OPA

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that the Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) Division of Energy and Mineral Development is soliciting grant proposals from Indian tribes and Alaska Native corporations for projects that promote the processing, use or development of energy and mineral resources on Indian lands.

“Indian tribes are key participants in President Obama’s ‘all-of-the-above’ energy strategy, and Indian Affairs is working to help tribes maximize their energy and mineral resource potential,” Washburn said. “The grants issued under this solicitation will empower tribes to find and assess their resources and get them to market.”

Energy and mineral development on federal Indian lands plays a critical role in creating jobs and generating income throughout Indian Country, while also contributing to the national economy. The Division of Energy and Mineral Development, through its Energy and Mineral Development Program, is soliciting proposals from federally recognized tribes and Alaska Native regional and village corporations for energy and mineral development projects that explore for energy and mineral resources, inventory or assess known resources, or perform feasibility or market studies about the use and development of known energy and mineral resources on Indian lands.

Energy and mineral resources may include conventional or renewable energy resources. Mineral resources include industrial minerals such as sand and gravel; precious minerals such as gold, silver and platinum; base minerals including lead, copper and zinc; and ferrous metal minerals such as iron, tungsten and chromium.

The Department of the Interior is issuing the grant proposals under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (25 USC 3501 et seq.), which required the Secretary of the Interior to “establish and implement an Indian energy resource development program to assist consenting Indian tribes and tribal energy resource development organizations…[and]…provide grants…for use in carrying out projects to promote the integration of energy resources, and to process, use, or develop those energy resources, on Indian land….”

The Energy and Mineral Development Program is funded under the non-recurring appropriation of the Bureau of Indian Affairs budget and is based on available funds. It is an annual program, and uses a competitive evaluation process to select proposed projects to receive an award.

The Department published a Notice of Solicitation of Proposals in the Federal Register on Dec. 20, 2013. Proposals must be submitted on or before Feb. 18, 2014, to be considered. Proposals may be mailed or hand-carried to the Department of the Interior, Division of Energy and Mineral Development, Attention: Energy and Mineral Development Program, c/o Dawn Charging, 13922 Denver West Parkway, Suite 200 (#253), Lakewood, Colo., 80401-3124, or emailed to Dawn.Charging@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

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn, speaking on behalf of the entire Department of the Interior, today issued the following statement on the passing of Forrest J. Gerard, a member of the Blackfeet Tribe in Montana and the first Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs who served from Oct. 13, 1977 to Jan. 19, 1980:

“Forrest Gerard will loom large in the history books as a key figure in American Indian policy. As a congressional staffer, he helped advance the interests of both the United States and Indian country by shepherding through Congress the Indian Self-Determination Act of 1975, which formally marked the end of the Termination Era and the beginning of an important new chapter in federal-tribal relations.

“President Jimmy Carter selected Mr. Gerard to serve as the very first Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior. In this selection, President Carter elevated the importance of Indian affairs and Mr. Gerard used the newly established office to implement successfully the important new policies that he had helped enact in Congress.

“Tribal self-determination policies have transformed Indian country, making tribal governments stronger and improving services to Indian people. The United States and Indian country are better today because of Mr. Gerard’s contributions.

“On a personal note, I will always value the advice Mr. Gerard offered as I began my own service as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Gerard family and the Blackfeet Tribe community. He will be greatly missed.”

WASHINGTON, DC – As part of President Obama’s 7th annual White House Tribal Nations Conference, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn today announced that the Department of the Interior has expanded leasing provisions to give Indian landowners greater control over the use and development of their land. They also announced the launch of Native One Stop, a website where tribal members can locate important federal resources they may be eligible to receive.

The expanded leasing provisions announced today make the right-of-way process on tribal lands more transparent and requires a firm timeline for approval by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and affected landowners. A right-of-way is legal permission to cross tribal land, individually owned Indian land or government land for a specific purpose, including building and operating a road, railroad, power line, telecommunications lines, waterline or pipeline.

The new rule, effective 30 days after today’s publication in the federal register, makes the right-of-way process more transparent by clearly delineating when a Bureau of Indian Affairs approved right-of-way is required for access to Indian land, as well as when bureau approval and landowner consent are required for amendments, assignments and mortgages of right-of-way grants.

