OPA

Washington, D.C. – The Navajo Nation and Cherokee Nation are eligible to conduct gaming activities on newly acquired trust lands under decisions approved by the Department of the Interior today.

Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk announced the approval of the acquisition of 405 acres of land in trust for the Navajo Nation in Coconino County, Arizona. The newly-acquired lands are contiguous to the boundaries of the Navajo Nation’s existing reservation, which is the largest Indian reservation in the United States. The Department was required to acquire the parcels in trust under two laws enacted by Congress – the Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act of 1974 and the Hopi Indian Relocation Amendments Act of 1980.

Echo Hawk also announced the approval of the acquisition of 17 acres of land into trust for the Cherokee Nation in Cherokee County, Oklahoma. This parcel is located within the Cherokee Nation’s former reservation in Oklahoma.

“We know that these projects represent an important economic development opportunity for the Navajo and Cherokee Nations, and will generate more than a thousand construction and permanent jobs in a time of great need,” Echo Hawk said. “We are committed to processing Indian gaming applications in a transparent manner, consistent with the law.”

The Department also determined the Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma does not qualify for gaming under one of the equal footing exceptions to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) for property located in Oklahoma City, Okla.

The Department also took action on four additional applications related to tribal gaming. Gaming applications for the Greenville Rancheria of Maidu Indians of California and the San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe of Arizona were returned to the respective tribes because they had not provided information required by law to allow the Department to proceed with its review.

Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk approved the acquisition of land into trust for two tribes in Washington - the Puyallup Indian Tribe and the Suquamish Indian Tribe. These lands will be used for purposes related to the respective tribes’ existing gaming facilities, and neither tribe sought approval of gaming activities to be conducted on these newly acquired lands.

Both the Navajo Nation and Cherokee Nation intend to conduct Class III gaming on the newly acquired lands, pursuant to IGRA. IGRA requires the Tribes to enter into tribal-state gaming compacts authorizing Class III gaming on these respective sites, prior to conducting Class III gaming activities.

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act prohibits Indian gaming on lands acquired in trust after its enactment in 1988, unless one of three explicitly crafted exceptions applies. The first, known as the “reservation exception,” allows tribes to conduct gaming on new lands if they are contiguous to an Indian reservation that existed in 1988, or if they are within the Tribe’s former reservation in Oklahoma. The two applications approved today meet these criteria.

“We worked very closely with our attorneys in the Office of the Solicitor on the Navajo and Cherokee applications, and determined that they clearly satisfied the law,” Echo Hawk said. “We will continue our work to process other pending applications.”

The second exception, known as the “equal footing exception,” was intended to ensure that a number of tribes had an equal opportunity to pursue Indian gaming on their own lands as those tribes that had lands eligible for gaming in 1988.

Officials from the Department’s Office of Indian Gaming are working to complete a consultation process with tribal leaders on developing the Department’s policy for implementing the third category of exceptions under IGRA: the so-called “off-reservation” exception. A June 18, 2010 memorandum from Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar to Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk directed the Department to engage Indian tribes to develop principled and transparent criteria to implement this policy. The tribal consultation process will conclude on December 18, 2010. For more information see: http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/OIG/index.htm

The Indian Health Service and the Department of the Interior will hold ten tribal listening sessions across Indian Country to seek input on how the agencies can most effectively work within American Indian and Alaska Native communities to prevent suicide. American Indians and Alaska Natives have a suicide rate 72 percent higher than the general U.S. population.

“We are very concerned by the ongoing tragedy of suicide in Indian Country,” said IHS Director Yvette Roubideaux, M.D., M.P.H. “We know the consequences of suicide are devastating to our families and tribal communities.”

“We have heard the pleas of tribal leaders for coordinated prevention and intervention efforts to address these tragic events, particularly among our youth,” said DOI Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Echo Hawk.

“These listening sessions will help us better support tribal communities working to enhance the way young people feel connected to community and family and strengthening their ability to accept the challenges and gifts that life has to offer,” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde.

The tribal listening sessions (see list below) are being held in conjunction with a national comprehensive suicide prevention conference planned for early next year. The conference will provide an opportunity for the Department of the Interior, Department of Health and Human Services, and tribal leaders to develop strategies and best practices for suicide prevention and intervention in Indian Country. The listening sessions will help the agencies gather first-hand information on suicide prevention needs, concerns, programs, and practices from the residents of American Indian and Alaska Native communities. This input will shape the agenda and goals for the conference.

Tribal collaboration is a vital part of efforts to reduce health disparities and raise the health status of American Indian and Alaska Native people. Listening sessions are an important part of the open and continuous dialogue that promotes and strengthens tribal-federal partnerships.

