OPA

WASHINGTON, DC – The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) published in the Federal Register on Jan. 29 a notice with the updated listing of all federally recognized tribes in the United States, as required by law. The list is maintained, updated and published by the BIA’s Office of Indian Services, Division of Tribal Government Services. The list was last published on May 6, 2013.

“The Bureau of Indian Affairs notice in the Federal Register of Indian entities recognized and eligible to receive services from the BIA is the official listing of all federally recognized tribes in the United States,” Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn said. “The publication of this list is vital to the United States for its government-to-government relationship with the federally recognized tribes, to Indian Affairs and other agencies who work with them, and to inform the general public of who they are. The BIA works diligently with all of the listed tribal entities to ensure each name is accurate and complies with the tribes’ governing documents.”

The list comprises 566 American Indian and Alaska Native tribal entities – nations, tribes, bands, communities, Pueblos, and villages – that are acknowledged to have:

• The immunities and privileges available to federally recognized tribes by virtue of their government-to-government relationship with the United States,
• The responsibilities, powers, limitations and obligations of such tribes, and
• Are recognized and eligible for funding and services from the BIA by virtue of their status as Indian tribes.

The tribal entities list is organized in two sections: those in the 48 contiguous states and those in Alaska. Alaska Native tribal entities are listed separately solely for the purpose of facilitating their identification given the large number of complex names. All of the entities are listed in alphabetical order within each section.

To aid in identifying name changes and corrections, an entity’s previously listed or former name is shown in parenthesis after its correct current name. Changes to this list are included after the BIA has verified such changes with the Indian entity.

The notice is published pursuant to Section 104 of the Act of Nov. 2, 1994 (Pub. L. 103-454, 108 Stat. 4791, 4792), and in exercise of authority delegated to the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs under 25 U.S.C. 2 and 9 and 209 DM 8.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Indian Services, Division of Tribal Government Services which maintains and updates the list of federally recognized tribes and publishes the list in the Federal Register.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that the College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee, Okla., is eligible for operations funding from the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) under Title I of Public Law 95- 471, the Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Assistance Act of 1978, as amended. Funding to the College would commence in July 2014.

“I congratulate the College of the Muscogee Nation for achieving this important milestone in its development and the Muscogee (Creek) Nation leaders for realizing their vision of bringing higher education opportunities to their people,” Washburn said. “I’m pleased that we are able to support the College in its quest to become an independent institution of higher learning, and a full member of the family of tribal colleges and universities.”

In April of last year, the College sought funding as a tribal college under Title I of the Act. The Assistant Secretary’s approval of the College of the Muscogee Nation as eligible for operations funding increases the number of Title I BIE-funded tribal colleges and universities (TCUs), which are forward-funded, to 27.

Founded in 2004, the College was established to meet the Muscogee (Creek) Nation citizens’ need for quality higher education that also embodies Muscogee (Creek) tribal culture, language and history. The institution is governed by a board of regents, an independent entity based on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation constitution, legislation and code.

The College awards associate degrees in Gaming, Native American Studies, Police Science and Tribal Services, and offers two certificate programs in Gaming and Mvskoke Language Studies. Its primary source of funding is from the Muscogee (Creek) Nation. In its early years, the College entered into an agreement with the Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology (OSUIT) to enhance services to its students. While the College continues its development, financial aid processing, transcripts and awarding of credits through the OSU system, its students have access to OSUIT facilities, administrative systems and technical support through dual enrollment in both institutions.

The College is working towards becoming an independent institution, and is currently in candidacy status with the Higher Learning Commission’s (HLC) North Central region. The HLC is an independent corporation and one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region, which includes Oklahoma. HLC accreditation grants membership in the Commission and in the North Central Association.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, which operates a federal school system for American Indian and Alaska Native children from the federally recognized tribes and provides operating grants to TCUs 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. – and offers higher education scholarships. It also implements federal education laws, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, in and provides funding to 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools and peripheral dormitories located on 64 reservations in 23 states that serve approximately 41,000 American Indian and Alaska Native students.