“Together with the forward thinking of the HEARTH Act, under which tribes may approve all surface leases on tribal lands, today’s action to update rights of way regulations on Indian lands is an important part of the Administration’s agenda to modernize outdated regulations that apply to Indian country,” said Secretary Jewell, who delivered opening remarks at the 7th annual White House Tribal Nations Conference. “These reforms help expand opportunities for individual landowners and tribal governments to generate investment, expand economic opportunity and provide greater transparency and workability through the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ leasing and right-of-way processes.”

The rule also imposes timelines on the Bureau of Indian Affairs to act on requests for rights of way, increases flexibility in compensation and valuations and eliminates the requirement for applicants to obtain Bureau approval to access Indian land to survey it in preparation for a right-of-way application. The Bureau would be required to issue a decision on a right-of-way grant within 60 days of receiving an application and issue a decision on an amendment, assignment or mortgage of a right-of-way within 30 days of an application. If the Bureau does not act within those established deadlines, the parties could elevate the application to the regional director or director of bureau, as appropriate, for action.

“Leasing and right-of-way reforms are about supporting self-determination for Indian nations and were developed in close consultation with tribal leaders,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “The streamlined, commonsense regulations provide flexibility and certainty to tribal communities and individuals regarding decisions on the use, protection and development of their land.”

The new leasing and right-of-way rules complement and help to implement the 2012 HEARTH Act (Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act). Under the act, once a tribe’s governing leasing regulation is submitted to, and approved by the Secretary of the Interior, they are then able to negotiate and enter into leases without further Secretarial approval. This comprehensive right-of-way reform mirrors the updated leasing regulations issued in 2012 to expedite housing, business and commercial development on Indian lands. The rule brings to date regulations (25 Code of Federal Regulations 169) that the Bureau put into effect more than 40 years ago, and updated more than 30 years ago.

For additional information on the final rule, please visit this website.

Jewell and Washburn also announced at the White House Tribal Nations Conference the launch of Native One Stop, a website for American Indians and Alaska Natives to locate resources they are eligible for in the 17 federal agencies, all of which are Benefits.gov partners. An initiative of the Interior and Labor departments and developed as part of the White House Tribal Youth Gathering, the site includes more than 80 different resources, related to education, environment, health, economic assistance, and youth needs. Web site users may also answer a series of questions on the site to determine their eligibility to apply for these resources. The number of resources is expected to grow as the site continues to include additional programs from across government.

The White House Tribal Nations Conference convenes leaders from the 566 federally recognized tribes to interact directly with high-level federal government officials and members of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. The Council, which is chaired by Secretary Jewell and includes the heads of more than 20 federal departments and agencies, works to improve interagency coordination and expand efforts to leverage federal programs and resources available to tribal communities.

WASHINGTON – Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) Director Dr. Charles M. Roessel today announced the selection of Dr. Venida S. Chenault as president of Haskell Indian Nations University (Haskell) in Lawrence, Kan. Chenault, an enrolled member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Kansas, had been serving as vice president of academic affairs at Haskell since December 2004. Her new appointment is effective Jan. 12, 2014.

“Dr. Venida Chenault is an experienced administrator whose leadership at Haskell Indian Nations University and strong commitment to American Indian higher education is well-known among her students and colleagues,” Roessel said. “Her familiarity with the needs of students, her respect for the school community and her vision for the institution itself has made her the right choice as Haskell president. I am proud to have her on my education management team.”

Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn also praised the appointment: “I am very pleased at the selection of Dr. Venida Chenault for Haskell president. This institution is one of the most important Indian higher education institutions in the country. Our search for new leadership at Haskell has led to a strong and able education professional, a person who has long been committed to this institution, and who will work towards its constant betterment.”

Chenault has held several positions at Haskell during almost 21 years of her association with the university. With degrees in social work, she started in 1991 as social work faculty and as an advisor where she taught and developed pre-professional courses and curriculum in social work, American Indian studies and addiction until August 2004. During that time, she also served as interim director of American Indian studies (June 1996 to July 1999); as acting associate dean for the Division of Instruction (December 1997 to June 1998); as acting director of the Institute for Distance Education (April to August 2003); and as co-director of a Ford Foundation grant that Haskell held in conjunction with the University of Kansas, exploring the Native American experience.