Suicide Prevention Listening Sessions – to be held at 1 - 5 pm local time

Navajo Region - November 15, 2010

Navajo Nation Museum Highway 264 and Loop Road Window Rock, AZ 86515

Midwest Region - November 19, 2010

Mystic Lake Casino Hotel Wabasha Meeting Room 2400 Mystic Lake Blvd. Prior Lake, MN 55372

Rocky Mountain Region - November 23, 2010

Hampton Inn and Suites 3550 Ember Lane Billings, MT 59102

Alaska Region November 30, 2010

Egan Convention Center 555 West 5th Avenue Anchorage, Alaska 99501

Great Plains Region December 2, 2010

Best Western Ramkota Hotel & Convention Center 2111 N. LaCrosse Street Rapid City, SD 57701

Southern Plains/Eastern Oklahoma Regions - December 13, 2010

Embassy Suites – Meridian Eastern Oklahoma 1815 South Meridian Oklahoma City, OK 73108

Pacific Region December 21, 2010

Federal Building -- Cottage Conference Room 2800 Cottage Way Sacramento, CA 95825

Southwest Region January 10, 2011

National Indian Programs Training Center (NIPTC) 1011 Indian School Road, NW Albuquerque, NM 87104

Northwest Region January 12, 2011

Bureau of Indian Affairs 911 Federal Building – Auditorium 911 NE 11th Avenue Portland, OR 97232

Eastern Region February 10, 2011

USET Conference Marriott Crystal Gateway 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway Arlington, VA 22202

NOTICE TO EDITORS: For additional information on this subject, please contact the IHS public affairs office at 301-443-3593. Additional information about the IHS is available on the IHS website at http://www.ihs.gov

ALBUQUERQUE, NM – In a speech this morning to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar described the progress being made in a comprehensive agenda to reform, restructure and rebuild federal relations with Indian Country.

Secretary Salazar outlined a broad range of efforts underway to restore integrity in U.S. government relations with American Indian and Alaska Native leaders, fulfill trust responsibilities to tribal members, and to work cooperatively to build stronger economies and safer tribal communities.

“The President firmly believes that consultation with tribal nations must focus on engagement and results – solutions that help build safer, stronger, healthier, and more prosperous Indian communities,” Salazar told members of NCAI. “Our role, then, is to help you fulfill your vision for your nations; to help your communities achieve their promise; to help your cultures flourish.”

In his remarks, Secretary Salazar also announced that the Administration today issued a letter of support for the White Mountain Apache Tribe water settlement in Arizona. The centerpiece of the settlement is the construction of the White Mountain Apache Tribe Rural water system which will greatly expand the current water delivery system to meet the very critical needs of the reservation.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe water settlement is the fourth Indian water rights negotiated settlement to be fully supported by the Obama Administration and reflects the commitment of the Administration to resolving long-standing disputes over water use in the West. With this support letter, the Obama Administration has supported nearly $1 billion of Indian water settlements that will secure for a number of tribes and their members not just a permanent water supply but also economic security and the resolution of long-standing conflicts with neighboring communities.

“The message from this Administration is clear,” said Salazar. “We want to settle Indian water rights disputes and we will support good Indian water settlements that result from negotiations with all stakeholders including the Federal government, and that come with a reasonable federal price tag and good cost share contributions from states and other benefiting parties.

The Secretary’s remarks, as prepared for delivery, are below.

Remarks to the National Congress of American Indians
Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar
Albuquerque, NM
Monday, November 15, 2010

Good morning.

Thank you, Larry Echo Hawk, for that kind introduction. And thank you for your work on behalf of the Department of the Interior as Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs.

I am proud to have you and your team here with me today. Del Laverdure, Paul Tsosie, Wizi Garriott, Mike Black, Sequoyah Simermeyer and Keith Moore are making a difference for Indian country every day.

It is an honor to be here with you this morning and to address the National Congress of American Indians. I am grateful for the important work you do to serve the broad interests of tribal governments and to protect tribal sovereignty.

You are in good hands with Jefferson Keel at the helm. President Keel has done an excellent job in his first year in office serving as the NCAI President as well as the Lieutenant Governor of the Chickasaw Nation. Thank you, President Keel, for your leadership.

It has been almost two years since President Obama took office and a year since the President brought together more than 400 representatives of federally recognized tribes for the historic White House Tribal Nations’ Conference.

At that Conference, President Obama pledged that we would work together, hand in hand, to ensure that American Indians, the First Americans, get the opportunities they deserve.

President Obama directed me, along with the other cabinet secretaries, to empower tribal governments to bring real and lasting change on issues from health care to education to law enforcement.

And from the beginning, it has been one of my top priorities as Secretary of the Interior to partner with Native Americans to address these challenges.

In close consultation with leaders here and across Indian Country since then, we have developed a comprehensive agenda to reform, restructure and rebuild federal relations with Indian Country.

We have pledged to restore integrity in government relations with American Indian and Alaska Native leaders, to fulfill our trust responsibilities to tribal members and to work cooperatively to build stronger economies and safer tribal communities.

Like me, President Obama respects the inherent sovereignty of Indian nations and believes the federal government must honor its commitments to your communities. This Administration is working to uphold not just a government-to-government relationship with tribes, but a nation-to-nation relationship.

The President firmly believes that consultation with tribal nations must focus on engagement and results – solutions that help build safer, stronger, healthier, and more prosperous Indian communities. Our role, then, is to help you fulfill your vision for your nations; to help your communities achieve their promise; to help your cultures flourish.

