OPA

The Department of the Interior today announced the resignation of Ross Swimmer, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. Last November he tendered his resignation to then President Reagan and in a recent letter to Secretary Don Hodel made it official as of January 29.

"I believe we have moved the agenda forward for a real change in Indian country," he wrote Hodel. "Certainly, there is a new awareness of what the problems are and the solutions to those problems. This is a convenient time for me to leave and rejoin my family in Tulsa, (Oklahoma)," he said.

Hodel recently awarded Swimmer the Department's highest citation and gold medal for his "invaluable counsel and leadership in support of this Nation's government-to-government relationship with Native Americans." In presenting the Outstanding Service Award, Hodel said: "His unswerving faith in the inherent abilities and talents of Native Americans has resulted in policies that provide Indians with the opportunity to truly control their own destinies." Hodel called special attention to Swimmer's initiatives to improve education and economic development on Indian lands, and his efforts to increase tribal control over federal funding provided to their governments. The citation also notes that Swimmer initiated a much-improved program for administering Indian trust funds that "will ensure the maximum return and flexibility to the trustees and provide the highest caliber of investment advice."

Swimmer, 45, a former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, has been assistant secretary since December 5, 1985.

Earl Gjelde, acting secretary of the Interior, has named William P. Ragsdale, currently deputy to the assistant secretary (Operations), to serve as acting assistant secretary until a new assistant secretary has been nominated by President Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan, Jr. announced today that Secretary of Education Lauro Cavazos will join him on a two-day, three-state tour of Indian schools this week. The unprecedented visit by two Cabinet members to schools administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) in California, Arizona and New Mexico "reflects the commitment to improved education for Native Americans that President Bush, Secretary Cavazos, and I share," said Lujan.

During the trip, Secretary Lujan and Secretary Cavazos will assess the opportunities and needs that face BIA schools. Through personal meetings with BIA officials, school administrators, teachers, parents, and children, the Cabinet members hope to identify qualities in successful programs that may be duplicated throughout the BIA educational system.

"Education is the most important priority for the future of Native Americans," said Secretary Lujan. "On the reservations, 'like in all communities, proper education is the best remedy for the problems we find in society."

"Strong schools will empower Native Americans to improve their lives and the lives of their children and grandchildren."

Officials at both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Education predict that the trip will mark the beginning of a new working relationship between Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Department of Education in the field of Indian education.

The trip will begin on Monday, March 27th and continue through Tuesday, the 28th. Lujan and Cavazos will visit the Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, California; the Salt River Day School in Scottsdale, Arizona; the Jemez Day School in Jemez Pueblos, New Mexico; the Santa Fe Indian School in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Secretary Lujan will continue on Tuesday evening with a visit to The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe.

Prior to his appointment to the Cabinet, Secretary Lujan was a twenty-year member of Congress from New Mexico. Secretary Cavazos served as President of Texas Tech University before being tapped to lead the Education Department in 1988.

Washington, DC--Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan announced today that President Bush intends to nominate Frank A. Bracken as Under Secretary of the Interior Department. Currently Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ball-InCon Glass Packaging Corporation in Muncie, Indiana, Bracken will assume his post at Interior upon confirmation by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

"Frank Bracken is a top-notch business executive and an attorney with experience in government as well as the private sector," said Secretary Lujan. 11 1 am delighted that he has agreed to join my team at Interior."

Prior to chairing the board of the Ball-InCon Corporation, Frank Bracken was Group Vice President of Glass Containers for the Ball Corporation. He has served the company in other capacities as well, such as General and Associate General Counsel.

From 1969 to 1972, Bracken was Legislative Counsel at the U.S. Department of the Interior. He joined Interior following nine years of private law practice.

Mr. Bracken received his J.D. from the University of Michigan School of Law. He has been active on the boards of academic, corporate, and charitable organizations and was politically active in Indiana.

Washington, DC--Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan announced today that President Bush intends to nominate Martin L. Allday of Midland, Texas as the Department's Solicitor. Allday will assume his post at Interior upon confirmation by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

"Martin Allday is a veteran attorney, a strong executive, and a distinguished leader of his profession and his community," said Secretary Lujan. "I am delighted that he has accepted the challenge of serving the President and the American people as the Interior Department's Solicitor."

A prominent Texas attorney, Martin Allday has been associated with the Midland, Austin, and Dallas law firm of Lynch, Chappell, Allday and Alsup since 1959, serving as Managing Partner from 1971 to 1983. He is certified by the Board of the State Bar of Texas in Oil, Gas, and Mineral Law and is a past Chairman of the Oil, Gas, and Mineral Section of that body. Mr. Allday is a member of the Board of Directors and serves as Treasurer of the National Parks Foundation.

