effective prosecution of DUI and DWI cases under tribal codes and case law. Training will be conducted with faculty and instructional materials prepared by experts knowledgeable about tribal court issues.

The remaining training sessions will be held May 1-3 in Flagstaff, Ariz., and Oct. 30-31 in Albuquerque.

2013 OJS DUI/DWI Training

CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to credentialed media representatives, who must display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event.

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FORT TOTTEN, N.D. – Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts reported personally to Spirit Lake tribal members today on efforts the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has taken to-date to address child safety and protection issues on the Spirit Lake Reservation in North Dakota. Roberts represented Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn, whose testimony at a congressional hearing also taking place today precluded his attendance at the community event.

“Addressing child safety and protection issues at Spirit Lake is a top priority for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, as I know it is for this entire community,” Roberts said. “We have dedicated staff and resources to work on this issue and we will continue to work with the tribe, our federal partners, and all the stakeholders to improve and strengthen child safety. Assistant Secretary Washburn and I are committed to reducing violent crime, sexual assault and domestic violence in Indian Country. Here in Spirit Lake, as elsewhere in Indian Country, protecting children must be our highest priority.”

The deputy assistant secretary was joined by Timothy Q. Purdon, U.S. Attorney for the District of North Dakota; Marilyn Kennerson, Administration for Children and Families Regional Program Manager for Child Welfare, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; BIA officials Sue Settles, chief of the Division of Social Services; Darren Cruzan, deputy bureau director of the Office of Justice Services; Weldon Loudermilk Great Plains regional director; Roderick Cavanaugh, Fort Totten Agency superintendent; and bureau regional and agency staff.

Roberts reported on actions BIA has taken since the Spirit Lake Sioux Tribe retroceded its 638- contracted social services program to the BIA on October 1, 2012.

Since October 1, the BIA has established a new social services office at the Fort Totten Agency while simultaneously working to provide critical services to Spirit Lake children and families.

Roberts Updates Spirit Lake Community

The BIA has served the Spirit Lake community by:

• Providing child protection, child welfare assistance, case management, emergency assistance, burial assistance, and family and community services, as well as supervising Individual Indian Money (IIM) accounts; • Receiving, reviewing and investigating over 300 reports of alleged child abuse and/or neglect;
• Maintaining and managing current and active case files for 129 children, as well as coordinating services for children and families, making referrals, conducting permanency planning, and supervising visits;
• Ensuring staff is on call after hours and on weekends;
• Participating on Child Protection and Multi-disciplinary Teams and hosting team meetings to review on a regular basis child abuse and neglect cases;
• Working with BIA law enforcement and other federal, tribal, state and local child safety and protection providers;
• Utilizing mobile fingerprinting devices for in-home fingerprinting of adults in foster homes where children in protected care may be placed, as well as monitoring and tracking those individuals; and
• Hiring two additional in-house social services personnel and working to recruit and hire four more.

The level of resources provided by the BIA to Spirit Lake includes rotating nineteen social workers from other BIA agencies to the Fort Totten Agency at various intervals since October 1 to provide support and expertise during the tribal program’s transition to Bureau management. Roberts also reported on the BIA Office of Justice Services’ (BIA OJS) work with the Fort Totten Agency and federal law enforcement on child safety and protection at Spirit Lake:

• Training Agency social services staff in the use of mobile fingerprinting units and assisting with the fingerprinting of foster parents.
• Investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect at Spirit Lake.
• Continuing to work with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Dakota on all active Spirit Lake cases.
• Holding tribal court tribal advocacy training on June 18-20 in Grand Forks, N.D., for tribal judges, public defenders and prosecutors on cases dealing with sexual assault on children.

Under the leadership of Attorney General Eric Holder, the U.S. Department of Justice launched a Department-wide initiative in 2009 to enhance public safety in Indian County. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in North Dakota has made substantial progress in implementing that strategy.

“The North Dakota U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to work closely with the FBI and BIA law enforcement to investigate and prosecute crimes that arise on the Spirit Lake Reservation,” Roberts Updates Spirit Lake Community Purdon said. “Allegations of crimes committed against children are a priority for us and we will continue to work hard to protect and seek justice for those young victims who are the most vulnerable among us. Residents of the Spirit Lake Reservation can assist the Department of Justice in our efforts by reporting any and all crimes to law enforcement.”

