OPA

WASHINGTON – The Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform will hold its final public meeting on Nov. 20, 2013, via webinar. The Commission is completing a comprehensive evaluation of the Department of the Interior’s management and administration of Indian trust assets within a two-year period and will offer recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior of how to improve in the future.

During the webinar Commission members will review and approve Commission recommendations and accept public comments. Members of the public who wish to participate in the webinar must register by Nov. 19 at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/774101625.

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 accountable, transparent and customer-friendly management of these substantial funds and assets.

For more information about the Nov. 20 webinar and the Commission’s work, visit http://www.doi.gov/cobell/commission/index.cfm. All Commission meetings are open to the public.

Written comments may be sent to the Designated Federal Official to the Commission at the following address: Sarah Harris, Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C St., N.W., MS-3070-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240, or by email to trustcommission@ios.doi.gov.

WHO: Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform Members to be Present:

• 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

Sarah Harris, Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs and Designated Federal Officer for the Commission, DOI

WHAT: Final public meeting of the DOI Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform via webinar.

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2013, 4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. (EST).

ONLINE ACCESS: Members of the public interested in participating in the webinar must register by Nov. 19 at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/774101625.

SHAWNEE, Okla. – On Monday, November 25, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn will visit Oklahoma to participate in a signing ceremony with Chairman John Barrett of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, approving the tribe’s leasing regulations in accordance with the HEARTH Act. 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.

Secretary Jewell will also be joined by U.S. Representative Tom Cole, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Vice-Chairman Linda Capps, and other tribal community members. This will be Jewell’s first trip to Oklahoma as Secretary of the Interior.

The ceremony marks another historic step toward furthering tribal self-governance for Citizen Potawatomi Nation and underscores President Obama’s continued commitment to empower all tribal nations, signaled by his signing of the HEARTH Act last year. The law, which allows federally recognized tribes to assume greater control of leasing on tribal lands, is complemented by Interior’s new regulations which streamline the leasing approval process, spurring increased homeownership and expediting business and commercial development, including renewable energy projects. The Citizen Potawatomi Nation is among the first tribes to benefit from the new law.

WHO: Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs John Barrett, Chairman, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Linda Capps, Vice-Chairman, Citizen Potawatomi Nation Tom Cole, U.S. Representative (OK-04)

WHAT: HEARTH Act Regulations Signing Ceremony with Citizen Potawatomi Nation

WHEN: Monday, November 25 9:45 a.m. CST – Media check-in 10:00 a.m. – Ceremony begins NOTE: Q&A with event participants to immediately follow ceremony

WHERE: Potawatomi National Cultural Heritage Center 1899 S Gordon Cooper Drive Shawnee, OK 74801

MEDIA: Media interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP here by 5:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, November 24

SHAWNEE, Okla. – As part of President Obama’s commitment to self-determination of tribal nations, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today joined Citizen Potawatomi Nation Chairman John Barrett to formally approve tribal leasing regulations that will help spur investment and commercial development on the nation’s trust lands in central Oklahoma.

“The Citizen Potawatomi Nation now has the authority to decide how it wants to do business on its lands, making it easier for families to do things like buy and build houses or open businesses in the communities where they have lived for generations,” said Secretary Jewell, who also serves as chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. “Today’s action encourages economic development on Indian lands, generating investment, new jobs and revenues. I applaud Chairman Barrett and Vice-Chairman Linda Capps for their leadership on this initiative and look forward to working with other tribes across the nation to maintain tribal sovereignty and promote tribal self-determination and self-government.”

Today’s signing ceremony comes on the heels of the 2013 White House Tribal Nations Conference, when leaders from all 566 federally recognized tribes are invited to Washington, D.C. to interact directly with the President and senior cabinet and administration officials. The conference – the fifth for the Obama Administration – continues to build on the President’s commitment to strengthen the government-to-government relationship with Indian Country.

The Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act (HEARTH Act), signed by President Obama in July 2012, restores the authority of federally recognized tribes to develop and implement their own laws governing the long-term leasing of Indian lands for residential, business and other purposes. Upon one-time approval of these tribal regulations by the Department of the Interior, tribes have the authority to process land leases without Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approval, greatly expediting the approval of leases for homes and small businesses in Indian Country.

“We are thankful to Secretary Jewell, Assistant Secretary Washburn and their team at the Department of Interior for their efforts in implementing the Hearth Act and approving the Citizen Potawatomi Nation business leasing regulations,” said Chairman Barrett. “This is a step in the right direction for tribal self-governance and will empower tribal governments to take greater control of their land. CPN has created a thriving economy of retail and tourism developments and we look forward to working with other businesses to spur business and commercial development in Oklahoma.”

The Citizen Potawatomi Nation, a traditionally Algonquian-speaking Eastern Woodlands tribe has more than 30,000 enrolled tribal members, of whom more than 10,000 live in the state of Oklahoma.

“Increased economic opportunity is the best way to raise the standards of living for tribal members. Today’s formal approval of leasing regulations for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation will pave the way for just that,” said Congressman Tom Cole, who attended the ceremony and was a cosponsor of the HEARTH Act. “This is not only beneficial for tribal governments, but the entire state of Oklahoma will feel the positive impact of increased economic activity. I am grateful to Secretary Jewell, Assistant Secretary Washburn and the Interior Department for their tireless efforts in helping tribes use their own lands.”

The signing, which took place at the Potawatomi National Cultural Heritage Center in Shawnee, is the sixth tribal leasing ordinance approved by the Department of the Interior under the HEARTH Act. Previous pacts were signed with the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria (February 1, 2013); Pueblo of Sandia (March 14, 2013); Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians (April 11, 2013); Ak-Chin Indian Community (November 10, 2013); and Santa Rosa Band of Cahuilla Indians (November 10, 2013). Additional tribal leasing authority applications are under review.

Today’s ceremony comes almost a year after Interior issued new regulations to complement the HEARTH Act by streamlining the department’s leasing approval process. The final regulations, issued November 27, 2012, capped the overhaul of antiquated BIA regulations for leasing 56 million surface acres that the federal government holds in trust for Indian tribes and individuals.

The new regulations fundamentally change the way the BIA does business, providing clarity by identifying specific processes – with enforceable timelines – through which the BIA must review leases. The regulation also establishes separate, simplified processes for residential, business, and renewable energy development, rather than using a “one-size fits all” approach that treats a lease for a single family home the same as a lease for a large wind energy project.

“The very essence of self-determination is that it should be the tribe that decides how its lands may be used for the good of its members, and that is what the HEARTH Act and Interior’s comprehensive reform of Indian land leasing regulations does,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “These parallel efforts have a real impact for individuals and families who want to own a home or build a business. These initiatives help strengthen self-reliance and secure the well-being of future generations.”

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Affairs Director Michael S. Black has named Weldon “Bruce” Loudermilk as Regional Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Alaska Regional Office in Anchorage. Loudermilk, an enrolled member of the Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in Montana, had been serving as regional director of the Bureau’s Great Plains Regional Office in Aberdeen, S.D., since June 20, 2010.

“We recognize the importance of identifying and hiring the best candidates to serve tribes, the Alaska Native people and Alaska Native Corporations,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn. “Given that BIA regional directors are responsible for ensuring Indian Affairs carries out its mission within their regions, it is my firm belief that we should always be working to attract the best and brightest to these positions.”

“I have full confidence in Bruce Loudermilk’s commitment to our mission of serving all of the federally recognized tribes in Alaska,” said Black. “He will bring his vast amount of administrative and management experience to the Alaska Regional Directorship, and strengthen our government-to-government relationship with the Alaska Native tribes.”