Washington –

“Last week, the Cedarville Rancheria experienced a terrible tragedy. Three tribal members, one tribal employee were killed and two tribal members were seriously injured, leaving the community aggrieved and in shock.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the survivors, family members of the victims, the Cedarville Tribe and the surrounding community at this difficult time. The Bureau of Indian Affairs had people on the ground in Alturas the day after the incident and has assisted the tribe with continuity of government operation. Tribes around the nation have responded with an outpouring of support and offers of assistance.

Tribes are, by necessity, very resilient and we are confident that the Cedarville Rancheria will survive this tragedy.

The Cedarville tribal government will continue to govern, will rebuild their community and they have already taken steps to start the process of healing.

This event has made my commitment to increasing public safety throughout Indian Country even stronger. ”

Proposal for Fiscal Year 2015 fully funds contract support costs, launches the “Tiwahe Initiative” to address family welfare and poverty issues, invests in education, economic development, and sustainable stewardship of natural resources, and advances a strategy to reduce incarceration in Indian Country.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2015 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 $33.6 million increase above the FY 2014 enacted level. The request maintains the President’s commitment to meet the Federal government’s responsibilities to the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes by promoting stronger tribal economies, communities and families.

On June 26, 2013, President Obama appointed Interior Secretary Sally Jewell as the Chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs. To underscore the President’s commitment to effective partnerships with American Indian and Alaska Native communities, the Council was established by Executive Order to enable Federal agencies to work more collaboratively and effectively with federally recognized Tribes to advance their economic and social priorities. The White House Council is a comprehensive multi-year effort to improve conditions for American Indians and Alaska Natives throughout Indian Country. Informed by consultation with the Tribes and reflective of tribal priorities, Interior’s 2015 budget continues the initiative’s focus on improved self-determination for tribal nations, safety of Indian communities, trust resource management, and post-secondary, elementary, and secondary education.

“The President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget request continues to support Indian Affairs’ efforts to advance tribal self-governance and self-determination,” said Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn. “In a budgetary climate that remains challenging, President Obama has made Indian tribes a priority, providing for the prudent management of tribal energy and natural resources, building stronger tribal economies, stabilizing families and creating safer tribal communities, expanding educational opportunities and increasing student achievement, restoring tribal homelands, and protecting tribal treaty rights.”

Among the major highlights, the budget proposal fully funds contract support costs that Tribes incur as managers of programs serving Native Americans and proposes a new Tiwahe Initiative, which integrates social services and job training programs to address the interrelated issues of poverty and child and family welfare. The President’s Opportunity, Growth, and Security Initiative would further invest in economic development and education in Indian Country to promote strong, resilient tribal economies and dramatically improve educational opportunities.

The Strengthening Tribal Nations Initiative

The Strengthening Tribal Nations Initiative is one of the Department of the Interior’s key priorities, involving a comprehensive effort to advance the President’s commitments to American Indians and Alaska Natives to improve conditions throughout Indian Country. The FY 2015 request includes $26.5 million in program increases for four areas: Advancing Nation-to-Nation Relationships, Supporting Indian Families and Protecting Indian Country, Supporting Sustainable Stewardship of Trust Resources, and Advancing Indian Education.

The request also proposes a total of $922.6 million in Tribal Priority Allocations, an increase of $19.3 million over the FY 2014 enacted level.

Advancing Nation-to-Nation Relationships

The FY 2015 budget request for Contract Support, including the Indian Self-Determination Fund, is $251.0 million, a $4.0 million increase over the FY 2014 enacted level. The FY 2015 budget request fully funds estimated 2015 contract support costs.

Public Law 93-638, the Indian Self-determination and Education Assistance Act, allows federally recognized Tribes to operate Federal programs themselves under contract with the United States. Known as 638 contracts, they are an expression of the Federal government’s policy to support tribal self-determination and self-governance. Tribes rely on contract support funds to pay the costs of administering and managing contracted programs. The availability of contract support cost funding is a key factor in a Tribe’s decision and ability to assume responsibility for operating Federal programs.

To facilitate tribal 638 contracting, the request includes an additional $1.2 million to increase services provided by the Department’s Office of Indirect Cost Negotiations, which negotiates indirect cost rates with non-Federal entities, including tribal governments, that contract with Interior in accordance with Federal regulations.