From October 2008 to October 2009, Chenault served as a Visiting Scholar in Social Welfare at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, where she worked to advance research and scholarship on the topic of violence and abuse against Indigenous women. She also authored a book on the same topic during this period.

In December 2004, Chenault was named Haskell’s vice president of academic affairs, which gave her administrative oversight of a $3-$4 million budget and supervisory responsibility for all academic programs, budgets, faculty and staff within the Division of Academic Affairs. In her position she also served as acting vice president for university services from October 2009 to January 2010; acting Haskell president from January to May 2010; and at BIE headquarters in Washington, D.C., from September 2012 to April 2013. While with the Bureau, she helped lead key priority post-secondary education projects, including developing partnership agreements with tribal colleges and universities (TCUs) and working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services and the National Park Service to design professional development curriculum. From 2006 to 2007, she also held consultations and workshops on tribal sovereignty and self-determination as well as academic assessment and research for TCUs.

Chenault attended Haskell as a student in the Fall of 1975 and the Spring of 1984. She later attended the University of Kansas where she earned a bachelor’s degree in social work in 1986, a master’s in social work in 1990, and a Ph.D. in philosophy in 2004. She has given numerous presentations on the subject of violence and substance abuse activity and prevention within the American Indian community, and developed and taught courses on human behavior, community health social work practice, chemical dependency and social work as they relate to Native people. In addition, she has published numerous articles and reports on a variety of topics related to the study of American Indian societies and cultures.

She has received several awards, including Haskell Outstanding Alumni of the Year (Spring 2009) and the Crystal Eagle Indigenous Leadership Award, Center for Indigenous Studies, University of Kansas (Spring 2005). She was named both a Kellogg Minority Serving Institutions Leadership Program Fellow and an American Indian Higher Education Consortium Fellow in 2003, and an American Indian College Fund Mellon Award Fellow in 2004. From 1998 to the present, she served at various times on Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation Education, Social Services and Constitution committees, and the Nation’s Social Service Advisory Board.

Chenault will lead a BIE-operated university which has been educating American Indians and Alaska Natives from the nation’s federally recognized tribes for almost 130 years. Opened on September 1, 1884, as the United States Industrial Training School with a focus on agricultural education in grades one through five, the school was known as Haskell Institute throughout Indian Country until 1970 when it was transformed into a two-year higher education institution and renamed Haskell Indian Junior College. In 1993, the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs approved changing the school’s name to its current form.

Haskell has grown from its original 22 students to an average enrollment today of over 1,000 each semester from tribes across the United States. It offers associate and baccalaureate programs accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and integrates American Indian and Alaska Native cultures into its curricula. Students may transfer to another baccalaureate degree-granting institution or go directly into the workforce. For more information, visit www.haskell.edu.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, which operates the federal school system for American Indian and Alaska Native children from the federally recognized tribes. The BIE director is directly responsible for implementing federal education programs and laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, in 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools on 64 reservations in 23 states serving over 40,000 students. The BIE also funds or operates off-reservation boarding schools and peripheral dormitories near reservations for students attending public schools. In addition, the BIE provides post secondary education opportunities to American Indians and Alaska Natives by offering higher education scholarships, providing operational support funding to 26 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, and by directly operating two institutions of higher learning: Haskell and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute in Albuquerque, N.M.

WASHINGTON – The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs announced today that it has awarded more than $600,000 in grants to 18 tribes or tribal consortiums to support them in addressing the challenges of climate change as part of the President’s Climate Action Plan to reduce carbon pollution, move the economy toward clean energy sources and prepare communities for the impacts of climate change.

The grants are designed to assist tribal communities on preparedness, including through planning projects and by supporting participation in federal initiatives that assess climate change vulnerabilities and develop regional solutions.

“As part of the President’s Climate Action Plan, we are looking for ways that BIA can be a partner to tribes in preparing for the impacts of climate change,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn. “American Indian and Alaska Native communities can be particularly vulnerable to impacts, so it is our hope that these grants will help bolster the efforts of tribal managers to adapt to climate change.”

In the near future, the BIA will solicit FY 2014 proposals for additional grants from federally recognized tribes to support community-based preparedness and resilience efforts.