American Indians and Alaska Natives must have a strong voice in shaping the policies that affect their communities. We are lucky to have Larry Echo Hawk serving as a strong advocate in his role as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. And I am proud that Hilary Tompkins is Solicitor General for the Department of the Interior. In the White House, Kimberly Teehee and Jodi Gillette are important voices and we all work closely together.

With their help, and with the help of many people in this room, I believe we have begun to build a comprehensive strategy for empowerment – a strategy that is helping Indian nations build a future of their choosing.

I’d like to share some thoughts on how we are doing that.

First, the President’s national economic recovery plan laid the foundation for our agenda. Thanks to the $500 million investment in the Bureau of Indian Affairs through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, thousands of men and women are now at work fixing and building roads, repairing and constructing schools, and improving security at detention centers. Another $40 million was provided for housing improvements and workforce training.

In addition, the funding for Indian Affairs in the President’s budget request has dramatically increased from years past. With the 2009 and 2010 budgets, President Obama has increased funding for critical Indian programs at the Interior Department by 14 percent.

This includes approximately $190 million over two years in Bureau of Indian Affairs loans to spur Indian economies where we know unemployment far exceeds the national average.

In these two budgets, there was an increase of $85 million or 35 percent in the Public Safety and Justice programs to put more law enforcement officers in Indian communities, improve training and equipment, fund tribal courts, and staff detention centers.

For education programs, these two budgets added $110 million, an increase of 16 percent for K12 operations, tribal colleges, and scholarships. And in 2010 we began to forward fund tribal colleges, which will improve their ability to operate.

Another major initiative where we are seeing progress is in law enforcement.

We know that safer Indian communities mean stronger Indian communities. But for too long, the government has neglected law enforcement needs on tribal lands, where residents suffer violent crime at far greater rates than other Americans.

This is unacceptable.

It was a significant step in the right direction when President Obama signed into law the Tribal Law and Order Act. The Act contains important measures and resources to strengthen law enforcement that will help combat violence and lawlessness and ensure that more crimes are prosecuted on reservations.

The law authorizes the appointment of Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys to prosecute crimes in tribal communities in federal court; provides tribal courts tougher sentencing powers; and allows some tribal police officers to enforce federal laws on Indian lands.

The Act also increases Bureau of Indian Affairs’ recruitment and retention efforts for the tough and honorable jobs of tribal law officers. We will work closely with the Department of Justice to fully implement this law.

At Interior, I have established a senior-level working group to tackle the challenges of law enforcement needs on tribal lands. This year we launched a targeted, intense community policing pilot program on four reservations where we are working to reduce violent crime by more than 5 percent by year-end 2011.

All of Interior’s law enforcement bureaus pitched in to help on this important priority. We are seeing good preliminary results and hope to expand the program in the near future.

The group also spearheaded the development of a fully revamped recruiting process for Bureau of Indian Affairs law officers. As a result, we increased by 500 percent - 500 percent - the number of applicants for those positions, and the hiring of more than 70 new officers in the first half of 2010. That is the largest hiring increase in BIA’s history.

Violent crime in Indian Country must be aggressively confronted and we will continue to work with Tribes and the Department of Justice to address this pressing issue.

Equally important to the fabric of healthy communities is education. Improving Indian education programs is a special priority for me. I grew up in a small town in Colorado without electricity or running water. My parents were not wealthy people but they generously shared with me and my seven siblings a love of learning. My parents taught us that education was the key to our future, and, as a result, all eight of their children are first generation college graduates.

I am proud to announce that, with Recovery Act funding and regular appropriations, this year Indian Affairs completed 14 major school projects, including six replacement schools, five replacement facilities, and three facilities improvement projects. The new and improved facilities will better serve nearly 3,800 Indian students in six states.

This past year I have met twice with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and national experts in Indian education to begin developing a national Indian education reform agenda. We are also working to develop the Indian portion of the Administration’s blueprint for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

We look forward to working with the next Congress to pass this important legislation, and we will continue to ensure that Indian country’s interests are represented.

I am proud that, for the first time in many years, we have stable leadership at the Bureau of Indian Education in Director Keith Moore. He and his staff are hard at work: reforming BIE management practices to ensure quality of delivery of services to Indian country’s children; taking steps to run the 59 BIE schools as a system; developing strategies to aid tribal nations in improving their own BIE-funded contract and grant schools; and bringing stability to our two tribal colleges, Haskell and SIPI.

We are also taking steps to bring Native languages and cultures back into the Indian education framework. One measure that is already under way is the expansion of the Family and Child Education program across 10 states. FACE is a family literacy program serving families and children from prenatal to 5 years of age by integrating the language and culture of the community it serves.

We are also working across the Federal Family with Health and Human Services, USDA, and the First Lady’s office to address the high levels of childhood obesity and diabetes among Native Youth because we know that healthy children lead to healthy communities.

Another issue which remains at the forefront of all of our minds is the settlement of the long-running Cobell litigation. I believe that last December’s settlement regarding the U.S. trust obligations is both fair and forward-looking. Most importantly, it will enable us to turn the page, help to right a historic wrong, and advance the on-going cause of trust reform.

With the approval of the settlement, a fund totaling $1.5 billion will be distributed to class members to compensate them for their historical accounting claims and to resolve potential claims that prior U.S. officials mismanaged the administration of trust assets.