Indian Affairs, in conjunction with the Indian Health Service, will hold a tribal consultation session on March 11, 2014 in Washington, D.C., to identify long-term solutions for streamlining and funding contract support costs.

To further enhance the Nation-to-Nation relationship, Indian Affairs is continuing its comprehensive look at Federal acknowledgment regulations, with the intent of publishing a proposed rule in 2014. The FY 2015 budget also proposes language to clarify the Secretary of the Interior’s authority to take land into trust and to amend the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 to reduce significant delays in processing fee-to-trust applications.

Supporting Indian Families and Protecting Indian Country

The FY 2015 budget proposes an $11.6 million increase for the Tiwahe Initiative to carry out the President’s commitment to protect and promote prosperous tribal communities. Tiwahe is Lakota for “family.” The Initiative provides a comprehensive and integrated approach to address the interrelated problems of poverty, violence, and substance abuse in American Indian communities. Through this Initiative, social services and job training programs will be integrated and expanded to address child and family welfare, job training, and incarceration issues, with the goal of promoting family stability and strengthening tribal communities.

The Initiative includes:

• An increase of $10.0 million to build on BIA’s social services and Indian child welfare programs with the goal of empowering American Indian and Alaska Native individuals and families in health and family stability, thereby strengthening tribal communities as a whole,
• $1.0 million to develop and institutionalize a program to effectively target funding and evaluate outcomes in meeting social service needs in Indian Country, and
• A program increase of $550,000 to expand job placement and training programs.

The BIA’s Housing Improvement Program will continue to provide services which result in more functional dwellings and institute changes to alleviate overcrowding in Indian homes.

To promote public safety and community resilience in tribal communities, the FY 2015 budget request includes resources to build on BIA Law Enforcement’s recent successes in reducing violent crime by setting a new Priority Performance Goal to lower repeat incarcerations in Indian Country. A pilot program will be implemented to lower repeat incarceration rates in tribally operated jails on three reservations – Red Lake in Minnesota, Ute Mountain in Colorado and Duck Valley in Nevada – by a total of three percent by September 30, 2015.

The BIA’s Alternatives to Incarceration Strategy will seek to address underlying causes of repeat offenses, such as substance abuse and lack of adequate social service support, by utilizing alternative courts, increased treatment opportunities, probation programs, and interagency and intergovernmental partnerships with tribal, State and Federal stakeholders.

Supporting Sustainable Stewardship of Trust Resources

Taking land into trust is one of the most important functions Interior 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.

The FY 2015 budget request includes increases totaling $3.6 million to provide support for the sustainable stewardship of natural resources in Indian Country, and continues support for the protection and restoration of ecosystems and important landscapes, the sustainable stewardship of land, water, ocean and energy resources, and for building tribal resilience to climate change. This includes:

• An increase of $2.0 million, for the development of natural resource information tools to advance landscape-scale resource management in coordination with DOI’s and other Federal efforts, and
• An increase of $1.6 million, for deferred maintenance on Indian irrigation projects to bring drought relief to affected tribal lands. The FY 2015 budget affirms the Administration’s commitment to address tribal water rights and needs in Indian Country, and includes $12.3 million in increases for the implementation of Indian land and water rights settlements across DOI.

The FY 2015 budget request for Indian Land and Water Claim Settlements funded through the BIA is $35.7 million, equal with the FY 2014 enacted level, and includes:

• $4.0 million for the Navajo Water Resources Development Trust Fund, a reduction of $2.0 million, reflecting projected need;
• An increase of $6.6 million over 2014 for the Taos Pueblo Water Settlement to include indexing requirements;
• An increase of $1.2 million for the Navajo-Gallup Water Supply Project to meet projected 2015 funding needs; and
• $6.2 million for first-year funding of the Aamodt Settlement enacted as part of the Claims Resolution Act of 2010.

Since funding for the Duck Valley Water Rights Settlement was completed in 2014, no funding is requested for FY 2015.