Purdon also discussed the implementation of his office’s Anti-Violence Strategy for Tribal Communities in North Dakota and its work toward improving public safety at Spirit Lake and across Indian Country in North Dakota. These efforts include:

• Pediatrician-led training in October 2011 on the Spirit Lake Reservation organized by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of North Dakota (USAOND) for tribal first responders on recognizing the signs of head trauma, sexual abuse, neglect, and physical abuse on children;
• Training sessions organized by USAOND and the United States Marshal’s Service on the implementation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) to law enforcement and tribal court professionals from Spirit Lake;
• Conducting monthly Multi-disciplinary Team meetings on the Spirit Lake Reservation which are led by USAOND’s Tribal Liaison and which bring together FBI and BIA law enforcement, child protective services, tribal prosecutors, and others to address issues facing child victims of violence at Spirit Lake;
• Hosting the USAOND’s annual Tribal Consultation Conference in Bismarck, N.D., to discuss with all of the tribes in North Dakota successful strategies for improving public safety on the reservations; and
• An increase of over 80 percent in the number of federal Indian country criminal cases brought by the USAOND from fiscal year 2009 to fiscal year 2012.

Roberts also announced that the Fort Totten Agency is partnering with various tribal and county programs to hold a child and family wellness fair next month, to promote and increase community awareness about resources and services available to children and families, and a sexual abuse awareness event in April.

“It’s been said that it takes a village to care for a child, and that has certainly been the case at Spirit Lake,” Roberts said. “There is a tremendous level of concern for Spirit Lake’s children and families that is being demonstrated every day by our dedicated law enforcement and social service professionals, our federal, state and local partners, and the Spirit Lake tribal leadership. As we continue our nation-to-nation work with the Spirit Lake Tribe on this matter, we commend the Tribe for the assistance they provide our staff to protect Spirit Lake’s children.”

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WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary- Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today praised the passage of the Violence Against Women Act, which includes important provisions for federally recognized tribal communities, saying it advances the progress the nation has made in combating violence against women by providing greater protections against homicide, rape, assault and battery in the home, workplace and on school campuses across the country.

“By providing stronger protections and greater resources to states and Indian tribes, this legislation will make women and vulnerable populations safer,” Salazar said. “This legislation is especially significant for the First Americans because it closes a gaping legal loophole that prevented the arrest and prosecution of non-Indian men who commit domestic violence against Indian women on federal Indian lands. This historic legislation, which recognizes and affirms inherent tribal jurisdiction over non-Indians in domestic violence cases, will provide much needed tools to tribal justice systems to effectively protect Indian women from abuse.”

"American Indian women experience among the highest domestic violence victimization rates in the country and more than half of all married Indian women have non-Indian husbands,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “This legislation provides tools to tribal governments to address the problem of domestic violence much more completely on Indian reservations.”

“I applaud Congress’s reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act today. Tribal leaders, tribal law enforcement, and tribal courts are all too familiar with this type of violence. It is shameful that for far too long, many American Indian women victims came to accept that there was nothing they could do when their abuser was non-Indian,” said Washburn. “Now, tribal courts have the ability to enforce protection orders again non-Indians, regardless of where the order originated, and to prosecute any individual who stands accused of domestic violence on a federal Indian reservation. American Indian women are now safer with the passage of this law.”

The Senate last week voted for a broadened version of the landmark law, first enacted in 1994, which provides a comprehensive approach to violence against women by combining tough new provisions to hold offenders accountable with programs to provide services for the victims of such violence. The Senate version approved by the House today also enhances protections for other vulnerable populations, such as American Indians and gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender victims. The bill now goes to the President for his signature.

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STANDING ROCK, N.D. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (OJS) officers, working with tribal and county law enforcement, were instrumental in apprehending an “armed and dangerous” adult male approximately 12 miles from Fort Yates community on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. The individual was wanted on a federal warrant for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamines.

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, the BIA Standing Rock Agency in Fort Yates responded to the Burleigh County, N.D., Sheriff’s Department’s request for assistance with apprehending the adult male who was driving at high speeds from Bismarck towards the North Dakota side of the Standing Rock Reservation.

The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s Game and Fish Department assisted in the effort by blocking roadways adjacent to the path of pursuit, which forced the driver off the highway and into rugged terrain. A BIA special agent then disabled the vehicle as it sped towards him by discharging rounds into its engine block. Although the fugitive was armed with an AR-15 assault rifle, he was taken into custody without further incident.

“I want to commend the officers involved in this multi-jurisdictional effort. Our OJS officers showed tremendous poise in the face of danger, and through their efforts tribal and adjacent communities are safer today,” Washburn said. “I’m extremely thankful that this individual was apprehended with no injury to our officers or to members of the public.”

The adult male, who is not an American Indian, was turned over to state law enforcement officials and could be facing additional charges. “I am extremely proud of the law enforcement professionals we have working at our BIA Standing Rock Agency,” said Darren Cruzan, Deputy BIA Director – Office of Justice Service. “Their quick and deliberate actions to keep this armed individual from driving into a populated community prevented a very dangerous situation from becoming worse.”