“I am committed to carrying out our trust responsibilities to the Alaska Native tribes and individual trust beneficiaries,” Loudermilk said. “I look forward to working with Assistant Secretary Washburn and his team and with the Alaska Native leadership to improve the BIA’s delivery of services to the tribes and villages throughout the Alaska Region.”

The Alaska Regional Office oversees two agencies serving 229 federally recognized Alaska Native tribes and villages, except the Metlakatla Indian Community of the Annette Islands Reserve.

While serving as the Great Plains Regional Director, Loudermilk was temporarily appointed as the Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs for Management in the Indian Affairs headquarters office in Washington, D.C., from Oct. 3, 2011, to Sept. 25, 2012. Upon completion of that assignment, he returned to the Great Plains Regional Office.

Prior to becoming acting Great Plains 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 23-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, he 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 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 provided leadership 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 private sector experience from the financial services, energy (oil and gas) exploration and petroleum technology industries. 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.

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).

The process for selecting the Alaska Regional Director was exhaustive and Indian Affairs twice advertised the position. In an effort to expand the pool of eligible candidates, the second solicitation for applications was extended to five weeks. The Bureau also recognized that a potential hurdle for candidates may have been unfamiliarity with the federal hiring process for Senior Executive Service (SES) employment. To better prepare potential candidates, who were unfamiliar with the SES hiring process, Indian Affairs offered a training session in Alaska, along with a webinar, to educate and assist potential applicants with the SES process. The Bureau also consulted with tribal leaders regarding the candidates.

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

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 – that administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources and trust management programs for the nation’s 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages through 12 regional offices and 85 agencies.

WASHINGTON – The Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform has added a public meeting on Dec. 10, 2013, to its schedule, which will be held via webinar. The meeting will gather public comments to help the Commission complete a comprehensive evaluation of the Department of the Interior’s administration of nearly $4 billion in Indian trust assets and will offer recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior about how to improve in the future.

Because the federal government shutdown in October created delays in wrapping up the evaluation, the Commission report and recommendations will be discussed and voted on during the Dec. 10 public webinar. Time will be allowed to take public comments. Members of the public who wish to participate in the webinar should register by Dec. 9 at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/704255144. Upon registering, instructions on how to join the meeting will be sent to the participant’s email address.

The Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform was established in 2011 to conduct a comprehensive evaluation within a two-year period of the Department’s management and administration of nearly $4 billion in American Indian trust assets and to offer recommendations on improvements in the future. Building on progress made with the historic Cobell Settlement, the Department of the Interior wishes to provide accountable, transparent and customer-friendly management of these substantial funds and assets.

For more information about the Dec. 10 webinar and the Commission’s work, visit http://www.doi.gov/cobell/commission/index.cfm. All Commission meetings are open to the public.

Written comments may be sent to the Designated Federal Official to the Commission at the following address: Sarah Harris, Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C St., N.W., Room 3071, Washington, D.C. 20240, or by email to trustcommission@ios.doi.gov.

WHO: Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform Members to be Present:

• 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

Sarah Harris, Chief of Staff to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs and Designated Federal Officer for the Commission, DOI

WHAT: Public meeting of the DOI Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform via webinar.

WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2013, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. (EST).

ONLINE ACCESS: Members of the public interested in participating in the webinar should register by Dec. 9 at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/704255144. Upon registering, instructions on how to join the meeting will be sent to the participant’s email address.

LAGUNA, NM – On Wednesday, December 11, as part of the Obama Administration’s commitment to strengthen education for Native youth, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn will visit New Mexico to tour a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) tribally controlled grant school located on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation. The visit to the Laguna Elementary School and a subsequent roundtable with principals from other local tribally controlled grant schools and BIE-operated schools will help inform the work of Interior’s American Indian Education Study Group . In partnership with the Department of Education, the Group is assessing the scope of challenges in American Indian education and will be submitting recommendations for improving educational outcomes for American Indian students attending BIE-funded schools.