Advancing Indian Education

The FY 2015 budget request of $794.4 million for BIE is a $5.6 million increase over the FY 2014 enacted level and advances the Department’s continuing commitment to American Indian Education. The 2015 budget proposes increases totaling $3.8 million for elementary and secondary school education activities funded by the BIE and for education construction: •

• A program increase of $500,000 for Johnson-O’Malley (JOM) education grants to support a new student count in 2015 and to provide funding for a projected increase in the number of students eligible for grants;
• $1.0 million to support ongoing evaluation of the BIE school system to enable improvements in educational outcomes, organizational management, and program performance; and
• An increase of $2.3 million to fund site development at the Beatrice Rafferty School, a BIE-funded K-8 contract day school operated by the Passamaquoddy Tribe-Pleasant Point in Perry, ME, for which design funding was provided in the FY 2014 budget.

Tribal colleges and universities provide the tribal communities where they are located with the facilities and resources to overcome barriers to higher education and to teach community members skills they need for success. The FY 2015 budget request for Indian post-secondary education includes increases totaling $2.3 million for BIE-funded post-secondary programs;

• An increase of $300,000 to meet the needs of growing enrollment at BIE-funded tribal technical colleges; and
• Program increases of $1.7 million for fellowship and training opportunities for post-graduate study in the sciences and $250,000 for summer pre-law preparatory program scholarships.

Achieving Better Results at Lower Costs

Over the last few years, Indian Affairs has taken significant steps to reduce administrative costs associated with the wide range of services it delivers, including cost-saving measures such as standardization of information technology, consolidation of infrastructure, and streamlining of operations.

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 and subsequently defined in treaties, acts of Congress, executive orders and actions, Federal court decisions, and Federal policies and regulations. Through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, it is responsible for the management, development and protection of Indian trust land and natural and energy resources, providing for public safety, welfare and justice in tribal communities, 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 approximately 41,000 students. It also funds 27 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, operates two post-secondary institutions of higher learning and provides higher education scholarships.

Washington, D.C. – Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today issued a decision to acquire a 21-acre parcel of land in Kay County, Oklahoma, in trust for the Kaw Nation of Oklahoma (Nation) for gaming purposes. The Tribe plans to construct and operate a small casino facility on the site, which also hosts the Tribe’s travel plaza that provides refueling to interstate traffic and will continue to operate on the site.

“The Kaw Project will provide significant opportunities for economic development for the Kaw Nation, and will provide a means for the Tribe to improve the governmental services it provides to its members,” Washburn said. “The acquisition of the site in trust is necessary to support these efforts.”

Section 465 of the Indian Reorganization Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire land in trust for Indian tribes. On May 17, 2013, Assistant Secretary Washburn issued a positive Secretarial Determination on the Nation’s proposed gaming facility pursuant to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act that found that a gaming facility on the site would be in the best interest of the Kaw Nation and its members and would not be detrimental to the surrounding community. On May 23, 2013, Governor Mary Fallin of Oklahoma concurred in this determination. In addition to the State, the Town of Braman, and Kay County strongly support the acquisition of the site into trust status.

In 1825, the Kaw Nation ceded over 18 million acres of land in Kansas. The Tribe was removed to Oklahoma in 1872 where it bought land for a reservation that was carved out of the existing Osage reservation. In the 1970s the Kaw reservation was flooded by the Army Corps of Engineers for the creation of the Kaw Dam and Reservoir on the Arkansas River. As a result, the Kaw Nation no longer has land on its former reservation. This fact distinguishes the Kaw Nation from other tribes in Oklahoma.

After its removal to Oklahoma, the Nation made its home in Kay County. The site is only 21 miles from the boundaries of the Tribe’s former reservation, and is near the Nation’s key governmental sites and population center at Newkirk. “The Kaw Nation has strong ties to the region,” Washburn said. “The Nation seeks to restore a tribal land base in a region it has historically inhabited.”

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 and Bureau of Indian Education as well as the Office of Indian Gaming, which is responsible for implementing gaming-related activities assigned to Indian Affairs under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and other Federal laws.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced that the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), a Bureau of Indian Education operated post-secondary institution of higher learning in Albuquerque, N.M., has been awarded “initial accreditation” status by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

“The Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute holds a special place in Indian education because of its emphasis on training American Indians and Alaska Natives in science, math and technology, and I congratulate SIPI on its achievement of receiving initial accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission,” Washburn said. “Under Dr. Sherry Allison’s leadership SIPI has achieved accreditation, which holds the promise of more American Indians and Alaska Natives entering these fields that are so important to Indian Country’s future.”

