Past News Items

Washington - The Department of the Interior's Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb has named Daniel J. DuBray, a member of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, as his Special Assistant for Communications - Indian Affairs.

"Dan will be a valuable asset to Indian Affairs with his extensive media and Capitol Hill experience, and his understanding of American Indian issues," McCaleb said.

WASHINGTON - Interior Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that he has signed a reconsidered final determination which declines to acknowledge the Chinook Indian Tribe / Chinook Nation (formerly the Chinook Indian Tribe, Inc.) of Chinook, Washington, as an Indian tribe for federal purposes. This decision concludes that the Chinook petitioner did not demonstrate that it meets all seven mandatory criteria to be acknowledged as a tribe with a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced that he has confirmed Aurene Martin as his Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. She had been acting deputy assistant secretary since May 28, 2002. Ms. Martin, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, came to the Interior Department in October 2001 as Counselor to Assistant Secretary McCaleb.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb has approved a request by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to join in partnership with the Trident Exploration Corporation for the development of the Canadian company’s natural gas leases in Alberta. The Southern Ute Tribe is widely recognized for its success in the extraction of coal-bed methane gas and will lend its expertise to Trident Exploration as part of its economic development strategy.

WASHINGTON – Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced his decision to acknowledge that the historical Eastern Pequot Tribe, of the Lantern Hill Reservation, North Stonington, Connecticut exists as an Indian tribe within the meaning of Federal law. The historical Eastern Pequot Tribe meets all of the mandatory criteria under 25 CFR Part 83, the Federal acknowledgment regulations, for a government-to-government relationship with the United States.

WASHINGTON – In a speech before tribal leaders this week on improving economic conditions in Indian Country, Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb called on tribes to choose prosperity over poverty. “We can choose between poverty and prosperity,” McCaleb said. “Most of us would choose prosperity, so why has Indian America remained mired in poverty?” The Assistant Secretary spoke on June 18 at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2002 Mid-Year Conference in Bismarck, N.D.

WASHINGTON – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb will address the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) 2002 Mid-Year Conference on June 18 in Bismarck, N.D. His speech “The Path to Prosperity” will focus on building strong, sustainable tribal economies. He also will announce the Bureau’s national conference on tribal economic development scheduled for September 16-19, 2002 in Phoenix, Ariz.

WASHINGTON - Interior Secretary Gale Norton will meet with American Indian leaders in Bismarck, N. D., June18, 2002, as part of ongoing consultations to review plans for improving the Department of the Interior's management of Indian trust assets. Members of the Joint Tribal Leaders/DOI Task Force on Trust Reform recently presented Secretary Norton a report on the group's efforts to evaluate proposals from tribal groups on ways to improve Interior's management of Indian trust funds and assets.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Interior Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Neal A. McCaleb today announced his appointment of Aurene Martin as Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs. Martin, a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, came to the Interior Department in October 2001 as Counselor to Assistant Secretary McCaleb. Her appointment was effective on May 28, 2002.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The Joint Tribal Leaders/DOI Task Force on Trust Reform will hold its next meeting on June 13-15, 2002 in Bismarck, N.D. The Task Force was established in February of 2002 to review and propose plans for improving the Department’s management of individual Indian and tribal trust assets.