Mr. Allday is an active member of many professional, corporate, civic, and charitable organizations including: The Midland County (past President), Texas, and American Bar Associations as well as the Texas Bar Foundation (Fellow); the Midland Chamber of Commerce (past President) and the Permian Basin Petroleum Museum (Trustee); First City National Bank of Midland (Advisory Director) and North American Royalties, Inc. (Director) Midland Memorial Foundation (Board of Governors) and the High Sky Children's Ranch (Board of Governors).

Allday earned his Doctor of Jurisprudence at the Law School of the University of Texas (Austin) in 1951 and is a decorated veteran of World War II where he earned the Good Conduct Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.

Martin Allday and his wife, Patricia, are residents of Midland, Texas and have three children; Kathy Timberlake, Betsy Dashiell, and Martin L. Allday, III and four grandchildren.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan today announced that President Bush intends to nominate Eddie Frank Brown to be Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. Brown will assume his post at Interior following hearings before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs and confirmation by the full Senate. He will be responsible for Interior programs serving more than 1.4 million Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States.

"Eddie Brown has a broad background in intergovernmental relations with Native Americans," Lujan said. "This, combined with his extensive social service education and prior experience at the Bureau of Indian Affairs, makes Eddie a welcome addition to the Department of the Interior."

Brown recently left his position as Director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security after two years in that post. Previously he spent one year as an Associate Professor and Director of Community Affairs at Arizona State University. In 1985, he was a Division Chief for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and prior to that he was Assistant Director of the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

Brown is a Tohono O'Odham/Yaqui Indian and a member of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe. He received his Bachelor of Social Science degree from Brigham Young University in 1970, and his Masters and Doctorate degrees in Social Work from the University of Utah in 1972 and 1975 respectively.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs' (BIA) primary responsibility is to encourage and support tribal efforts to govern themselves, and provide needed services and programs on reservations. The BIA is also responsible for managing more than 52 million acres of land held in trust by the United States for the Indians. The BIA also funds nearly 200 elementary and secondary schools, many of them operated by tribes under contract with the Bureau.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs has reached an agreement with Dr. Gerald Gipp, President of Haskell Indian Junior College which resolves the BIA inquiry into allegations against Dr. Gipp.

As deciding official in this matter, I have spent many hours over the past six weeks reviewing all the evidence and Dr. Gipp's written response concerning the charges that were raised against him. Many rumors and insinuations were noted in an earlier investigation and have continued to surround this matter. Only four charges, however, were cited against Dr. Gipp in the January 19, 1989, proposed notice of adverse action. These four charges and the issues raised by those charges have been thoroughly reviewed by me.

Of the four charges presented to me, the issues surrounding the special summer session in 1987 and the employment of Dr. Gipp's daughter caused me the greatest concern because of the potential for the appearance of impropriety or conflict of interest by the chief official of the school. In reaching my decision to finally settle this matter, I considered many factors, including Dr. Gipp's response to the charges against him. In his response, Dr. Gipp acknowledged that he could have done some things differently to avoid any possible appearance of favoritism. I agree. Based on my review of the record, however, there was not sufficient evidence for me to conclude that Dr. Gipp took any actions, or did not take any action, with bad faith or improper motivation.

In his response to the proposed notice, Dr. Gipp requested a reassignment to another position, after his reinstatement to Haskell Indian Junior College. It is Dr. Gipp's judgment that approval of this request will allow a new spirit of cooperation to develop at Haskell. I concur with this judgment.

Accordingly, Dr. Gipp is reinstated as President of Haskell Indian Junior College, effective May 29, 1989. Dr. Gipp will be reassigned, sometime within the next 30 days, to duties in the Washington office.

I concur with Dr. Gipp's concern that the focus at Haskell must be educating students. The BIA is committed to working with the administration, faculty, students and supporters of Haskell to achieve its primary mission. Now that this chapter is concluded, everyone can get on about that business.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan and Secretary of Agriculture Clayton Yeutter today directed federal officials to suppress all natural fires in national parks and wilderness areas until individual fire management plans for the areas are determined to be in compliance with new federal recommendations.

The directive was one of fifteen the two cabinet members adopted from the recommendations of the federal interagency Fire Management Policy Review Team. The team was established last year to analyze U. S. Department of the Interior and U.S Department of Agriculture fire management policies in national parks and wilderness areas.

The recommendations affect fire management policies of USDI's National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs, and USDA's Forest Service.

Lujan and Yeutter said many of the fifteen recommendations will require long-range planning and coordination for implementation, but that others will become effective immediately.

In addition to the recommendation to suppress for the interim all natural fires in national parks and wilderness areas, other directives to be adopted immediately include the following:

-- All wildland fires will be declared either prescribed fires or wildfires. All wildfires will be fought with appropriate suppression action.

(A prescription as it applies to a prescribed fire is a written statement of the limits under which a fire may burn in a specific geographic area. The limits include such criteria as weather conditions and fuel moisture. A prescribed fire is managed by qualified personnel in order to achieve specific resource management objectives. Prescribed fires may be started by management ignition or by natural ignition such as lightning. A wildfire is declared when a fire occurs in an area for which there is no prescription, or when a prescribed fire exceeds the prescribed conditions or geographic limits of the prescribed area.)