“I join with Assistant Secretary Washburn in congratulating SIPI on achieving initial accreditation status,” said Bureau of Indian Education Director Dr. Charles M. Roessel. “Thanks to the hard work of SIPI President Sherry Allison, staff and faculty members, the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute is now accredited, demonstrating a commitment to quality. This award directly benefits SIPI students, who can continue and complete their post-secondary education at SIPI with confidence.”

SIPI’s accreditation status was upgraded from “candidate for accreditation” following a rigorous candidacy and accreditation review process recently conducted by the HLC. The HLC visiting team found that SIPI had responded to the Commission’s concerns cited in a 2009 review and that it is now in compliance with HLC standards. Initial accreditation means that an institution is accredited by the Commission after going through a period of candidacy. Subsequent reviews, assuming that SIPI continues to meet the criteria for accreditation, will result in the college receiving “continued accreditation” status.

“We are honored to receive initial accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission and we are grateful for the time and effort it took in reviewing our institution,” said SIPI President Allison. “Achieving initial accreditation status is the result of the hard work of all of the faculty and staff, and we are fortunate that they are committed to expanding the minds and spirits of our students. This accreditation means that SIPI will be able to continue to educate a new generation of students to meet the needs of their communities and the nation.”

As the HLC visiting team noted in its final report: “SIPI has become a learning organization that uses performance measures and data driven decision making in every aspect of the institution.” The team further praised SIPI’s academic programs for being “active in community development projects [and] helping students put their learning into practice.”

HLC accreditation certifies that the teaching and learning processes at SIPI meet the rigorous educational standards established by the Commission and that the college is engaged in continuous improvement.

The Higher Learning Commission is an independent corporation and one of two commission members of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), one of six regional institutional accreditors in the United States. The HLC accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region. HLC accreditation grants membership in the Commission and in the North Central Association.

Established in 1971 at the request of the 19 Pueblo tribes in New Mexico and other federally recognized tribes to help train American Indians and Alaska Natives for employment, the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute is a National Indian Community College and Land Grant Institution with a national, tribally appointed board of regents. SIPI provides career technical training and transfer degree programs to students from the nation’s 566 federally recognized tribes. It offers competitive job training programs; grants Associate of Applied Science, Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees; and provides opportunities for students to transfer into four-year degree programs. For more information, visit www.sipi.edu.

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the Bureau of Indian Education, which administers 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 laws and programs within and overseeing the funding or direct operation of 183 elementary and secondary day and boarding schools on 64 reservations in 23 states serving over 40,000 students, including off-reservation boarding schools and peripheral dormitories near reservations for students attending public schools, two-third of which are tribally operated. The BIE also provides post-secondary education opportunities to American Indians and Alaska Natives by offering higher education scholarships, providing operational support funding to 27 tribal colleges and universities and two tribal technical colleges, and by directly operating two institutions of higher learning: Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kan., and SIPI.

CROW AGENCY, Montana -- As part of President Obama’s commitment to work with Indian Country leaders to promote strong, prosperous and resilient tribal economies and communities, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today announced that $3.2 million has been awarded to 21 tribal projects to assist in developing energy and mineral resources, including $655,000 to the Crow Tribe to advance a hydroelectric project that will provide low-cost clean power to tribal members and encourage business on Crow lands.

Secretary Jewell, who serves as Chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, announced the grants during a visit to the Crow Reservation in southeastern Montana. Jewell was joined by Senator Jon Tester, the new chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Larry Roberts.

“The Crow Nation is working to provide reliable, low-cost, renewable power to tribal members, and this grant will help make that vision a reality,” said Secretary Jewell. “These grants are about strengthening self-determination and self-governance by enabling tribal nations to evaluate and promote their energy and mineral assets, negotiate the best agreements with partners or investors and develop these resources for the social and economic benefit of their communities.”