“The Department of the Interior recognizes that tribes can often face disproportionate impacts from a changing climate,” said BIA Director Michael S. Black. “The planning and adaptation processes that these grants will support are important, not only for infrastructure, human health, and economic sectors, but also for the cultural and spiritual ties that tribes have with our land and natural systems.”

The Administration is implementing the President’s Climate Action Plan through a series of executive actions under Executive Order 13653, “Preparing the United States for the Impacts of Climate Change,” issued by President Obama on Nov. 1, 2013. As part of supporting community preparedness, all federal departments and agencies are expanding efforts to help tribes, states, cities and localities prepare for the impacts of climate change.

The projects receiving the FY 2013 BIA grants announced today will support climate preparedness planning not only for the 18 tribes and tribal organizations that received direct support, but also for an additional 32 tribes and two local governments benefiting or cooperating in the projects.

BIA reports that numerous other tribes will benefit from the tribal capacity gained by these tribes as they pursue climate adaptation plans or advanced technical training. Individual plans will serve as templates as other tribes embark on the same planning journey and future tribal adaptation planning workshops will highlight the successes and challenges of these tribes.

Tribal grants can also have a broader impact through the participation of tribal technical professionals in Interior’s larger climate networks – including the eight regional Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers and most of the 22 interagency Landscape Conservation Cooperatives.

In choosing the FY 2013 grants announced today, BIA considered proposals for more than $5 million and gave priority to those proposals that supported multiple tribes, among other considerations. The 2013 projects include:

• The College of Menominee Nation, in cooperation with the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, the Northeast Climate Science Center, and Pennsylvania State University, will build on a successful climate conference attended by 21 tribes presenting follow-ups on climate adaptation training in the Midwest.
• The Chugach Regional Resources Commission will coordinate regional adaption planning for six tribes in Alaska.
• The 1854 Treaty Authority will coordinate a vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning for off-reservation hunting and gathering concerns for two tribes and the authority itself in the Midwest.
• The Quinault Indian Nation, in cooperation with the Quileute Tribe and Hoh Indian Tribe, will evaluate potential impacts on culturally and economically important natural resources in the Northwest.
• The Nooksack Indian Tribe, in cooperation with the Lummi Tribe, Whatcom County, and the City of Bellingham, Wash., will perform a Nooksack River salmon vulnerability assessment leading to an adaptation plan that may benefit tribes that depend on salmon both in the Northwest and Alaska.
• The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation will develop a comprehensive tribal government climate adaptation plan spanning the range of tribal government functions. The plan will also serve as a model for other tribes addressing similar challenges, including climate impacts on infrastructure, hazard mitigation and human support systems.
• 13 tribes were awarded travel support for technical capacity-building through participation in interagency adaptation technical forums and implementation projects. The tribes include: Quinault Indian Nation, Upper Sioux Community, Walker River Paiute Tribe, Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians, Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria, Pueblo of Taos, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Lac Vieux Desert Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians, Sac & Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, Hopi Tribe, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria, Gila River Indian Community, and the Cherokee Nation.

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 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages through 12 regional offices and 85 agencies.

WASHINGTON, DC – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today issued proposed findings for two petitioners under the Federal Acknowledgment Process. The decisions include a proposed finding to acknowledge the petitioner known as the Pamunkey Indian Tribe (Petitioner #323) as a federally recognized Indian Tribe, and a proposed finding to decline acknowledgment for the petitioner known as the Meherrin Indian Tribe of North Carolina (Petitioner #119b).

Today’s announcements begin a public comment period whereby individuals or organizations may submit arguments or evidence on the two proposed findings before the Department of the Interior issues final determinations.

The Pamunkey petitioner, located in Virginia, was found to have met all seven mandatory criteria for Federal acknowledgment as set forth in 25 CFR Part 83.7. Specifically, the Pamunkey petitioner has: continuously identified as an American Indian entity since 1900; has existed as a distinct community and maintained political influence over its members since historical times; has provided governing documents describing its governance procedures and membership criteria; has also provided a list of its current members who descend from an historical Indian tribe and who are not also members of another federally recognized tribe; and is not subject to congressional legislation that has expressly terminated or forbidden the federal relationship.