The settlement also establishes a $1.9 billion fund for the voluntary buy-back and consolidation of fractionated land interests. The land consolidation program will provide individual Indians with an opportunity to obtain cash payments for divided land interests and free up the land for the benefit of tribal communities.

To provide owners with additional incentive to sell their fractionated interests, the settlement authorizes the Interior Department to set aside up to 5 percent of the value of the interests into a college and vocational school scholarship fund, as much as $60 million dollars, for American Indian students.

The injection of several billion dollars into Indian country through the Cobell settlement has the potential to profoundly change – and improve – the administration of trusts and the unlocking of fractionated lands that currently are legally frozen out of effective use by tribal communities. I am assuring you – today – that as long as I am the Secretary of the Department of the Interior, we will implement the $2 billion dollar land consolidation program through close and meaningful government-to-government consultation with the tribes. We want to – and need to – work closely with individual Indian landowners and affected tribes, to prioritize those heavily fractionated lands that should be targeted for acquisition by tribal governments.

Also, it is important to remember that once Congress approves the Cobell settlement, the Secretarial Order that I signed last year, setting up a Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform will become effective. I am eager to establish this Commission because Cobell is only the start of true trust reform. The new Commission, which I will set up in consultation with you, will undertake a forward-looking, comprehensive evaluation of how Interior manages and administers our trust responsibilities. We need to be more transparent and customer-friendly. The status quo is not acceptable.

Before we move off the subject of our trust responsibilities, I want to recognize Interior’s Solicitor, Hilary Tompkins – the first American Indian to serve as the Department’s top lawyer – for her leadership in these activities. Hilary worked closely with Deputy Secretary David Hayes to break through the 13 years of gridlock and reach the historic settlement. She works tirelessly, every day, on your behalf.

Also, and particularly since I am in New Mexico, I want to thank Senator Jeff Bingaman for his tireless support in pushing for Congressional approval of the $3.4 billion dollar Cobell settlement. Jeff has been a real champion for this cause.

Restoring Indian Country’s land base is another way in which we are working to provide the resources needed for the sustained economic development of tribal communities. Working with Congress, we have made substantial progress in meeting our obligations to acquire land into trust for tribes.

Some months ago I called in Mike Black and his Regional Directors and told them to fix the logjam on trust land applications – and they are delivering for you.

In 2007 and 2008, the Interior Department acquired only 15,000 acres in trust on behalf of tribes. Today, I am proud to report that in 2009 and the first three quarters of 2010, the department has acquired more than 34,000 acres of land in trust on behalf of tribal nations – a 225 percent increase from the last administration’s record.

Once land is in trust, Indian country deserves responsive and responsible business practices from Interior that will help to manage the land and comply with the obligations of a trustee. Therefore we are working to overhaul the Department’s regulations governing leasing on Indian lands. The new regulations will streamline the process and restore greater tribal control over land use.

These changes will mark the most substantial changes to leasing on tribal lands in 50 years.

We are also working with many of you to push forward renewable energy development on tribal lands. We know that Tribal lands hold a great capacity for solar, wind and geothermal projects, and we are committed to helping you unlock that potential.

I understand that land and water are among the most sacred of interests to Indian Country. The Obama Administration has re-energized the Federal Government’s commitment to addressing the water needs of Native American communities through Indian water rights settlements.

The President signed into law two settlements in March 2009 and, in sharp contrast to the previous administration’s opposition to numerous Indian water settlement bills, we have supported several pending settlement bills. The Administration’s 2011 budget requests funding that not only supports implementing approved settlements, but also includes increases to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Reclamation programs that support tribal and Departmental participation in pending negotiations.

Most recently, the Administration has engaged in successful negotiations that have led to letters of Administration support for three Indian water settlement bills for the Crow Tribe, Taos Pueblo, and the Aamodt case involving the Pueblos of Pojoaque, Tesuque, San Ildefonso, and Nambe.

And, I’m pleased to announce today that we are now issuing a fourth letter of support for the White Mountain Apache Tribe water settlement in Arizona.

The centerpiece of this settlement is the construction of the White Mountain Apache Tribe Rural water system which will greatly expand the current water delivery system to meet the very critical needs of the reservation.

This is great news for the White Mountain Apache Tribe community.

With this fourth letter of support, the Administration has, in the past few months, supported nearly $1 billion of Indian water projects that will secure not only a reliable water supply, but also economic security.

The message from this Administration is clear: We want to settle Indian water rights disputes and we will support good Indian water settlements that result from negotiations with all stakeholders including the Federal government, and that come with a reasonable federal price tag and good cost share contributions from states and other benefiting parties.

In closing, I’d like to describe our progress in an area that underlies everything we are doing and attempting to do in collaboration with tribal leaders. And that is the quality of the federal consultation process.

From the outset, my goal has been to establish a comprehensive, department-wide tribal consultation policy and process upon which tribes can rely.

On Nov. 5, 2009 at the White House Tribal Nations’ Conference, President Obama issued his executive memorandum supporting tribal consultation as “a critical ingredient of a sound and productive Federal-tribal relationship” and called on all federal agencies to develop “plans of action” to establish tribal consultation policy.

