Past News Items

Competitive bidding for mineral leases (other than oil and gas) on restricted lands belonging to individual Indians will be the rule rather than the exception under new Federal regulations announced today by Acting Secretary of the Interior Clarence A. Davis.

WASHINGTON – Interior Associate Deputy Secretary James E. Cason today announced that the Indian Affairs Office of Indian Energy and Economic Development (IEED) has approved a $106,000 grant to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota for the Intertribal Council On Utility Policy (ICOUP) to train tribal members for employment in the wind turbine construction, installation, operation, and maintenance industry.

Appointment of James F. Canan as superintendent of the Consolidated Ute Indian Agency, Ignacio, Colo., succeeding Robert L. Bennett, who transfers to the Indian Bureau's Aberdeen, S. Dak., area office as program officer, was announced today by Commissioner Glenn L. Emmons. The transfer will be effective January 29.

WASHINGTON – Interior Associate Deputy Secretary James E. Cason today issued a proposed finding to acknowledge the Mashpee Wampanoag Indian Tribal Council, Incorporated, (Mashpee) as an Indian tribe. The 1,462-member tribe is located in Barnstable County, Cape Cod, Mass.

Award of a $130,590.00 contract for construction of additions to Beclabito Indian School near Shiprock; New Mexico, was announced today by the Department of the Interior.

W. H. Elliott of Albuquerque, New Mexico was the successful bidder. Four higher bids, ranging from $136,992.00 to $175,561.00, were received.

(WASHINGTON) - Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton announced today that all of the requirements of the Shivwits Band of the Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Water Rights Settlement Act, Public Law 106-263, have been completed, allowing the settlement to become fully effective. As required by the Settlement Act, the Secretary's statement of findings will be published in the Federal Register.

Award of contracts for architectural and engineering services on three proposed school enlargement projects to accommodate 1,187 additional children on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Arizona and New Mexico was announced today by the Department of the Interior.

The largest of the three jobs involves an expansion of the Indian school at Leupp, Ariz., from its present capacity of 67 students to 697. The $60,000 architectural-engineering contract on this was awarded to Scholer and Fuller, Associate Architects, Tucson, Ariz.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Aurene M. Martin today announced that the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) will be holding a series of tribal consultation meetings on the realignment of the BIA’s 12 regional offices. The realignment is a result of the reorganization currently taking place within the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, the BIA and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians.

Award of a $163,641.18 contract to Roy Kindt of Winner, South Dakota, for 7.2 miles of grading, drainage and crushed gravel base construction on the road from Rosebud to U. S. Highway 18 on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, S. Dak., was announced today by the Department of the Interior.

Roy Kindt was the low bidder. Three other higher bids were received ranging from $172,744.84 to $175,142.18.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Department of the Interior (DOI) is continuing its schedule of presentations to employees of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (OST) on the reorganization of both agencies. Next week, employees of the Alaska Region will be briefed on June 10, 2003, in Juneau and June 12 in Anchorage. Midwest Region employees will be briefed on June 11 in Fort Snelling, Minn.