Past News Items

Ross Swimmer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs in the Department of Interior, announced today a realignment of his office and the headquarters structure of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

A Secretarial Order signed March 18, creates four deputies for Swimmer -- each with specific areas of responsibility in (1) Tribal Services; (2) Education; (3) Trust and Economic Development; and (4) Operations. The order establishes a direct chain of command from the new deputies to the Assistant Secretary by abolishing two former deputy positions.

The Department of the Interior favors enactment of legislation initiated by the Choctaw Indian Tribe of Oklahoma which provides for disposition of the Tribe’s lands and funds and for eventual termination of its special relations with the Federal Government, Assistant Secretary Roger Ernst announced today.

In reporting to Congress on H. R. 2722, Mr. Ernst emphasized that the bill was introduced in Congress at the request of tribal officials.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has distributed draft regulations to Indian tribal leaders for two proposed grant programs scheduled to begin in Fiscal Year 1983 (October 1, 1982 - September 30, 1983).

Interior Assistant Secretary Ken Smith asked for an early reaction to the proposed regulations because he intends "to implement these grant initiatives as soon as possible contingent upon appropriations from the Congress.

The United States National Bank of Portland, Oregon, has been selected as trustee to manage the property of the 474 remaining members of the Klamath Indian Tribe under the provisions of Public Law 587 of the 83d Congress, as amended, the Department of the Interior announced today.

The property to be managed comprises 144,960 acres. The major portion--some 34,000 acres--is forest land and has 971,000,000 beard-feet of ponderosa pine and mixed species. It will be managed under a plan previously approved by the Department and in accordance with sustained-yield principles.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has agreed to provide neutral observers for the May 26 election of officials of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians of Minnesota.

Roy Sampsel, Interior's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, said the four Departmental and BIA observers are being provided at the request of Band officials. "We will make technical assistance available regarding the conduct of balloting to choose three officers and four district representatives to serve four-year terms on the Band's governing body,” he added.

Secretary of the Interior Stewart L. Udall announced today that from November 14 through 19 he will consult on outstanding Indian problems in Phoenix, Ariz., with five Indian leaders and eight prominent non-Indians interested in Indian affairs.

One of the consultants invited to the meeting is W. W. Keeler of Bartlesville, Okla., oil company executive and principal chief of Oklahoma's Cherokees, who served as chairman of Secretary Udall's Task Force on Indian Affairs earlier this year. The 12 other consultants are:

Barry DeRose, Globe, Ariz., attorney for Indian tribes;

Interior Secretary James Watt today announced a major overhaul of the Interior Department's decades-old system for collecting mineral royalties, to assure recovery of an estimated $200 to $500 million a year in oil and gas royalties believed unreported on Federal and Indian leases.

Dear Friends:

We are sending the attached Philatelic Release from the Post Office Department as an item which may be of interest to you. We understand that this is the first commemorative stamp to feature an Indian motif.

Black-and-white photographs of the stamp design may be obtained without charge by writing to Mr. J. F. Kelleher, Special Assistant to the Postmaster General, Washington 25, D. C.

M.M. Tozier

Information Officer

Secretary of the Interior Cecil D. Andrus announced today his agreement with the Northern Cheyenne Tribe and Peabody Coal Company cancelling controversial coal leases and permits on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in southern Montana. The agreement resolves a long-standing dispute among the parties regarding coal development on the reservation.

In line with a recommendation recently made by his task Force on Indian Affairs, Secretary of the Interior Stewart L, Udall has proposed to Congress the enactment of legislation to establish an Advisory Board on Indian Affairs.