For the Department, holding tribal consultation meetings was the key to developing these important plans. We held meetings in seven cities with 300 tribal representatives and more than 250 federal officials.

With the input gained in these meetings, I established a Tribal Consultation Team to draft a new, comprehensive consultation policy. Soon, the Consultation Team will submit the draft policy to the tribes and tribal organizations for review and comment, and I expect to put our new policy in place this spring.

Everyone in my Department will be directed to comply with the consultation policy. The new policy will help tribal leaders be more engaged in policy development and will result in a process that is more transparent, comprehensive and effective.

There is no doubt that much work remains to be done – by all of us. Native Americans must be full partners in our nation’s economy, thrive in safe communities, and have equal access to quality education, healthcare and benefits. We will continue to work toward this goal as we fulfill our federal trust responsibility to support tribal communities and respect tribal sovereignty.

Thank you.

SANTA FE, NM – As part of President Obama’s commitment to empowering American Indian tribal nations and strengthening their economies, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today joined New Mexico Governor Susanna Martinez and leaders from four Pueblo tribes—the Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque and San Ildefonso—at the Santa Fe Indian School to execute settlement documents and celebrate the historic New Mexico vs. Aamodt water rights settlement.

“By executing this settlement today and reaching agreement on five other water rights settlements since 2009, we not only have closed the chapter on these longstanding water disputes, but also opened a new chapter in Indian Country – delivering clean drinking water and certainty to water users across the West while providing more than $2 billion to help tribes,” said Secretary Salazar.

“I also am proud of the water settlements achieved under President Obama,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “The settlements like this one we celebrate today in my home state of New Mexico will bring both drinking water and hope to Indian communities. The ‘Aamodt’ water rights settlement resolves four decades of litigation and will create jobs through much-needed infrastructure investments.”

Other dignitaries who participated in today’s ceremony included the tribal leaders of the Pueblos – Phillip Perez, Governor, Pueblo of Nambe; Mark Mitchell, Governor, Pueblo of Tesuque; George Rivera, Governor, Pueblo of Pojoaque; and Terry Aguilar, Governor, Pueblo of San Ildefonso – as well as Charles Dorame, Chairman, Northern Pueblos Tributary Water Rights Association and Former Governor, Tesuque Pueblo; Kathy Holian, Chair of the Santa Fe County Commission; David Coss, Mayor, City of Santa Fe; and other local and state officials.

Often described as one of the longest-running cases in the federal court system, the Aamodt case concerned water rights related to the Rio Pojoaque Basin north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is the homeland of the four tribes. Today’s action provides finality to the Pueblos’ water rights and certainty for non-Indian water rights in north central New Mexico.

The Aamodt settlement provides innovative mechanisms for managing water in the Pojoaque River basin to satisfy the Pueblos’ current and future water needs while minimizing disruption to the non-Indian water users. In addition to the four tribes, this process has included the State of New Mexico, Santa Fe County, the City of Santa Fe, and numerous local water users.

This settlement is one of four water rights settlements included in legislation signed by President Obama in the 2010 Claims Resolution Act that will help deliver clean drinking water to tribes in New Mexico, Arizona and Montana. The other three settlements in that law were the Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement provisions, the Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement provisions, and the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Quantification provisions.

Two additional water rights settlements were included in the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act – the Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects provisions settling the water rights claims of the Navajo Nation in the San Juan River system in New Mexico and the Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Water Rights Settlement quantifying the tribe’s water rights in Nevada.

A summary of the six American Indian water rights settlements since 2009 follows.

AMERICAN INDIAN WATER RIGHTS SETTLEMENTS SINCE 2009

• The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes of Duck Valley Water Rights Settlement provisions of the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act quantify the tribe’s water rights, provide funding for tribal water development projects, and provides the Tribes with $60 million in funding for water rehabilitation of irrigation projects and other water-related matters.
• The Northwestern New Mexico Rural Water Projects Settlement provisions of the 2009 Omnibus Public Land Management Act settle the water rights claims of the Navajo Nation in the San Juan River system in New Mexico in exchange for the construction of a large municipal and industrial water delivery system to deliver water to eastern portions of the Navajo Reservation and adjacent communities.
• The Aamodt Water Rights Settlement provisions of the 2010 Claims Resolution Act settle water rights related to the Rio Pojoaque Basin north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is the homeland of the Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque and San Ildefonso Pueblos. It provides finality to the Pueblos’ water rights and certainty for non-Indian water rights in north central New Mexico.
• The Taos Pueblo Indian Water Rights Settlement provisions of the 2010 Claims Resolution Act authorize and approve a settlement among the Taos Pueblo, the State of New Mexico, the Town Of Taos, various non-Indian water users and the United States. It resolves water rights disputes in the Rio Pueblo de Taos and Rio Hondo stream systems in New Mexico.
• The Crow Tribe Water Rights Settlement provisions of the 2010 Claims Resolution Act settle all of the Crow Tribe’s claims to water in the State of Montana and provide funding for design and construction of a rural water system on the Crow Reservation and for rehabilitation and improvement of the Crow Irrigation Project, while also providing for administration and current and future use of water by all Indian and non-Indian water users on the Reservation.
• The White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Quantification provisions of the 2010 Claims Resolution Act settle the White Mountain Apache Tribe’s claims to both the Gila and the Little Colorado Rivers in Arizona. The agreement provides funding for design and construction of a domestic water delivery system on the Reservation and provides water certainty for the City of Phoenix, the Salt River Project, and other downstream water users.