Jewell is making a three-day visit to Montana, meeting with tribal and business leaders, ranchers, hunters and anglers and other stakeholder groups to discuss the economic value of public lands to local communities, the importance of the Land and Water Conservation Fund in expanding access to hunting and fishing areas, and public-private partnerships that protect public lands, such as the Blackfoot Challenge for the southern part of the Crown of the Continent ecosystem.

The $655,000 grant to the Crow Tribe will allow completion of all technical, environmental, engineering and economic analyses required for an 8 to 12 megawatt hydroelectric project at the Yellowtail Afterbay Dam on the Crow Reservation. This will allow the Tribe to seek power purchase agreements and financing to build the facility, which will provide electricity to its members and invite industry to the reservation with the certainty of reliable, sustainable and clean low-cost power. The project is also expected to improve the Big Horn River’s downstream fishery by reducing excessive nitrogen and oxygen levels.

“All Montanans need affordable energy to power their homes, schools and businesses, and Crow Nation is using the mighty Bighorn River to provide that energy for themselves and folks across the region,” Tester said. “Using all of Montana’s energy resources will strengthen our economy, create jobs and increase our energy security.”

In 2009, Senator Tester introduced and then successfully helped pass the Crow Tribe Water Settlement Act that authorized the Crow to develop hydropower at the dam.

As Chair of the White House Council on Native American Affairs, Secretary Jewell leads a comprehensive Federal initiative to work more collaboratively and effectively with Tribes to advance their economic and social priorities. Informed by consultation with the Tribes and reflective of tribal priorities, the Interior Department’s FY2015 budget requests $2.6 billion for Indian Affairs, $33.6 million above the 2014 enacted level, to sustain the President’s commitment and honor Interior’s trust responsibilities to the 566 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes.

Recognizing this commitment to tribal self-governance and self-determination, the budget fully funds contract support costs that Tribes incur as managers of the programs serving Native Americans.

A full list of the 21 projects receiving grant awards for energy and mineral development is available here and includes six for mineral extraction, two for oil and gas production and 13 for renewable energy, including wind, hydropower, geothermal and biomass proposals. Under the Obama Administration, the Indian Affairs Energy and Mineral Development Program has awarded more than $18 million to fund 96 projects to assess the potential of Tribal conventional and renewable energy resources and mineral deposits. A competitive review system evaluates proposals and selects qualified projects for funding.

Funding for construction of the Crow hydropower project was authorized in the Crow Water Rights Settlement that President Obama signed on Dec. 8, 2010. In March 2011 Crow tribal members voted to ratify the Settlement legislation and the Crow Tribe-Montana Water Rights Compact. The Settlement legislation provided the Tribe with the authority to develop hydropower at Yellowtail Afterbay Dam along with some funding to assist in the development along with other energy development on the Reservation. The Grant announced today is an additional and needed boost to the Tribe as it works to develop hydropower.

Together, the Settlement Act and the Compact quantified the Tribe’s water rights and authorized funding of $131.8 million for the rehabilitation and improvement of the Crow Irrigation Project and $246.4 million for the design and construction of a Municipal, Rural and Industrial (MR&I) water system to serve numerous reservation communities.

The Crow Reservation is the largest of seven Indian reservations in Montana, encompassing 2.3 million acres and home to 13,000 enrolled Crow tribal members.

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs 2013 Energy and Mineral Development Program Awards

MINERAL

1. Bois Forte Band of Chippewa S&G Nett Lake, MN
2. Hualapai Tribe Flagstone Peach Springs, AZ
3. Moapa Band of Paiute Indians Limestone Moapa, NV
4. Nez Perce Tribe Limestone Lapwai, ID
5. Spirit Lake Tribe Aggregates Fort Totten, ND
6. Standing Rock Sioux Tribe S&G Fort Yates, ND

Mineral Grant Award Totals $505,420

OIL, GAS, GEOTHERMAL

7. Pueblo of Jemez Geothermal Jemez Pueblo, NM

8. Jicarilla Apache Nation Oil & Gas Dulce, NM

9. Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Oil & Gas Towaoc, CO

Oil,Gas,Geothermal Grant Award Totals $765,234

RENEWABLE

10. Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Tribe of Chippewa Biomass Odanah, WI