The petitioner has occupied a land base in southeastern King William County, Virginia - shown on a 1770 map as “Indian Town” - since the Colonial Era in the 1600s and exists today as a state Indian reservation. The Pamunkey petitioner has a current membership of 203 individuals and elects its own leaders.

The Meherrin petitioner, known as Petitioner #119b, did not submit evidence sufficient to satisfy criterion 83.7(e) which requires that its members descend from an historical Indian tribe or tribes that combined and functioned as a single autonomous political entity. Accordingly, the Department proposes to decline federal acknowledgment to Petitioner #119b.

In 1990, the Meherrin Indian Tribe organization petitioned for Federal acknowledgment as Petitioner #119. A subsequent split occurred of that Petitioner, resulting in two separate petitioners, Petitioner #119a and Petitioner #119b. In 1995, Petitioner #119b submitted its own petition for acknowledgment.

As provided by 25 CFR Part 83.10(i), the petitioner or any individual or organization wishing to support or challenge today’s two proposed findings shall have 180 days after its publication in the Federal Register to submit arguments and evidence to rebut or support before any final determination is issued. After the 180-day comment period, the petitioner will have an additional 60 days to respond to the comments from third parties. After the response period closes, the Department will begin work on a final determination for this petitioner.

To view the proposed findings and Federal Register notices, visit the Indian Affairs website at https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/ofa/recent-acknowledgment-actions.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Interior Department’s trust responsibilities and promoting self-determination on behalf of the federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is responsible for providing services to approximately 1.9 million individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes, and the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, which administers the Federal Acknowledgment Process.

WASHINGTON – The Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services will hold its first tribal court trial advocacy training session for tribal court personnel in 2014 on Jan. 27-30 in Albuquerque, N.M., which includes a case study on a sexual assault on an adult.

Because of a high level of interest, the Office of Justice Services is providing legal training it successfully held in 2012 and 2013 to new groups of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges to improve their trial advocacy skills. This year, the training seminars will focus on case studies involving the trafficking of illegal narcotics, domestic violence and sexual assault on adults and children. Each session also includes a roundtable discussion on the Violence Against Women Act.

This training is a component of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010. It is being conducted under the Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program – a joint effort by the Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Justice that furthers the mandate of the Act 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. Training will be conducted by working law professionals using instructional materials prepared by experts knowledgeable about tribal court issues. The program is unique for its public defenders training.

President Obama signed the Violence Against Women Act on March 7, 2013. It includes important provisions for federally recognized tribes to combat violence against Native women such as homicide, rape, assault and battery in the home, workplace and on school campuses throughout Indian Country.

WHO: Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services.

WHAT: The first Tribal Court Trial Advocacy Training Program session of 2014 to improve the trial advocacy skills of tribal court prosecutors, defenders and judges, as mandated under the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010, which includes a case study on a sexual assault on an adult.

WHEN: Jan. 27-30, 2014 (MST)

• Monday, Jan. 27: 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, Jan. 28: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, Jan. 29: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Jan. 30: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown, 2600 Louisiana Blvd., N.E., Albuquerque, N.M. Phone: 505-881-0000

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

WASHINGTON, DC – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today approved a request by the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria to acquire 626 acres in trust in Butte County, California, near the City of Chico for gaming purposes.

The Mechoopda Tribe will construct and operate a modest gaming facility on 91 acres of the site. The project is estimated to create 214 full-time jobs. “The Mechoopda Tribe has pursued this initiative for more than a decade,” Washburn said. “The acquisition of the land into trust for the purpose of establishing a class III gaming establishment will result in substantial financial benefits to the Tribe and help stimulate economic development.”

Section 465 of the Indian Reorganization Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land in trust for Indian tribes. Pursuant to Section 2719 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, (IGRA), the Secretary can allow gaming on trust land if it is determined that the property to be acquired in trust qualifies as “restored lands for an Indian tribe that is restored to federal recognition.”

The Mechoopda Tribe had an historical presence in the area both before and after European arrival, but the Tribe is limited in its ability to acquire land on its former Chico Rancheria. Chico State University now owns and has developed much of the former Chico Rancheria lands, rendering those lands unsuitable for reacquisition by the Tribe.