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WASHINGTON - On Thursday, December 16, 2010, President Obama will host the White House Tribal Nations Conference. As part of President Obama's ongoing outreach to the American people, this conference will provide leaders from the 565 federally recognized tribes the opportunity to interact directly with the President and representatives from the highest levels of his Administration. Each federally recognized tribe will be invited to send one representative to the conference. This will be the second White House Tribal Nations Conference for the Obama Administration, and continues to build upon the President's commitment to strengthen the nation to nation relationship with Indian Country.

WASHINGTON – President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2014 budget request for Indian Affairs, which includes the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), is $2.6 billion – a $31.3 million increase above the FY 2012 enacted level. The proposed budget maintains the President’s commitment to meeting the government’s responsibilities to the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, while exercising fiscal responsibility and improving government operations and efficiency.

“The President’s budget request for Indian Affairs reflects his firm commitment to keeping our focus on strengthening and supporting tribal nations, and protecting Indian Country,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn. “While realizing the benefits from improvements to Indian Affairs program management, the request supports our mission to federally recognized tribes, particularly in the areas of trust lands and natural resource protection. The request also promotes economic development, improves education, and strengthens law enforcement and justice administration.”

The Strengthening Tribal Nations Initiative is a comprehensive, multi-year effort to advance the President’s commitments to American Indians and Alaska Natives to improve conditions throughout Indian Country and foster economic opportunities on Indian reservations.

The FY 2014 budget request includes $120 million in increases for this initiative to support sustainable stewardship and development of natural resources in Indian Country, public safety programs that apply lessons learned from successful law enforcement pilot programs, operations at new and expanded detention facilities, contract support costs to facilitate tribal self-governance, and new and expanded payments for water rights settlements. Additionally, it provides increased funding for post-secondary education and an elementary and secondary school pilot program based on the U.S. Department of Education’s turnaround schools model and concepts.

The FY 2014 budget request for Contract Support Costs is $231 million – a $9.8 million increase over the FY 2012 enacted level. The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975, as amended, allows federally recognized tribes to operate federally funded programs themselves under contract with the United States – an expression of the federal government’s policy to support tribal self-determination and self-governance. Tribes rely on contract support costs funds to pay the costs of administering and managing contracted programs. It is a top priority for many tribes.

In light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter, the FY 2014 budget request includes the Administration’s proposed interim solution to budgeting contract support costs. The Administration proposes Congress appropriate contract support costs on a contract by contract basis and will provide Congress with a contract funding table for incorporation into the Department’s FY 2014 appropriations legislation. Through tribal consultation, this interim step will lead to a long-term solution that will result in a simpler and more streamlined contract support costs process.

The FY 2014 budget request for BIA Public Safety and Justice programs is $363.4 million with targeted increases over the 2012 enacted level of $5.5 million for Law Enforcement Operations, $13.4 million for Detention Center Operations and $1.0 million for Tribal Courts.

The request also includes a $3.0 million programmatic increase in BIA Human Services to address domestic violence in tribal communities. A partnership between BIA Human Services and Law Enforcement will address the needs at tribal locations with high levels of domestic violence. The initiative will improve teamwork between law enforcement and social services to more rapidly address instances of domestic violence, and expand services that help stem domestic violence in Indian Country and care for its victims.

The FY 2014 budget request for Law Enforcement Operations is $199.7 million, a $5.5 million programmatic increase over the FY 2012 enacted level. The increased funding for Criminal Investigations and Police Services will enable the BIA to hire additional bureau and tribal law enforcement personnel. The request includes $96.9 million for Detention Center Operations, a program increase of $13.4 million over the FY 2012 enacted level. The additional funding for staffing, training and equipment will strengthen BIA and tribal capacity to operate existing and newly constructed detention facilities.

The request also includes $24.4 million for Tribal Courts, an increase of $1.0 million above the 2012 enacted level. The funding will be used for judges, prosecutors, public defenders, court clerks, probation officers, juvenile officers, and support staff, as well as for training and related operations and administrative costs for tribal justice systems and Courts of Indian Offenses.

The FY 2014 budget request also supports the BIA’s successful pilot program, launched in 2010, that carries out the President’s Priority Goal of reducing violent crimes by at least five percent within 24 months on four initial reservations. The targeted, intense community safety program successfully reduced violent crime by an average of 35 percent across the four reservations. In 2012, the program was extended to two additional reservations. After a year, the two new sites have experienced an increase in reported crime – a trend similar to that seen at the initial four sites. The BIA will continue to support the efforts of all six programs in 2014 with funding, technical assistance, monitoring and feedback.

Taking land into trust is one of the most important functions the Department undertakes on behalf of federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, whose homelands are essential to their peoples’ health, safety and economic well-being. The BIA’s trust programs assist tribes and individual Indian landowners in the management, development and protection of trust lands and natural resource assets totaling about 55 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface mineral estates.