WHO: Sally Jewell, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Monty Roessel, Acting Director, Bureau of Indian Education Richard Luarkie, Governor, Laguna Pueblo Kay Morris, Laguna Elementary School Natalie Martinez, Laguna Middle School Local BIE principals

WHAT: Visit to Laguna Elementary School

WHEN: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 9:45 a.m. MST – Media check-in 10:00 a.m. MST – Tour begins NOTE: Brief media availability immediately following the tour. The roundtable discussion with principals is CLOSED press.

WHERE: Laguna Elementary School 19 Schoolhouse Road, Building 1130 Laguna, NM 87026

RSVP: Media interested in attending are required to obtain an Access Permit from the Pueblo prior to the event by contacting Natalie Pino at 505- 552-6654 or npino@lagunapueblo-nsn.gov no later than 4:00 p.m. MST on Tuesday, December 10, 2013.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary Kevin K. Washburn today announced that he has named Dr. Charles M. “Monty” Roessel as Director of the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). Roessel, an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, had served as the acting director since February 2013.

The announcement came today as Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, Assistant Secretary Washburn and Director Roessel were in Laguna, New Mexico to tour a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) tribally controlled grant school located on the Pueblo of Laguna reservation.

The visit to the Laguna Elementary School and a subsequent roundtable with principals from other local tribally controlled grant schools and BIE-operated schools will help inform the work of Interior’s American Indian Education Study Group, a group that is working to improve educational outcomes for American Indian students attending BIE-funded schools.

“The BIE plays a major role in the education of thousands of American Indian students across Indian Country,” Washburn said. “As acting director, Dr. Charles M. Roessel has proven to be an effective steward of our Indian education programs, bringing to the Bureau extensive experience in school leadership and administration, and an understanding of what’s needed at the local school level. He is a strong and effective member of my senior management team.”

Before joining the BIE’s headquarters staff in Washington, D.C. in 2012, Roessel had served since October 2011 as the Bureau’s Associate Deputy Director for Navajo Schools, where he was responsible for overseeing 66 BIE-funded schools on the Navajo Nation reservation in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. He became the associate deputy director after having served since 2007 as superintendent of Rough Rock Community School, a BIE-funded, tribally operated K-12 boarding school near Chinle, Ariz., on the Navajo Nation reservation.

From 2010 to 2011, Roessel had served as chair of the Department of the Interior’s No Child Left Behind Negotiated Rule Making Committee and on the Sovereignty in Navajo Education Reauthorization Task Force with the Navajo Education Department of Diné Education.

“I want to thank Assistant Secretary Washburn for his confidence in me for this important post,” Roessel said. “I am looking forward to working with Assistant Secretary Washburn and his team to ensure that the Bureau of Indian Education continues to fulfill its two-fold mission of providing our students with a quality education while respecting tribal cultures, languages and traditions.”

As Director of the Bureau of Indian Education, Roessel reports to the Assistant Secretary and oversees three associate deputy directors who are responsible for education line offices serving 183 BIE-funded elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states. These facilities provide schooling for more than 40,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students from the country’s federally recognized tribes.

The Bureau also serves post-secondary students through higher education scholarships and support funding to 27 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, N.M.

Roessel has been a prominent figure in Indian education for many years. The Rough Rock Community School, at which he served for more than a dozen years from 1998 to 2011, had been the first American Indian-operated, and the first Navajo-operated, school when it opened in 1966 within what was then the Bureau of Indian Affairs school system. Today that system is administered by the BIE, established in 2006. During his tenure as superintendent at Rough Rock, Roessel helped to oversee a major school replacement and improvement project funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and carried out by the Indian Affairs Office of Facilities, Environmental and Cultural Resources. The official opening of the replacement school and facilities was held on August 15, 2011.

Roessel started at Rough Rock in August 1998 as the director of community services, developing programs for teacher recruitment and student enrollment in addition to coaching baseball and teaching photography to students. In July 2000, he became the school’s executive director, where he served until he was named superintendent in 2007.