BIA OJS Assists in Capture

The BIA Office of Justice Services’ mission is to enhance public safety and protect property in Indian Country by funding or providing law enforcement, corrections and tribal court services to the nation’s federally recognized tribes. It also coordinates emergency preparedness support on federal Indian lands by working cooperatively with other federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies throughout Indian Country. It also operates the Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M., which provides training and professional development to BIA and tribal law enforcement personnel.

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WASHINGTON – As part of President Obama’s commitment to honoring a nation-to-nation relationship with Indian Country, four cabinet-level departments today joined the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation in releasing an action plan to strengthen the protection of Indian sacred sites and provide greater tribal access to these heritage areas. The interagency plan is required by the Memorandum of Understanding signed in December 2012 by the Departments of Agriculture, Defense, Energy, Interior and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation regarding coordination and collaboration for the protection of sacred sites.

“The federal family has a special, shared responsibility to respect and foster American Indian and Alaska Native cultural and religious heritage, and this action plan will guide us in that important role,” Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “We have dedicated considerable staff and resources to address this important issue and will continue to work with the tribes and their spiritual and religious leaders to carry-out the action plan.”

"The Obama administration has taken a number of steps to ensure that American Indians and Alaska Natives have full access to the programs and services offered across the federal government,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Since 2009, USDA has stepped up Tribal consultation efforts. We understand the importance of these sites and will continue to make sure Tribes have full access to the resources they need in their communities.”

"Protecting America's air and water and our nation's heritage is an important part of the Energy Department's commitment to Tribal Nations across the country, particularly those that are neighbors to the Department's National Laboratories, sites and facilities," said Energy Secretary Steven Chu. "I look forward to continuing this important work and collaborating with other federal agencies and Tribal Nations to protect Indian sacred sites throughout the United States."

"Through collaboration and consultation, the signatory agencies are working together to raise awareness about Indian sacred sites and the importance of maintaining their integrity,” said Milford Wayne Donaldson, chairman of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. “The tools to be developed under this action plan will help agencies meet their Section 106 responsibilities while affording greater protections for sacred sites. The Advisory Council is very pleased to be part of this historic initiative to address the protection and preservation of Indian sacred sites." The MOU, unveiled at the White House Tribal Nations Conference in 2012, will be in effect for five years.

The MOU commits the signatory agencies to work together to achieve enhanced and improved interdepartmental coordination and collaboration to improve the protection of and tribal access to Indian sacred sites. Among other things, the MOU commits the participating agencies to work together on developing guidance on the management and treatment of sacred sites, on identifying and recommending ways to overcome impediments to the protection of such sites while preserving the sites’ confidentiality, on creating a training program for federal staff and on developing outreach plans to both the public and to non-Federal partners.

The Action Plan includes:

• A Mission Statement that commits the agencies to work together to improve the protection of and tribal access to Indian sacred sites, in accordance with Executive Order 13007 and the MOU, through enhanced and improved interdepartmental coordination, collaboration and consultation with tribes;
• A list of actions the agencies will undertake together;
• A commitment to consultation with Indian tribes in developing and implementing the actions outlined in the plan to ensure meaningful strategies for protecting sacred sites;
• The establishment of a standing working committee made up of designated senior staff from the participating agencies, as well as other subject matter experts from the participating agencies as needed, to carry out the stipulations of the MOU; and

The commitment of the Agencies to designate senior level officials to serve as members of a Core Working Group, which the Department of the Interior will Chair.

Secretary Salazar also announced that Interior plans to provide a report on the Department’s Tribal Listening Sessions on Sacred Sites. Last year, the Department held several Tribal Listening Sessions across the country to elicit tribal and spiritual leaders concerns regarding sacred sites. A copy of the action plan is available here.

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – On Thursday, March 14, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn will visit New Mexico to participate in two historic signing ceremonies for Indian Country.

In the morning, Salazar and Washburn will join Governor Victor Montoya at the Pueblo of Sandia in Bernalillo. Salazar is expected to approve one of the first tribal leasing regulations issued pursuant to the newly enacted HEARTH Act. The Act, originally introduced by then-Representative Martin Heinrich (N.M. - 1st Dist.) in 2009, was signed into law by President Obama in July 2012. The law restores the authority of federally recognized American Indian tribes to control the leasing of their trust lands, thereby promoting self-determination and economic development.

In the afternoon, Salazar and Washburn will join leaders from the Pueblos of Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso to finalize the Aamodt water rights settlement. The settlement was one of four water rights settlements included in legislation signed by President Obama in 2011 that will help deliver clean drinking water to tribes in New Mexico, Arizona and Montana. The implementation of the Aamodt settlement will provide for the construction of a regional water system to serve American Indian communities in Northern New Mexico, closing a chapter on one of the longest running water rights cases in the federal court system.

