An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Secretary Jewell in Oklahoma on Monday for Signing Ceremony with Citizen Potawatomi Nation to Advance Self-Governance, Spur Economic Development

Chairman Barrett, Congressman Cole, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Washburn will join ceremony to approve tribe’s leasing regulations, restoring authority to control leasing of their trust lands

Media Contact: Jessica Kershaw (DOI), 202-208-6416
For Immediate Release: November 22, 2013
Print PDF

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

indianaffairs.gov

An official website of the U.S. Department of the Interior

Looking for U.S. government information and services?
Visit USA.gov