11. Blue Lake Rancheria Biomass Blue Lake, CA

12. Blue Lake Rancheria WiSolHy Blue Lake, CA

13. Bois Forte Band of Chippewa Biomass DH Nett Lake, MN

14. Crow Tribe Hydro Renewable Crow Agency, MT

15. Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Wind Fort Thompson, SD

16. Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians WTE Cherokee, NC

17. Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Biomass Cloquet, MN

18. Ho-Chunk Nation WTE Black River Falls, WI

19. Pueblo de Cochiti Multi Cochiti Pueblo, NM

20. The Shoshone Bannock Tribes Hydro Fort Hall, ID

21. Tule River Tribe Hydro Porterville, CA

Renewable Grant Award Totals $1,972,350

Division of Energy and Mineral Development - Energy and Mineral Development (EMDP) grants awarded for 2013. Sixty (60) Tribes responded to the Solicitation for Proposals, twenty one (21) total projects will be awarded to nineteen (19) federally recognized tribes across Indian Country.

Tribes receiving more than one EMDP grant for 2013

• Boise Forte Band Of Chippewa – Sand and Gravel
• Boise Forte Band Of Chippewa - Biomass
• Blue Lake Rancheria – Biomass
• Blue Lake Rancheria – Wind, Solar and Hydro project

Each year the Division of Energy and Mineral Development offers Tribes an opportunity to participate in a grant program for energy and mineral assessment projects. The grant program, called the Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP), is an annual program, subject to appropriations, designed to financially assist Tribes and Indian allottees in evaluating their energy and mineral resource potential beneath their lands. DEMD solicits proposals from Tribes, and through a competitive review system selects qualified projects for funding. DEMD staff monitors the projects to ensure the best possible product is obtained for the funds allocated.

The EMDP grant program differs from essentially all other funding agencies’ grant programs. The primary difference is the hands-on approach employed by DEMD staff serving as technical consulting partners to the Tribes receiving the grant. This approach includes:

• providing funds and technical assistance to Tribes in evaluating their energy and mineral resource potential;
• providing Tribes with geological, geophysical, and engineering reports, maps, and other data concerning their energy and mineral resources;
• providing Tribes with technical assistance on using and interpreting assessment information so that Tribes understand their resource potential and can plan for the potential development of these resources;
• providing Tribes with an outreach vehicle to promote their lands and resources; and perhaps most significantly, providing direct assistance to Tribes in negotiating complex, value added agreements with potential partners or investors.

Total award for Energy and Mineral Development across nineteen (19) individual Tribes, representing twenty-one (21) grants for 2013 EMDP Grants - $3,243,004.00

Mineral projects $505,420

Oil, Gas, Geothermal Projects $765,234

Renewable Projects $1,972,350

Last week, Vice President Biden and Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius spoke directly to tribal leaders and community members on the benefits of the Affordable Care Act for American Indians and Alaska Natives. The Vice President and the Secretary encouraged action from tribal leaders and community members, to get them, their friends, and their relatives enrolled! March 24th is the National Tribal Day of Action on Affordable Care Act enrollment - a perfect opportunity for Indian Country to rally with community partners in health to organize an Affordable Care Act enrollment event. Please join us in this effort to get covered with quality, reliable, and affordable health care insurance before March 31st!

If you’re a member of a federally-recognized tribe and under a certain income level, you might qualify to pay reduced or no costs for a private health care policy, including low or zero out-of-pocket costs. Also, you can check to see if your state has expanded Medicaid, as you might now qualify!

You can enroll in a healthcare plan on the healthcare marketplace at www.healthcare.gov, over the phone, or by mail. And remember, even if you have a private health insurance plan, you can continue to use Indian Health Service or you can explore other options for care. Having a private health insurance plan is a way to ensure that you will receive quality, reliable health care coverage no matter when you get sick. Tell your family and friends to enroll today!

For more information on how the Affordable Care Act impacts Indian Country, go to: http://www.ihs.gov/aca/

Raina Thiele is an Associate Director in the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Office of Justice Services (OJS) will hold the second of its 2014 tribal court trial advocacy training sessions for tribal court personnel on March 31 through April 3 in Denver, Colo. This session will focus on prosecuting individuals trafficking illegal narcotics.