The lands to be acquired are located only 10 miles from the Tribe’s former Rancheria, and are located within the reservation boundaries that would have been established by an 1851 Treaty with the United States. “The trust acquisition of these lands will enable the Tribe to make its own decisions regarding its future, thus enjoying the benefits of tribal self-determination,” Washburn said.

The Department of the Interior approved the Tribe’s first application for land into trust in 2008. This decision was challenged in federal court and ultimately remanded by the court to the Department of the Interior for reconsideration.

In reaching today’s decision, the Department conducted a thorough review of the Tribe’s history and application, and determined that the lands meet the “restored lands exception” of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and the Department’s implementing regulations, and that the Department is authorized to acquire the proposed lands in trust pursuant to the Indian Reorganization Act.

The Assistant Secretary’s decision on Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria land-into-trust request is available online at https://www.bia.gov/as-ia/oig.

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 also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is responsible for providing services to 1.9 million individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes, and the Office of Indian Gaming, which reviews land-into-trust for gaming applications.

WASHINGTON, DC – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn today issued a final determination not to acknowledge the petitioner known as the Tolowa Nation (Petitioner #85) located in Fort Dick, California, as an Indian tribe under the regulations governing the Federal acknowledgment process (at 25 Code of Federal Regulations Part 83).

The evidence provided is insufficient to demonstrate that the Tolowa Nation meets criterion 83.7(b), one of the seven mandatory criteria of the regulations. Under the regulations, the failure to meet all seven criteria requires a determination that the petitioning group is not an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. Therefore, Department of the Interior (Department) declines to acknowledge Petitioner #85 as an Indian tribe.

To meet criterion 83.7(b), the petitioner must demonstrate a predominant portion of its group comprises a distinct community and has existed as a community from historical times until the present.

On November 24, 2010, the Department issued a proposed finding recommending against acknowledgment of Petitioner #85 for Federal acknowledgment for not meeting criterion 83.7(b). The Department made the final determination following a review of the petitioner’s and public’s comments on the proposed finding. The Department considered these comments and concluded they did not change the decision not to acknowledge Petitioner #85.

This final determination will become effective 90 days after its publication as a notice in the Federal Register unless the petitioner or any interested party requests reconsideration with the Interior Board of Indian Appeals within that period.

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 also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which is responsible for providing services to approximately 1.9 million individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes, and the Office of Federal Acknowledgment, which administers the Federal acknowledgment process.

Copies of the Federal Register final determination notice will be posted on the Department of the Interior’s Indian Affairs website at here.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tomorrow, Thursday, January 30, 2014 Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Chairman Ronald Trahan of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, located in Montana, will announce a cooperative agreement to implement the Land Buy Back for Tribal Nations Program (BuyBack Program) on the Flathead Indian Reservation. The Buy-Back Program will purchase trust or restricted interests from willing sellers and transfer those interests to the Tribes in order to unlock lands for tribal development and other priorities.

Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn will also participate in the ceremony in Secretary Jewell’s office at Interior’s headquarters. The event will be available via live stream at doi.gov/live.

This cooperative agreement, the second to be signed under the Buy-Back Program, will help provide resources to the CSKT tribal government in order to facilitate outreach and education about the Buy-Back Program, solicit interest from owners, provide appraisals for the purchases and further identify tribal priorities. The Buy-Back Program was created to implement the land consolidation component of the Cobell Settlement, which provided $1.9 billion to purchase fractionated interests from willing sellers and consolidate those interests across Indian Country. The Buy-Back Program allows interested individual owners to receive payments for voluntarily selling their land. Consolidated interests are immediately transferred to tribal governments and stay in trust for uses benefiting the tribes and their members.

WHO:

• Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior
• Kevin Washburn, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs
• Ronald Trahan, Chairman, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

WHAT: Announcement of Cooperative Agreement for Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes

WHEN: Tomorrow, Thursday, January 30, 2014, 11:30 a.m. EST

WHERE: Secretary’s Office Main Interior Building 1849 C Street NW Washington, DC 20240

RSVP: Media wishing to attend the event MUST RSVP TODAY by 6 pm EST.

NOTE: Media interested in attending tomorrow’s event must arrive no later than 11:00am EDT to clear security procedures.

LIVE STREAM: This event also will be live streamed for coverage at doi.gov/liv