In 2012 and 2013, the Department undertook the most substantial overhaul of the federal fee-to-trust process in over half a century. In 2012, Interior placed 37,971 acres of land into trust on behalf of tribes and individual Indians and approved 299 fee-to-trust applications. Over the past four years, Indian Affairs has processed more than 1,000 separate applications and acquired over 196,600 acres of land in trust.

The FY 2014 budget request for the Trust – Natural Resources Management program, which assists tribes in managing, developing and protecting their trust lands and natural resources, is $189.2 million, a programmatic increase of $34.4 million over the FY 2012 enacted level. The increases support sustainable stewardship and development of natural resources and will support resource management and decision making in the areas of energy and minerals, climate, oceans, water, rights protection, and endangered and invasive species.

The FY 2014 budget request for Trust – Real Estate Services is $128.9 million, a programmatic increase of $7.7 million increase over the FY 2012 enacted level. This program carries out the BIA’s trust services, probate, and land titles and records functions, as well incorporates the Department’s trust reform improvement efforts. The request proposes a $5.5 million increase to fund authorized activities related to the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement at $7.0 million and provides $1.5 million for litigation support for Indian natural resource trust assets management.

The FY 2014 budget request for the Bureau of Indian Education of $802.8 million, a program increase of $6.7 million above the FY 2012 enacted level, advances the Department’s continuing commitment to the education of American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes. The Advancing Indian Education initiative addresses the full spectrum of educational needs throughout Indian Country from elementary through post secondary levels and adult education. The 2014 budget supports student academic achievement in BIE schools by initiating a $15.0 million pilot program to turnaround lower performing elementary and secondary schools, provides $2.5 million in increased funding to meet the needs of growing enrollment at tribal colleges, and provides $3.0 million in new funding for a Science Post-Graduate Scholarship Fund. The budget also proposes an additional $2.0 million for tribal grant support costs.

Administrative Cost Savings Over the last few years, Indian Affairs has taken significant steps to reduce the administrative costs associated with the wide range of services it delivers. In addition to $7.1 million in cost-saving measures from information technology standardization and infrastructure consolidations, the FY 2014 budget request includes a reduction of $19.7 million to reflect anticipated cost savings from streamlining operations. The request also includes $13.8 million in savings from reductions to contracts, fleet management, awards, and travel.

Indian Arts and Crafts Board The budget proposes to transfer the $1.3 million funding for the IACB from the Office of the Secretary to Indian Affairs, thereby allowing Indian Affairs to oversee the implementation of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, as amended, which contains both criminal and civil provisions to combat counterfeit activity in the American Indian and Alaska Native arts and crafts market, and the Board’s management of three museums in the Plains Region dedicated to the promotion, integrity and preservation of authentic American Indian art and culture.

• Housing Improvement Program (-$12.6 million) Eliminates the HIP. Tribes are not precluded from using HUD funding to provide assistance to HIP applicants.
• Law Enforcement Special Initiatives (-$2.6 million) Reflects decreased participation on collaborative activities such as intelligence sharing.
• The Indian Student Equalization Program (ISEP) (-$16.5 million) Offsets $15.0 million for a turnaround school pilot program.
• Replacement School Construction (-$17.8 million) The construction program will address improving physical conditions of existing school facilities through the Facilities Improvement and Repair program.
• The Indian Guaranteed Loan Program (-$2.1 million) The funding level of $5.0 million will guarantee over $70 million in loans.

Indian Affairs’ responsibility to the federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes is rooted in Article I, Section 8, of the United States Constitution, as well as in treaties, executive orders, and federal law. It is responsible for the management, development and protection of Indian trust land and natural resources, providing for public safety and justice in Indian Country, and promoting tribal self-determination and self-governance. Through the Bureau of Indian Education, it funds 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools, of which two-thirds are tribally operated, located on 64 reservations in 23 states and serving in School Year 2011-2012 a daily average attendance of 41,000 students. It also provides funding to 27 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, operates two postsecondary institutions of higher learning and provides higher education scholarships.

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WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will reopen its search for a new regional director of the Bureau’s Alaska Regional Office. The BIA will begin soliciting applicants for the Senior Executive Service (SES) position, which is located in Anchorage, starting on April 22, 2013.

“The decision to continue our search for candidates for the Alaska Regional Director position was made after meeting with Alaska Native leaders who provided us valuable insight on the unique needs of their communities that require effective and proactive leadership,” Washburn said.

The Alaska post is one of 12 regional directorships who manage the BIA’s regional offices, which oversee numerous agencies directly servicing federally recognized tribes and communities across the country. All of the regional director positions are SES-level appointments and report to the director of the BIA.

Members of the Senior Executive Service serve in key management positions just below the top presidential appointee level. They are charged with leading the continuing transformation of government, possess well-honed executive skills and share a broad perspective of government and a commitment to public service that is grounded in the United States Constitution. SES members are the major link between presidential appointees and the rest of the federal workforce, and oversee nearly every government activity across 75 federal agencies, including the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the BIA and the Bureau of Indian Education in the Department of the Interior.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations. The BIA’s 12 regional offices and 85 agencies administer or fund tribal law enforcement, social services, governance, natural and energy resources, road and building construction and trust management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – The Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform will hold its next public meeting on April 29, 2013, in Nashville, Tennessee. An online component of the meeting will be available for those who are unable to attend.