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WASHINGTON D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced that the American Indian College Fund has been selected to administer the student Scholarship Fund authorized by the Cobell Settlement, with a fifth of the annual scholarships to be awarded by the American Indian Graduate Center. Secretary Salazar is also seeking nominations for two of the members who will serve on the Board of Trustees that oversees the educational fund.

“This Scholarship Fund for Native American students will be a lasting, meaningful legacy of the Cobell Settlement that will help strengthen Indian communities, advance tribal progress and secure a better future for the First Americans,” Salazar said. “In selecting these qualified organizations and in seeking the best trustees to oversee this educational fund, we are honoring Elouise Cobell and helping to empower Indian Country.”

"My mother, Elouise Cobell, cared deeply about the next generation of Native people and she insisted on this scholarship as part of the settlement,” said Turk Cobell. “It is a fitting tribute to her courageous work and will be a longstanding and appropriate legacy of her extraordinary perseverance and vision."

“The Cobell Settlement scholarship fund will help students across Indian Country receive a higher education, whether it’s through college, graduate school, or vocational certifications,” said Interior Solicitor Hilary Tompkins. “The fund administrator will play an important role in providing American Indians and Alaska Native students with the post-secondary training and education they need to succeed in today’s world, whether in the workplace, in the community or in government.”

Salazar named the non-profit fund administrator after receiving nominations from the Lead Plaintiff and evaluating the candidates through a high-level Selection Committee that included Interior policy appointees from Indian Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor and the Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget.

On the Selection Committee’s recommendation, Salazar chose the American Indian College Fund to be the Recipient Organization, stipulating that the funds it receives be devoted to scholarships for vocational certifications and 4-year accredited bachelor degree colleges and universities, including tribal colleges that provide these degrees. The Secretary also stipulated that 20 percent of annual scholarships be awarded by the American Indian Graduate Center to encourage Native American college graduates to strive for professional and doctoral degrees.

“We are honored to have been selected to administer the largest scholarship fund ever established on behalf American Indian and Alaska Native students,” said Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. “I look forward to working with the American Indian Graduate Center to provide greater opportunities for higher education to the next generation of Indian leaders and professionals.”

The American Indian College Fund, headquartered in Denver, has extensive experience in providing students the resources to succeed in tribal colleges and technical and vocational certifications as well as traditional undergraduate and graduate programs. The American Indian Graduate Center (Albuquerque) is renowned for its award of scholarships to graduate students.

The Secretary and Lead Plaintiff will each select two members for the Board of Trustees that will oversee the Scholarship Fund. As the Recipient Organization, the American Indian College Fund, will select one member. The Claims Resolution Act of 2010 requires the Secretary to choose his members after consulting with federally recognized Indian tribes and considering the candidates they nominate.

Tribal nominations for the Secretary’s trustees must be postmarked or emailed no later than Thursday, April 11, 2013. Please send curriculum vitae, a letter of intent which indicates a willingness to serve, and a 250-word statement which supports the candidacy to Lizzie Marsters, Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary, Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW, Room 6118, Washington, DC 20240. The $3.4 billion Cobell Settlement authorized a $1.9 billion Land ‘Buy-Back’ Program that will purchase small, multiple interests from willing sellers at fair market value. The acquired interests remain in trust or restricted status through transfer to tribal governments, enabling them to use the consolidated parcels for the benefit of their communities. As an incentive to participate in the land consolidation program, a donation will be made to the Scholarship Fund for each fractional interest purchased by the ‘Buy-Back’ Program. Interior is authorized to set aside up to $60 million for the Scholarship Fund from the purchase of these fractional interests.

Click HERE for a Fact Sheet on the Scholarship Fund and Board of Trustees.

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"We are excited about President Obama's selection of Sally Jewell for Secretary of the Interior," says Chairman Billy Frank of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission. "We think she's a great choice."

Jewell, the former chief executive officer for outdoor gear giant REI, grew up in Washington state and knows the issues important to Indian tribes, Frank said. "She's one of us, and we couldn't be more pleased that she will be leading the Department of Interior for the next four years," he said.

Frank said that Jewell brings a strong blend of business sense and a natural resources conservation ethic to the agency. "A healthy environment and a healthy economy can go hand-in-hand," Frank said. "We can have both, and I think Sally Jewell will help make that happen."

Frank praised Jewell's knowledge of tribes and tribal issues, and respect for tribal sovereignty and treaty rights. "We are facing big challenges such as achieving salmon recovery, protecting water quality and adapting to climate change," Frank said. "Our cultures, economies and treaty rights depend on a healthy environment and healthy natural resources."

Because the Department of Interior also includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Jewell's understanding and respect for tribal governments are critical to a good working relationship between the tribes and the agency, he said.

"I believe Sally is the right person, in the right place, at the right time," Frank said. "We look forward to working with her, and thank President Obama for his wise choice." -end-