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 (VAWA) with a panel of tribal attorneys who have first-hand knowledge of the requirements of the VAWA jurisdictional pilot project application.

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 and now has specific training for tribal judges.

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: Office of Justice Services, Bureau of Indian Affairs.

WHAT: The second 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. This session will focus on prosecuting individuals trafficking illegal narcotics.

WHEN: March 31-April 3, 2014 (MDT)

• Monday, March 31: 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 1: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 2: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
• Thursday, April 3: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: Renaissance Denver Hotel, 3801 Quebec Street, Denver, Colo. 80207. Phone: 303-399-7500.

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

The White House Office of Public Engagement and Council on Environmental Quality, in conjunction with the U.S. Departments of Energy, Agriculture, the Interior, Health and Human Services (DHS), Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation; the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is pleased to announce a webinar series entitled “The Climate Change Impacts and Indian Country.”

This webinar series will focus on topics and issues related to President Obama’s State, Local, and Tribal Leaders Task Force on Climate Preparedness and Resilience, established by Executive Order in November 2013. The Task Force is charged by the President with providing recommendations on “removing barriers to resilient investments, modernizing federal grant and loan programs to better support local efforts, and developing the information and tools they need to prepare, among other measures.” Indian Country is represented on this Task Force by two tribal leaders: Chairwoman Karen Diver, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians (MN), and Mayor Reggie Joule, Northwest Arctic Borough (AK). The webinar series is an effort to support education and outreach to Indian Country and provides tribal leaders with an opportunity to give feedback to the Task Force.

Who Should Attend

Tribal leaders and staff, intertribal organizations, and other tribal stakeholders who are responsible for planning and implementing climate change mitigation, adaption, and resiliency measures for tribal communities.

Why You Should Attend

• Learn about federal agency efforts to assess climate change impacts and vulnerabilities and programs to support tribal communities with climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency efforts.
• Hear from tribal leaders about ways they are working to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts in their communities.
• Provide direct feedback to Chairwoman Diver and Mayor Joule on recommendations for the Task Force to consider.

Schedule

All of the webinars will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Mountain time. There is no charge to participate in the webinars, but registration is required. To register, click on the webinar titles you are interested in attending:

• April 3, 2014—Disaster Response and Recovery

Attendees will learn about the primary efforts of FEMA and DHS to evaluate, assess, and mitigate the impacts of climate change on their disaster recovery and response programs. Under the Stafford Act, Tribes are eligible to receive direct assistance from FEMA. Tribes can learn from FEMA and others’ efforts as they assess, plan, and implement disaster response and recovery plans impacted by a changing climate.

• April 10, 2014—Built Systems and Other Infrastructure

The federal government, state governments, and many local governments are evaluating the impacts of climate changes on the built systems and infrastructure—roads, energy, electricity, telecommunications, water—that are critical to functioning communities, government activities, and public health and safety. Attendees will hear from several federal agencies about their assessments of climate change impacts on the built environment, planning efforts under way to mitigate those impacts, and implementing resilient systems to protect key infrastructure.

• April 24, 2014—Natural Resources and Agriculture

Current climate change impacts are felt first in our natural world, and the challenges to protecting those natural resources are shared across all of Indian Country. Hearing from federal agencies that support tribal natural resource development and protection with their assessment of climate change impacts will give Tribes a broad understanding of those challenges and federal efforts to mitigate impacts and promote more resilient natural systems.

• May 1, 2014—Communities: Human Health and Community Development

The multi-agency Sustainable Communities program is one of many designed to support state, local, and tribal governments in planning activities to develop their communities “in more environmentally and economically sustainable ways.” Developing more sustainable communities is important to our national goals of strengthening our economy, creating good jobs now while providing a foundation for lasting prosperity, using energy more efficiently to secure energy independence, and protecting our natural environment and human health. Attendees will learn about other programs federal agencies have in place to help local communities with climate change impact assessments, mitigation, and adaption.

For more education and training opportunities and resources, including our tribal renewable energy webinar series, renewable energy online learning curriculum, tribal energy forums, and more, visit the DOE Office of Indian Energy website.