“The Department of the Interior has a very important role to play in administering the federal trust responsibility, and the Commission is looking forward to discussing with the public how we can work together on ways to improve the Department’s management of Indian trust lands and assets,” said Commission Chair Fawn Sharp.

Commission members will hear from invited speakers on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and international trust models, and the vision of the Department’s Trust Management model. The Commission also will hear from representatives of the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) who will discuss advancing the federal trust responsibility into the future.

Members of the public who wish to participate via virtual meeting should register by 7:00 a.m. CDT on April 29 at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/893317865. Virtual participation will be limited to 100 participants. For more information about the Commission’s work and the April 29 meeting, visit http://www.doi.gov/cobell/commission/index.cfm.

The Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform was established in 2011 to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Department’s management and administration of nearly $4 billion in American Indian trust assets over two years and to offer recommendations on improvements in the future. Building on progress made with the historic Cobell Settlement, the Commission will help to establish a new era of trust administration: one that stresses responsive, accountable, transparent, and customer-friendly management of these substantial funds and assets. All of the Commission’s meetings are open to the public.

WHO: DOI Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform Members:

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

WHAT: Public meeting Number Five of the DOI Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform

WHEN: Monday, April 29, 2013, 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. CDT.

WHERE: One Century Place Conference Center, Conference Room #104, 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, Tenn. 37214.

ONLINE ACCESS: To participate via virtual meeting, please register by 7:00 a.m. CDT on April 29, 2013, at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/893317865. Once you register, you will receive an email with a link to access the meeting online. The call number is 1-866-642- 0396. Use access code 563322.

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

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Director Michael Black will deliver the keynote address at the 22nd Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service on Thursday, May 2, 2013. The Office of Justice Services hosts the event at the Bureau of Indian Affairs United States Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M. to honor and commemorate tribal, state, local and federal law enforcement officers working on federal Indian lands and in tribal communities who have given their lives in the line of duty.

Two names will be added at the event bringing the total number of fallen officers listed on the memorial to 101. Those to be added at this year’s ceremony are:

Mahnomen County Deputy Sherriff Christopher Lee Dewey, who was fatally wounded on February 18, 2009, while responding with another officer to a report of a car in the ditch. As they assisted a tow truck operator, the officers heard gun shots at a nearby residence and responded. They were approached by two men and a confrontation occurred. Deputy Dewey was shot several times and after many months of treatment and rehabilitation, he succumbed to his injuries on August 10, 2010.

Chitimacha Tribal Police Sergeant Frederick Albert Riggenbach, was killed on January 26, 2013. Officer Riggenbach responded to a request for assistance at a residence and vehicle fire. When he arrived, there were two St. Mary Parish Deputies in a patrol unit backing away from the scene. At that same time an armed suspect shot at the officers, who returned fire. Both deputies were wounded in the exchange. Sergeant Riggenbach continued to engage and was critically wounded by gunshots from the armed subject.

The OJS holds the service in conjunction with other law enforcement organizations and agencies including the International Association of Chiefs of Police Indian Country Law Enforcement Section, the National Sheriffs’ Association, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). The memorial and the Indian Police Academy are located on the FLETC campus in Artesia.

ICLEO Memorial Service – Page 2

The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was first dedicated on May 7, 1992, at the U.S. Indian Police Academy, which was then in Marana, Ariz. The academy and memorial were later moved to their present site, where the memorial was re-dedicated on May 6, 1993.

The earliest name inscribed on the memorial dates to 1852. In addition to those from BIA and tribal law enforcement, officers listed represent the U.S. Border Patrol, the New Mexico State Police, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Customs Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The list includes one female officer, from the Navajo Nation Department of Public Safety, who was killed in 1998; a father and son, both BIA officers, who died in 1998 and 2001, respectively; and two FBI agents killed on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 1975.

The memorial’s design is based on indigenous design concepts. Comprised of three granite markers sited within a circular walkway lined with sage, a plant of spiritual significance to many tribes, the memorial includes four planters filled with foliage in colors representing people of all races. The planters represent the four directions and are located near the walkway’s entrance.

CREDENTIALS: This invitation is extended to working media representatives, who are required to display sanctioned media credentials for admittance to the event. To view an image of the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial and a list of the officers’ names inscribed on it, visit http://www.fletc.gov/about-fletc/locations/artesia/indiancountry-law-enforcement-officers-memorial.html.

-DOI-

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services (OJS) will hold the second of three training sessions to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court judges and prosecutors in dealing with driving-while-intoxicated (DWI) cases. The session, which will provide advanced training in DWI cases, is being held May 1-3 in Flagstaff, Ariz.

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 the 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 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 last training session in this series will be held Oct. 29-31, 2013, in Albuquerque, N.M. It will be preceded by a half-day roundtable discussion on Oct. 28 on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

2013 OJS DWI Training/Flagstaff – Page 2

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