Before working for the Rough Rock Community School, Roessel served from September 1997 to December 2000 as director of the Navajo Nation Round Rock Chapter AmeriCorps program where he developed partnerships to improve education and housing within the Round Rock chapter community.

Roessel also has worked as a photographer, writer and editor for various publications and projects including vice-president and editor of the Navajo Nation Today newspaper (1990-1992), which he also co-owned; managing editor of the Navajo Times Today (1985-1987); a photojournalist with the Greeley (Colo.) Tribune (1985) and a photographer/writer with the Navajo View of Navajo Life Project (1984).

In addition, he has worked since 1987 as an author and photographer on various projects, and has written extensively about Navajo life and culture. He also served on the Visual Task Force board for the first annual gathering of minority journalists associations, including the Native American Journalists Association (NAJA), known as the UNITY conference.

Roessel holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Photo-Communication/Industrial Arts from the University of Northern Colorado-Greeley (1984), a Master of Arts degree in Journalism from Prescott (Ariz.) College (1995) and a Doctorate of Education degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Arizona State University in Tempe (2007).

Washington, D.C. – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn announced today that the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians and the Kaw Nation are the latest tribes to receive clearance of tribal leasing codes to enable them to handle leasing of their own Indian lands without having to obtain the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approval.

The clearance came under the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act (HEARTH Act), signed by President Obama in July 2012.

“The very essence of self-determination is that it should be the tribe that decides how its lands may be used for the good of its members, and that is what the HEARTH Act does,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “These efforts can have a real impact on economic development in Indian country. These initiatives help strengthen tribal self-reliance and secure the well-being of future generations.”

The Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians located in Alpine, California, will use the authority for business site leases for general economic development.

“It’s wonderful that we’ll be able to speed up the approval process in managing our leases and leasing our lands to begin economic development,” said Chairman Robert Pinto Sr., Chairman of the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians. “I thank the Interior Department for applying their resources and hard work necessary to put our tribe on the road to self-sufficiency.”

The Kaw Nation located in Kaw City, Oklahoma, plans to authorize leases for business sites and to develop renewable energy projects.

“The HEARTH Act provides us with the ability to make decisions and see them through without delays that in the past have caused us to lose opportunities,” said Chairman Guy Munroe,Chairman of the Kaw Nation. “We have several projects for which we can now expedite the implementation and move forward with needed economic development.”

The HEARTH Act restores the authority of federally recognized tribes to develop and implement their own laws governing the long-term leasing of Indian lands for residential, business, renewable energy and other purposes. Upon one-time approval of these tribal regulations by the Department of the Interior, tribes have the authority to process land leases without BIA approval, greatly expediting the approval of leases for homes and small businesses in Indian Country.

To date, Interior has approved eight tribal leasing codes under the HEARTH Act. In November, Secretary Jewell and Assistant Secretary Washburn traveled to Oklahoma to sign an agreement with Citizen Potawatomi Nation to help spur investment and commercial development.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Interior Department’s trust responsibilities and promoting self-determination on behalf of the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments. The Assistant Secretary oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education

WASHINGTON - Assistant Secretary -Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn issued a Record of Decision this week to approve an application submitted by the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians to lease up to 720 acres of reservation land to Tule Wind, LLC, for a portion of the Tule Wind Energy Project located near San Diego, California.

The lease approval will allow the Ewiiaapaayp Band, which is located in Alpine, California, to move forward with the construction, maintenance, and operation of up to 20 wind turbines and related facilities on the tribe’s trust lands.

The Tule Wind Project is a significant renewable energy project involving several governmental actors in addition to the Ewiiaapaayp tribal government. A total of 128 wind turbines are proposed for the entire project. In addition to turbines on the reservation land, additional turbines would be sited on lands of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the State of California, and San Diego County. These federal, state and county lands are all located in the McCain Valley.

