OPA

PAGE, Ariz. – On Monday, November 19, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar will join Assistant Secretary for Water and Science Anne Castle, National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis and Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Mike Connor to trigger the first “high-flow experimental release” at Glen Canyon Dam since 2008. The release is part of a new experimental long-term protocol announced in May by Secretary Salazar to better distribute sediment to conserve downstream resources, while meeting water and power needs and allowing continued scientific experimentation, data collection, and monitoring to more fully address the important resources in the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam.

For more information on the high flow experimental release, click here.

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WASHINGTON, DC – As part of President Obama’s commitment to upholding the nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indian and Alaska Natives, Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin K. Washburn today announced a final rule that will allow the Department of the Interior to accept land into trust for federally recognized Alaska tribes.

Previously, Interior regulations allowed tribal nations in the continental United States to seek to place lands into trust, but did not allow the same for federally recognized Alaska Native tribes. Taking land into trust for a tribal nation makes the land eligible for certain federal programs that further tribal sovereignty and economic development, related to agriculture, energy, infrastructure, health and housing programs. It also clarifies and affirms tribal sovereign powers over the land.

“This marks a major step forward in federal policy in Alaska. Our aim is to make it possible to secure tribal homelands, which in turn advances tribal sovereignty and economic development, promotes the health and welfare of tribal communities, and protects tribal culture and traditional ways of life,” said Assistant Secretary Washburn. “Restoring tribal lands to trust status furthers tribal self-governance.”

Representatives of Alaska Native tribes have asserted that the denial of a land into trust process in Alaska is unfair and have sought to correct this unfairness, in part, through litigation. The rule issued today not only addresses this litigation, but also responds to recommendations by two independent blue ribbon commissions, the Congressionally-created Indian Law and Order Commission and the Secretarial Commission on Indian Trust Administration and Reform. Today’s rule also reflects numerous public comments and feedback obtained from Alaska Native tribes during formal consultation.

The Assistant Secretary’s announcement complements recent Congressional action affecting Alaska Native tribes. Earlier this month, Congress amended the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA) to allow Alaska tribal courts to prosecute non-Indians who commit domestic violence against Indian spouses and partners. If land is taken into trust pursuant to today’s rule, it will support such tribal court jurisdiction authorized by Congress and, ultimately, help Native governments to be better partners with the State of Alaska to address these problems.

Today’s rule confirms that the Secretary of the Interior has pre-existing statutory authority to consider applications to take land into trust in Alaska and this authority will now be exercised. Part 151 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), entitled Land Acquisitions, is the regulatory framework within which the Secretary of the Interior, through the Assistant Secretary and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, will consider requests and exercise discretion to take land into trust. The land acquisition regulations are rigorous; whether in Alaska or the lower 48 states, tribes must satisfy extensive regulatory requirements, including possessing clear title to the land, before the Department will approve a trust application.

Several important questions about the rule arose in the comment period. For example, some were concerned about the effect on subsurface mineral rights if surface lands are taken into trust. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis, but taking lands into trust on the surface usually has little impact on mineral rights because surface interests are typically subservient to the subsurface mineral interests, which are dominant. The Department will use its experience managing lands with split estates in the lower 48 states to address any problems that might arise.

Generally, lands are placed into trust pursuant to the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 (IRA), which was enacted to remedy the devastating loss of tens of millions of acres of tribally owned lands. The IRA authorizes the Interior Secretary to hold land in trust for Indian Tribes and individual Indians, thereby securing these lands for housing, schools, economic development, and other beneficial purposes. Trust land also allows the tribe to benefit from federal housing programs and other federal grant programs which are often available only on land that has been placed in trust. Thus, today’s rule has the potential to unlock additional federal financial resources for Alaska Natives.

The U.S. Government currently holds 55 million surface acres and 57 million acres of subsurface minerals estates for American Indians, Indian tribes and Alaska Natives. The Obama Administration has taken more than 280,000 acres of American Indian land into trust since 2009.

The proposed rule was made available for public comment on May 1, 2014. The final rule can be viewed online at: Land in Trust in Alaska

The Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the BIA, which is headed by a director who is responsible for managing day-to-day operations through four offices – Indian Services, Justice Services, Trust Services and Field Operations. These offices directly administer or fund tribally based infrastructure, law enforcement, social services, tribal governance, natural and energy resources, and trust management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes and villages through 12 regional offices and 81 agencies.

PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs have approved an extension lease for the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) which enables operation of the coal-fired power plant to continue through December 22, 2019. Without the extension, activities to retire the plant would be required to begin in the coming year.

The Department of the Interior bureaus approved the extension lease following an environmental review which concluded earlier this week. The Navajo Generating Station Extension Lease Environmental Assessment (EA) and draft Findings of No Significant Impact were issued for public review and comment from October 5 to November 3, 2017. Comments were received from 10 entities. Minor corrections and clarifications to the EA were made where appropriate.

Under the extension lease approved today, coal combustion at NGS will cease by December 22, 2019. Retirement of the facility would then begin, to be completed by December 22, 2024. The lease provides five years for the Salt River Project Agricultural Improvement and Power District to complete plant retirement and 30 years for long-term monitoring and remediation.

While the extension lease does not authorize coal combustion after December 22, 2019, efforts are continuing between the Navajo Nation and NGS stakeholders to develop agreements for post-2019 operations, which would require appropriate approvals and environmental review. Reclamation and BIA are monitoring developments to anticipate potential impacts to those who historically have received benefits from NGS operations, including Navajo and Hopi stakeholders and other Tribal interests.

An electronic copy of the revised EA and signed FONSIs are available at www.usbr.gov/ngs.

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WASHINGTON - Today, just two weeks after U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke announced the Department was forming a new Joint Task Force (JTF) to combat the opioid crisis in Indian Country, the Secretary announced the JTF's first raid seized 49 pounds of methamphetamine with a street value of $2.5 million and more than $20,000 worth of marijuana, plus smaller amounts of heroin, and other narcotics. The raid was led by Interior's JTF with partnership from the Pueblo Tribes and New Mexico law enforcement officials. Secretary Zinke formed the JTF in response to President Donald J. Trump's commitment to end the opioid crisis.

“I am incredibly proud of the law enforcement officers on this Joint Task Force. The work they did over the weekend in New Mexico, seizing the very drugs that are poisoning tribal communities, will save lives,” said Secretary Zinke. “They successfully stopped $2.5 million worth of methamphetamine from stealing our children's futures. Their work is a perfect example of what we can do when we leverage the resources of the government to address this crisis in Indian Country. President Trump's leadership in the fight against opioids and other drugs has been tremendous. Together, we are cracking down on the dealers who are selling out our kids.”

“I am very pleased to see that the new leadership in the BIA Office of Justice Services is exceeding expectations in carrying out the Secretary and President's direction to combat opioids across Indian Country,” said Director of the Bureau of Indian Affairs Bryan Rice. “Deputy Bureau Director Charlie Addington is leading a results-driven effort to address this epidemic in our communities and surrounding areas.”

The JTF consisted of agents and officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and their K-9 unit, Office of Justice Services, Division of Drug Enforcement, BIA District-IV Indian Country - High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, New Mexico State Police (NMSP) and their K-9 unit, NMSP Investigation Bureau’s Regional Narcotic Task Force, and the Department of Homeland Security Task Force.

This operation ran from April 3 to April 7, 2018, and was conducted at the following Pueblos around Albuquerque, New Mexico: Laguna, Sandia, Cochiti, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Picuris, Santo Domingo, Pojoaque, Nambe, San Felipe, Tesuque, and Ohkay Owingeh. The JTF conducted 304 traffic stops and 93 vehicle searches, issued 129 traffic citations, and arrested 11 subjects for drug possession.

Last month, Secretary Zinke championed President Trump’s commitment to end the opioid epidemic in a series of tribal community visits during the week of the President’s Opioid initiative. The Secretary personally visited several tribal communities around the country — Tohono O’odham, Gila River, Salt River, and AK-Chin in Arizona; Oneida in Wisconsin; Spokane, Colville, and Lummi Nations in Washington State — to listen and learn about how the opioid crisis is impacting tribes and to show the Department’s commitment to addressing the resonating effects of this addiction. Tribes welcomed these visits and the President’s commitment to eliminating the opioid epidemic with the greatest appreciation.

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Secretary of the Interior Rogers C. B. Korton announced today that he has notified the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District in Nevada that its contract for management of the irrigation works of the Newlands Reclamation Project will be terminated October 31, 1974.

The Secretary said that the immediate reason for the action is the repeated violations by the District of the Department's operating criteria and procedures for the Project.

The operating criteria were adopted by the Secretary following a law suit brought by the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe in the United States District court in Washington, D. C., in which an order was .entered limiting the amount of water available to the District and requiring the Secretary to terminate the District's management of the project if there were substantial violations of the criteria.

These operating criteria are designed to assure that as much water as possible from the Truckee River flows to Pyramid Lake, a unique desert lake located 30 miles northeast of Reno, Nevada.

The lake is fed solely by the Truckee River. It is also the major resource of the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation which was reserved by the Paiute Indians in 1859 and has been their home ever since.

The lake contains an important fishery, including the Lahontan brook trout and cui-ui lakesucker, both of which are on the Secretary of the Interior's list of endangered species.

During the next 13 months the Secretary said, the Department will expect scrupulous compliance by the District with the operating criteria, including the water used ceiling of 288,000 acre feet. Any water diverted, used or stored in violation of the criteria will be deducted from water allowed to the district in subsequent years, after the United States assumes control of Derby Dam and other project facilities, Secretary Morton said.

NCAI Mid Year Conference LIVE STREAM - Department of the Interior, Secretary Sally Jewell Addresses the Third General Assembly

Time: 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Pacific Time

Live Stream Link: http://youtu.be/mUQ2v1HIDLM

Today, June 27, 2013, Secretary Sally Jewell will address the Third General Assembly at NCAI's Mid Year Conference in Reno, Nevada. Secretary Jewell was recently nominated by President Obama and became the 51st Secretary of the Interior on April 12, 2013. Prior to joining the Department of the Interior, Secretary Jewell was the President and CEO of REI (Recreation Equipment, Inc.), one of the major national outdoor outfitters in the country and ranked by Fortune Magazine as one of the top 100 companies to work for. Secretary Jewell also has a background as a commercial banker in energy and natural resources, and has training as a petroleum engineer.

This is the first time Secretary Jewell will be addressing tribal leaders attending an NCAI Conference. Please join our Livestream broadcast at 9:30 a.m. Pacific Time by visiting http://youtu.be/mUQ2v1HIDLM.

Also, please follow NCAI on Twitter @NCAI1944 using hash tags #MYNCAI

NCAI Contact Information: Sarah Beccio, Communications Associate, sbeccio@ncai.org

Founded in 1944, the National Congress of American Indians is the oldest, largest and most representative American Indian and Alaska Native organization in the country. NCAI advocates on behalf of tribal governments, promoting strong tribal-federal government-to-government policies, and promoting a better understanding among the general public regarding American Indian and Alaska Native governments, people and rights.

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WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts announced today that applications to the Indian Affairs Student Leadership Summer Institute, a 10-week paid internship for post-secondary Native students now in its second year, are being accepted for 2017. The deadline for applications is November 30, 2016.

The Indian Affairs Student Leadership Summer Institute program provides American Indian and Alaska Native post-secondary students with a unique opportunity to learn about federal policy and develop management and leadership skills within high-profile offices throughout Indian Affairs. The program’s mission is to engage and support the next generation of Native leaders in the federal government through an introduction to the government-to-government relationship between tribal nations and the United States. Through their experiences students will gain an understanding of how Indian Affairs carries out its trust responsibilities and how consultation with tribes guides policy development and implementation.

The Institute’s inaugural class consisted of 17 Native undergraduate and graduate students placed in the 12 Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) regional offices and at the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), the Office of the Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs, and the White House Council on Native American Affairs where they worked on a variety of projects that dealt with, among other topics, environmental and natural resources, land management, social work, the Tiwahe initiative, and the 2016 White House Tribal Nations Conference. They also traveled to Rapid City, S.D., to attend a Tribal-Interior Budget Council (TIBC) meeting, and around the city of Washington where they visited the Departments of the Interior and Justice, as well as the White House, U.S. Capitol and the Supreme Court.

American Indian and Alaska Native students currently enrolled in either undergraduate or graduate degree programs are encouraged to apply. Between 15 and 20 students will be selected to work in the Indian Affairs headquarters offices in Washington, D.C., and in BIA regional offices around the country.

Applicants must meet the following criteria to apply for the program:

• Be a member of a federally recognized tribe,
• Be currently enrolled and in good standing in an undergraduate or graduate degree program,
• Be at least 18 years of age, and
• Have completed at least two years of an undergraduate degree.

The application requirements are as follows:

1. Personal Statement (700 word limit):
   The statement should discuss the applicant’s interest in the Indian Affairs Student Leadership Summer Institute and how it fits into his or her future goals of serving Indian Country. It should also describe the applicant’s personal qualities or previous leadership experiences that will enhance the experience of other American Indian and Alaska Native program participants, and an area of her or his education, experience in a certain field of policy, cultural background/familiarity (close ties to region) or any other information that would help determine the applicant’s proper placement or secure a placement preference within a specific Indian Affairs office.
2. Resume:
   The resume should be no more than two (2) pages in length. Please include a list of education, honors and awards, work experience (including internships), school activities (clubs, research, presentations, etc.) or any community activities (volunteer activities, leadership roles).
3. Verification Form BIA 4432:
   Because preference in filling vacancies within Indian Affairs offices is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act of 1934 (Title 25, USC, Section 472), an applicant must include Verification Form BIA-4432 with their application package prior to the closing date of the announcement, but only if claiming Indian Preference on the application. