OPA

Administration of all the far-flung hydroelectric power and water resource activities in the Department of the Interior hereafter will be centered under James R. Smith with the new title of Assistant Secretary for Water and Power Resources, Acting Secretary of the Interior Fred J. Russell announced today.

Russell said the change will assure more effective management since all seven agencies now reporting to Smith “are deeply concerned with optimum use and conservation of one of our most vital basic resources - water."

“We now can move ahead more rapidly in comprehensive planning, river basin management, and establishing research priorities,” Secretary Russell added. “The Department’s leadership roles on the Water Resources Council, the Committee on Water Resources Research of the Federal Council on Science and Technology, and the various River Basin Commissions and other regional water resources institutions will be strengthened. Further, our relations with State and local water resources authorities and universities will be enhanced.”

The agencies reporting to Assistant Secretary Smith are:

• The Bureau of Reclamation, which provides water for 10 million acres of land in the west, municipal and industrial water for a population of 15 million, and which generate 43 billion kilowatts of hydroelectric power annually.
• The Bonneville Power Administration, Chief power marketing agency in the Pacific Northwest.
• The Southeastern Power Administration, a major power marketing agency head-quartered at Elberton, Ga.
• The Southwestern Power Administration, Tulsa, Okla., another key power distributor.
• The Alaska Power Administration, Juneau, Interior’s hydroelectric power distributor for that State;
• The office of Saline Water, which manages a multimillion dollar long-range research and demonstration program for converting seawater and brackish water to fresh; and
• The Office of Water Resources Research, which invests millions of dollars annually in scientific studies by colleges and others.

Under Smith's direction, the Department’s power agencies participate in the generation and marketing of energy from plants with a combined capability of 18 million kilowatts. They manage nearly 30,000 miles of transmission lines and realize a gross income of $300 million annually.

Smith, a native of Sioux FaIls, S.D., was named an Assistant: Secretary in Interior in March 1969 following 2.5 years of activity in water and land resource development much of it in the Missouri Basin.

Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton today announced the appointment of William. L. Rogers of San Marine, Calif., as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, a new position created to bring operations of the Bureau of Indian Affairs closer to the Secretariat of the Department of the Interior.

"Mr. Rogers brings an abundance of experience to one of the most important posts created in recent years at Interior,” Secretary Morton said. "We believe he will bring outstanding ability and enthusiasm to linking the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Land Management with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. “

Prior to his appointment, Rogers served as Deputy under Secretary for form.er Under Secretary Fred J. Russell and Under Secretary William. T. Pecora.

Before June 1970, Rogers was an executive for Aerojet-General Corporation for more than 27 years. He held numerous positions with that company - - from assistant department chief to vice president and general manager of its electronic division.

A registered professional engineer, Rogers is a graduate of the California Institute of Technology. He attended high school in Pendleton, Oregon, where he was horn, and junior college in Boise, Idaho. He is a Fellow Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics, a life member of the Navy League and belongs to· Tau Beta Pi -- national engineering honor society -- and many other professional organizations. Rogers is 50 years old.

William H. Crowe, a Cherokee designer-craftsman of international repute, has been named to a four-year term as Commissioner on the five-man Indian Arts and Crafts Board, Secretary of the Interior Robert C. B. Morton announced today.

Crowe succeeds Vincent Price, actor and patron of the arts, whose Commissionership on the Arts and Crafts Board expired last July. The Board was established in 1935 to encourage the preservation and development of American Indian and Eskimo artistry.

A professional member of the Southern Highlands Handicraft Guild, an association of outstanding Appalachian craftsmen, Crowe maintains his studio workshop on his native reservation at Cherokee, N.C. He has been retained as a master craftsman by the Smithsonian Institution to assist with exhibitions of arts and crafts.

Crowe, who is 50 years old, was one of the organizers in 1948 of Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, Inc., a Cherokee craftsmen's cooperative, and he recently served as Qualla’s vice-president. Currently, he is serving as vice-chairman of the board of directors of the Native American Marketing Enterprise, Inc., a new non-profit organization that serves as a marketing clearinghouse for Native American arts.

Secretary Morton's appointment of Crowe followed his meeting with the Board November 19 and 20 -- the first since Morton took office. At that time, the Secretary unveiled his desire to enlarge the mission of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, involving it more directly with economic and education as well as cultural development of Native American artists and craftsmen. He charged the Board with the task of strengthening ties with 0ther government agencies and organizations related to the arts, in order to enlarge the sphere of impact of Native American crafts, and to increase funding for the perpetuation of Indian, Eskimo and Aleut artistry.

The Board operates three museums in the West, in areas representative of more than half the entire American Indian population. The museums, located in Browning, Mont., Rapid City, S.D., and Anadarko, Okla., function as conservators of Indian artifacts and as centers for the exhibition and sale of authentic contemporary Native American arts and crafts. They provide advisory services and research to major museums throughout the world.

Other Commissioners on the five-man Indian Arts and Crafts Board are: Lloyd H. New, chairman, and director of the Institute of American Indian Arts of Santa Fe, N.M.; Howard Rock, artist and editor of Tundra Times, the Alaskan Native weekly newspaper published in Fairbanks; Royal B. Hassrick, author and anthropologist (specialist in Plains Indian culture) of Surrey, Va.; and Paul F. Huldermann of Scottsdale, Ariz., civic arts leader and dealer in arts of the Americans. The late Rene D'Harnoncourt, for many years as director of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, had also served on the Indian Arts and Crafts Board.

Louis R. Bruce, Commissioner of Indian Affairs of the Department of the Interior, today announced the names of 28 tribes that will initially participate in BIA’s Reservation Acceleration Program (RAP).

RAP is a process by which tribes negotiate changes in existing loca1BIA budgets to insure that these programs support the tribes t own priorities.

In announcing the first 28 tribes, Commissioner Bruce emphasized that funds will not be taken from non-participating tribes to finance the operation.

"We look forward to many more tribes taking part in RAP,” Commissioner Bruce said. This effort gives life to President Nixon is self-determination policy for America's Indians because it is both an operational and budgetary reality.

"I take this occasion to welcome participation by all other tribes in the Reservation or Tribal Acceleration Programs. “

Commissioner Bruce visited Oklahoma on March 8th and 9th where he met with tribal1eaders and discussed the development of special Tribal Acceleration Program (TAP) plans to meet the particular needs of that State's Indians. The Commissioner and his staff have already commenced the TAP negotiation process with the eastern and western Oklahoma tribes and the two BIA Area Offices. The Bureau is working to establish Indian Action Teams in Oklahoma to develop Indian construction companies, train Indian manpower, provide construction equipment to tribes and complete construction projects in Indian communities.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs staff will soon visit the Navajo Reservation, Nevada, Alaska and California to discuss how RAP will apply to Native Americans in these areas. Special RAP approaches will also be developed through direct consultation with the Pueblos of New Mexico and other smaller tribes not adequately served by the Bureau.

Commissioner Bruce also announced that he is appointing James Hena, formerly Executive Assistant to the Commissioner and a Pueblo Indian, to the position of Program Manager-Reservation Acceleration Program. Mr. Hena will spend his full time in the implementation of the RAP program.

Criteria for selection of the tribes were finalized here on Friday, March 3rd after three days of consultation with an advisory committee composed of representatives of the National Tribal Chairmen's Association, BIA staff, and representatives of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Indian Health Service, Office of Economic Opportunity, Economic Development Administration and the Office of Minority Business Enterprises.

Fifteen tribes will begin negotiations with BIA agency offices in April. They are:

Thirteen tribes will begin negotiations in May. They are:

Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Morton is in Alaska for an 8-day inspection of areas upon which he soon will make far-reaching decisions.

His itinerary includes visits to the Wrangell Mountains in the southeast; Mount McKinley in central Alaska; the Yukon Flats and Walker Lake areas to the north and west; and the King Sabnon area in Alaska's southwest before returning to the "lower 48."

The chief purpose of his tour will be to obtain more first-hand knowledge on which to base the decisions he must make, under law, by September 18 -- decisions which will affect Alaska's future land-use patterns, natural resource development, and preservation of wild areas.

The Alaska Native C1atms Settlement Act -- signed into law by President Nixon December 18, 1971 requires that the Secretary of the Interior make firm decisions, within nine months after its enactment, on the withdrawal from other uses of up to 80 million acres of Federally-owned land for study purposes for possible additions to national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and wild and scenic rivers.

Initial set-asides were made in mid-March, but final boundaries remain to be fixed in September. After that, the Secretary must advise Congress at six-month intervals of his specific recommendations for use of the withdrawn land areas. Any lands not recommended within two years after December 18, 1971 for designation in one of the "four systems" would become subject to State and Native selection. Congress has five years from the recommendation dates to act before the withdrawals automatically terminate.

Literally hundreds of Interior Department employees and officials, including specialists in dozens of disciplines, are at work this summer on detailed studies for the decisions and the recommendations to be made. They include study teams and work groups from the Department's Bureaus of Land Management, Indian Affairs, Mines, and Outdoor Recreation, and its Geological Survey, National Park Service, and Fish and Wildlife Service. The Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Department of Transportation also are doing field studies.

The work includes mapping and surveying; delineating areas of mineral potential, water resources, glaciers and earth tremor, identifying; recreation potential as well as present use by visitors; studying social and economic requirements of Alaska's Natives (Eskimos, Indians and Aleuts); analyzing wildlife and fish resources, historical, ecological and wilderness values, timber and grazing, and any related subjects.

The National Park Service and Fish and Wildlife Service have multi-discipline study teams collecting resource data to be used in preparation of conceptual master plans and potential environmental impact statements for any areas to be recommended to Congress for preservation. A number of large natural areas are being analyzed for their ecosystems and wildlife patterns, including intensive efforts in geology, biology, sociology, archaeology and economics.

A plan for the distribution and use of $6 million awarded to the Chiricahua Apache Tribes oy the United States Court of Claims is being published in the Federal Register, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Kallett said today.

According to the plan, approved By Congress and made effective December 20, 1979, 69 percent of the award will go to the Mescalero Apache Tribe of New Mexico and the remaining 31 percent to the Fort Sill Apache Indian Tribe of Oklahoma This distribution is based on a 1913 census.

The Fort Sill Tribe will distribute 80 percent of their share on a per capita basis to tribal members Of the remaining 20 percent, $150,000 will be used for tribal land acquisitions, $50,000 set aside for tribal attorney fees, $50,000 programmed for maintenance of tribal property and facilities, and the balance invested for future tribal needs.

The Mescaleros will distribute $1,000 to each tribal member. They will use $500,000 for the construction of a new community auditorium, put at least $666,000 in a tribal investment fund and allot $100,000 for various tribal needs, including the purchase of musical instruments and a fund to pay the salaries of a summer public works crew.

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 two programs are designed 1) to provide seed money for tribal economic development projects and 2) to assist small tribes to establish or maintain: a basic or core managerial staff. In the 1983 budget request, the Bureau asked for $10 million for the economic development program and $5 million for the small tribes program.

Smith noted, in his letter to tribal leaders, that the proposed regulations for the economic development grant program "are more tightly drawn and restrictive than similar Bureau or other Federal programs of the past. This is by design and is intended to take into account the limited success of many former efforts, the relatively small amount of funds expected to be available, and the strong desire for this to be a sound and successful approach to Indian economic development." The regulations require that at least 75 percent of the total financing come from non-Federal sources. No grant is to be less than $25,000 or more than $500,000.

The purposes of the economic development grants are to:

Provide equity capital for the establishment or expansion of locally determined economic enterprises which generate income and employment opportunities for participating tribes; Serve as an inducement when combined with a tribe's financial and other resources to attract private sector investment capital for the development of the tribe's resources, and;

Reduce tribal dependence on the Federal government over the long term through economic development projects which contribute to a stable private sector reservation economy.

Selection criteria include:

The potential for profitability and long range benefits to the tribe;

Anticipated return on investment;

Degree of independence of economic enterprise management from the political structure of the applicant;

Managerial capability including fiscal accountability of proposed tribal enterprise;

Relative proportion of tribal and private sector investment to requested grant funds, and;

Creation of the highest ratio of Indian jobs to the total amount of dollars to be invested, including market value of materials and equipment contributed to the project.

The purposes of the grants for the small tribes are to help them meet basic tribal management need; to enable them to overcome problems in the administration of tribal and Federal programs -- especially those related to fiscal accountability, and to contribute to the stability of tribal governments, reduce tribal dependency and promote the exercise of self-determination. The grants might be used to employ a tribal planner, an administrator, accountant, bookkeeper or other needed staff for which the tribe has no resources.

To be eligible for a grant as an individual tribe, the population of tribal members living on or near the reservation must be a least 400 and not more than 1,500. Tribes with less than 400 members living on the reservation could receive assistance as part of a multi-tribal organization or, under certain circumstances, as an individual tribe.

Assistant Secretary Smith asked that comments on the proposed regulations be submitted before Labor Day. He said that as soon as Congress acted on the 1983 appropriations request and funds were available, he would issue interim regulations so that the programs could be initiated without delay.

Rising enrollment at Bureau of Indian Affairs schools and a decline in federal funds per student mean that American Indian children will experience such serious problems as fewer teachers and less time in the classroom next fall.

"American Indian children deserve a decent education in accredited classrooms and safe, uncrowded dormitories to prepare them for the challenges of the 21st Century. These outrageous cuts are especially egregious because our schools already are drastically underfunded; says Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Ada Deer.

In FY 1996 Congress did not fund the Indian education increase requested by the BIA to meet the needs of an anticipated five-percent increase in student enrollment in School Year 1996-97. The impact of the FY 1996 cuts on the 187 BIA schools has been delayed until now because this is the time when the schools begin to make staffing decisions for the forthcoming school year. Basically, schools will not have sufficient funds to maintain an adequate teaching staff for the 50,000) Indian children attending BIA schools.

Initial cost-cutting measures include laying off 293 teachers and other school personnel at 16 of the schools the BIA operates in Arizona, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The Bureau operates 89 schools and funds 98 others that are operated by tribes. "I'm extremely concerned that schools will have to make additional staff cuts as the school year draws closer,” Deer said. "Any unanticipated increase in enrollment will cause more cutbacks. For many of our students who live on remote, isolated reservations with no access to public schools, there is no escape from this disgraceful situation." Other initial cutbacks necessitated by the FY 1996 budget are:

1996-97 School Year Cutbacks for BIA Schools and Dormitories;

• Three schools, including one of the larger high schools, have changed the school hours from eight to six.
• Some schools have shortened their school year from 180 days to 175 days.
• A few schools have indicated that they will have to accommodate new students by combining grades so that students in two grades must share one room with one teacher.
• The Bureau is concerned that it will not be able to provide aides to supervise students in dormitories, especially during the night. The potential for serious safety problems to arise is very great.
• Students may not be able to return home on weekends from dormitories and boarding schools because of the schools' lack of transportation money.
• Evening snacks for dormitory students also will be curtailed.
• Rising gasoline costs and increased lease rates for school buses will be passed on to the schools. The transportation funds will not be sufficient to cover the proposed 10.4-percent increase in lease rates or the 61 percent increase in repairs and maintenance.
• As a result, students and parents may have to drive or walk to more distant bus pickup points, which raises safety concerns. Additionally, student extracurricular activities will be curtailed because of the cost of after-school transportation.

Higher Education and Scholarships

• The Higher Education Scholarship program received a 10 percent reduction in its annual federal funding. This program is on the Tribal Priority Allocation budget line item. More than 1,000 deserving students will lose their only opportunity for higher education.
• The American Indian Graduate Center, which receives the Special Higher Education Grant Funds, was reduced by 50 percent. The Center funded 350 students who were continuing in a degree program. More than 900 students applied for graduate assistance. With the current drastic cut in funding, the center was unable to assist new students and estimates its unmet need at $8 million.

1997 BIA Education Budget

"These cutbacks are attacks on the future of American Indian students,” says Assistant Secretary Deer. "Adequate federal funding for their education is of the utmost importance. We must invest in our young people. President Clinton's FY 1997 Budget supports the Bureau of Indian Affairs' schools.” The 1997 President's budget requests an increase of $43.S million in order to accommodate increasing enrollment.

BIA schools provide one of the primary avenues for reducing future unemployment on reservations. However, it appears that recent Congressional action on next year's budget may put Indian children in even greater jeopardy. Just this week, the House Appropriations Committee made decisions on the FY 1997 spending limits for government-wide programs. The House Committee reduced the allocation for the programs funded in the Interior bill by $900 million, or 7.5 percent below the already reduced 1996 level. A reduction of this size means that it is very unlikely that dollars can be found to fund needed increases for Indian schools. Despite an anticipated 2,000 student increase, reductions below the 1996 level seem likely.

The Department of the Interior today proposed new regulations so Indian tribes having organized forest enterprises may be able to sell lumber and other forest products without supervision by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Bureau guidance over sales, the Department explained, is needed for small scale operations where the tribal enterprise organization has limited experience in conducting such sales. It also serves a purpose where there is no formal agreement between the tribal forest enterprise and the tribal or individual Indian owners of the forest land.

The situation is different, however, in the case of larger and better organized tribal enterprises such as the Navajo Forest Products Industries operating on the reservation in Arizona and New Mexico and the Fort Apache Sawmill Enterprise in Arizona. In these cases, the Department's policy is to delegate broad responsibilities for the sale of forest products produced by the enterprise and retain the trust responsibility for management of the timberlands by a formal agreement between the tribal enterprise and the timber land owners. The change in the regulations is intended to effectuate this policy.

Interested persons may submit comments or objections to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Washington 25, D. C., within 30 days after publication of the proposed amendment in the Federal Register.

(WASHINGTON)- Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton today praised President Bush's intention to nominate David Anderson to serve as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs. The announcement is subject to confirmation by the U.S. Senate, once the official nomination is made by the President.

"David Anderson's innovative leadership and dedication to constant improvement will serve him well as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs," Norton said. "His inspiring vision, proven management expertise and compassion for Indian issues will help us in our efforts to improve the quality of services we provide to Indian Country."

Anderson, a member of the Chippewa and Choctaw tribes and an enrolled member of the Lac Courte Oreilles Lake Superior Band of Ojibwa, is a nationally-recognized business entrepreneur, expert in revitalizing failing companies, and founder and chairman of Famous Dave's of America, Inc. - one of the nation's fastest growing chains of family restaurants.

Anderson also is known for his dedication to the American Indian community, having donated more than $6 million to Indian advancement programs. In 1999 the Anderson Family established the Youth Skills Foundation with a $1.4 million gift to help disadvantaged American Indian children. Proceeds from Anderson's award-winning BBQ cookbook are donated to the foundation. In 2001, Anderson also founded the Life Skills Center for Leadership, offering life-changing programs for at-risk Indian youth and young adults. .

Television personality Oprah Winfrey was so impressed that her Angel Network awarded a $25,000 grant to the LifeSkills Center in 2002.

During his business career, Anderson founded three publicly traded companies on Wall Street, created more than 18,000 new jobs, and reorganized a number of failing businesses in Indian Country, enabling them to become financially successful operations.

In 1982, Anderson, as chief executive officer for the Lac Courte Oreilles Chippewa tribal enterprises, built a team that successfully turned reservation businesses into profitable and stable operations. Under his leadership, gross revenues increased from $3.9 million to $8 million. This achievement was recognized by President Reagan's Commission on Indian Reservation Economics.

Anderson has been appointed to numerous state and national commissions, including the American Indian Education Foundation (2003); Presidential Advisory Council for Tribal Colleges and Universities (2001); National Task Force on Reservation Gambling (1983); Council on Minority Business Development for the State of Wisconsin (1983); Wisconsin Council on Tourism (1983) and Harvard University's Native American Program.

Having weathered the changing fortunes of an entrepreneurial career, Anderson also uses his life experiences as a public speaker to help others. Sharing his optimism and inspiration with youth groups and community organizations, he has said, "No matter how tough things may seem today, if you hold fast to your dreams and work hard, tomorrow's rewards will always come."

His numerous honors include being named a Bush Leadership Fellow (1985); recognized as Minnesota and Dakota's Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst and Young, NASDAQ, and USA Today; named Restaurateur of the Year by Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine (1998); and chosen an Olympic Torch Carrier of the 2002 Winter Olympics by his community.

Anderson received a master's degree in Public Administration from Harvard University at the John F. Kennedy School of Government in 1986. He lives in Edina, Minnesota, with his wife.

The Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs has responsibility for fulfilling the Department's trust responsibilities and promoting self-determination on behalf of the 562 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments. The Assistant Secretary also oversees the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an agency with 10,500 employees nationwide, which is responsible for providing services to approximately 1 A million individual American Indians and Alaska Natives from the federally recognized tribes.

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