The tribe submitted the lease agreement in 2010 for approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which has jurisdiction over Federal Indian trust lands. An Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) was prepared pursuant to both the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The BLM served as the Lead Federal Agency in drafting the Tule Wind Energy Project EIR/EIS and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) served as the Lead State Agency. The project proponent/applicant must comply with all applicable federal laws and will apply for an eagle take permit under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Assistant Secretary Washburn issued the Record of Decision on Monday, December 16, 2013. The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED), which implements the Indian Energy Resource Development Program under Title V of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. IEED's mission is to foster stronger American Indian and Alaska Native communities by helping federally recognized tribes developing their renewable and non-renewable energy and mineral resources. For more information about IEED programs and services, visit the Indian Affairs website at http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/IEED/index.htm

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) is soliciting grant proposals from Indian tribes for projects to build tribal capacity for energy resource development.

“Tribal energy resources are integral to building strong tribal economies, while also playing an important part in President Obama’s ‘all-of-the-above’ approach to increasing America’s energy independence,” Washburn said. “The Department of the Interior’s Tribal Energy Development Capacity (TEDC) grant program provides tribes with the opportunity to increase and improve their ability to develop their energy resources not only to benefit their communities, but the nation as a whole.”

Energy and mineral development on federal Indian lands plays a critical role in creating jobs and generating income in Indian Country, while also contributing to the national economy. The TEDC grant program helps tribes in assessing, developing or obtaining the managerial and technical capacity needed to develop energy resources on Indian land and properly account for energy resource production and revenues, as provided for under Title V, Section 503 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Federally recognized tribes, including Alaska Native regional and village corporations and tribal energy resource development organizations are eligible to submit proposals under this solicitation.

TEDC grants are intended to help eligible entities meet the following goals regarding energy resources they intend to develop or are developing on Indian land:

• Determine the current level of a tribe’s or tribal energy resource development organization’s technical, administrative, or management capacity for identified energy resource development activities;
• Determine which technical, administrative, or management capacities for tribal energy resource development need enhancement;
• Determine what process(es) and/or procedure(s) may be used to eliminate capacity gaps or obtain the development of energy resources development capacity (including training and policy and code development); and
• Determine how the process(es) and/or procedures(s) identified above will be implemented.

Examples of activities eligible for TEDC grants include, but are not limited to, assessing or determining how to develop or obtain an eligible entity’s capacity for:

• Reviewing proposals for leases, business agreements, or rights-of-way;
• Negotiating and reviewing leases, business agreements, or rights-of-ways;
• Evaluating the environmental effects of energy resource development projects the applicant may enter into, including those related to cultural resources;
• Monitoring the compliance of a third party with the terms and conditions of any leases, business agreements, and rights-of-way the applicant may enter into;
• Establishing or managing energy development-related departments or administrative divisions within the tribe or tribal energy resource development organization;
• Providing for energy development-related technical, scientific, and/or engineering expertise within the tribe or tribal energy resource development organization;
• Developing or enhancing tribal policies, codes, regulations, or ordinances related to regulating energy resource development; and
• Accounting for energy resource production and revenues.

Under the 2005 Act, Congress appropriates funds on a year-to-year basis to the Department of the Interior for TEDC grants. IEED will use a competitive evaluation process to select projects for funding awards.

The Department published a Notice of Solicitation of Proposals in the Federal Register on Dec. 20, 2013. Proposals must be submitted by Feb. 18, 2014, to be considered. Proposals may be mailed or hand-carried to the Department of the Interior, Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, Attention: Ashley Stockdale, 1951 Constitution Ave., N.W., MS-20-MIB, Washington, D.C. 20240, or emailed to Ashley Stockdale at Ashley.Stockdale@bia.gov.

The Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs oversees the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development, which implements the Indian Energy Resource Development Program under Title V of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. IEED’s mission is to foster stronger American Indian and Alaska Native communities by helping federally recognized tribes with employment and workforce training programs; developing 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 the Indian Affairs website at http://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhoWeAre/AS-IA/IEED/index.htm