-- The responsible line officer will certify in writing daily that prescribed natural fires are within prescriptions, and that adequate resources are available to ensure that each prescribed fire will remain within prescribed boundaries and conditions throughout the next 24 hours, given reasonably foreseeable weather conditions and fire behavior. If these conditions cannot be met, the fire shall be declared a wildfire and suppressed.

Other review team recommendations include measures for improving interagency coordination, providing adequate staffing, training, research, equipment and funding, strengthening fire management plans, bringing those plans into compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act, and measures for increasing public involvement in policy decisions.

ln reviewing federal firefighting policies, the team gathered input from state and local officials, private citizens, academic experts, concessionaires and outfitters, environmental groups and business interests. Eleven public meetings were held across the country to solicit comments on the report. The public comments and the resulting findings were incorporated and submitted in a final report to the secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture.

Recommendations from the final report are attached.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan announced today he has established a Water Policy Council designed to coordinate departmental policy decisions and management activities in the area of water resources.

The Council's formation reflects the importance of water policy in this country and the resolve by Lujan to develop and implement a strategy to improve management of our Nation's water resources. Coordination and reconciliation of the Department's various bureau viewpoints on water matters will be taken up by the Council, as well as formulation of departmental positions. Issues to be considered by the Council include wetlands, Indian water rights, ground water, dam safety, water quality, efficiency of water use, and other water related areas.

"Water has been a focal point throughout the history of this country," said Lujan. "However, as a nation, we have seldom come together to develop a strategy for its management. This places an additional urgency on the work of the Council as it strives to establish clear principles and policies for water resources."

The Council, which will hold its next meeting on July 11, 1989, will be chaired by Under Secretary of the Interior, Frank Bracken, and will consist of the Assistant Secretaries for Policy, Budget, and Administration, Indian Affairs, Water and Science, Fish and Wildlife and Parks, Land and Minerals Management, and the Department's Solicitor.

Eddie F. Brown, newly-installed Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs, today outlined an action plan for the next 90 days to focus on improving education programs, addressing tribal development on the reservations, and improving Bureau of Indian Affairs management at the central office, area and agency levels.

Secretary of the Interior Manuel Lujan, Jr., after meeting with Brown to discuss Indian affairs programs, strongly endorsed Brown's priorities.

"The approaches outlined by Eddie Brown are in full accord with the philosophy of President Bush and with my own concept of what we must do to fulfill our obligations to American Indians and Alaska Natives," Lujan said. "His job as the Administration's top official for Indian affairs is one of the toughest in government, but he is well-equipped to handle it."

Brown said that in keeping with Secretary Lujan's and this Administration's priorities in putting education at the top of the agenda, he will move quickly to seek out the best qualified educator he can find to fill the job as director of the Bureau's education programs.

"During our search I will be meeting with Intertribal groups and elected tribal officials around the country to get their ideas on the ways that we can improve our relations and meet their needs in helping them to attain self-sufficiency," Brown said.

The new assistant secretary said that he would especially look to the tribes for their assistance in laying out what they see as their needs to improve the economies on reservations. "To achieve tribal development," Brown said, "I'll use the skills that were so successful in developing intergovernmental relationships in my previous jobs in Arizona."

Brown said he would also have an orientation and Planning Team looking at the organization of his office, the BIA central office, the current and future Bureau budgets, and our methods of communicating with elected tribal officials.

Brown said that he will expect to report back to the Secretary within 90 days with a progress report on the issues they discussed. "I feel confident we will have moved forward in all of these areas," he said.

Brown, a native of Arizona, was confirmed by the Senate on June 21 and sworn into office June 26. This will be his first full week in Washington as Assistant Secretary after moving his family from Arizona to the Nation's Capital.

I regret that there has been a loss of life on the Navajo reservation. This loss of life has come about as the Navajo police defended themselves against an attack by demonstrators at the Navajo Tribal Government Headquarters.

Let me make it clear that the Navajo tribal police are in charge on the reservation and things are calm at this time. At the request of the Navajo Director of Public Safety, the Bureau of Indian Affairs has sent a small contingent of police officers to Window Rock. The BIA police are on standby and are not currently involved in any law enforcement activity on the reservation.

I want it clearly understood that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is simply in a support role at this time. The Navajo tribal government and their police are in charge. BIA police will assist them at their request. During the recent change in control of the tribal government, the BIA has remained in the background and let the system set up by the Navajo people decide its leaders. The system has worked. We will continue to remain in the background on the current situation until we are asked by those in charge of the Navajo government to assist them in whatever way we can.

My condolences go out to the Navajo families of the men who died last night. And I want the Navajo people on the reservation to know that their police are in charge and they can be assured that order will be maintained on the reservation. We stand ready to assist the government when asked.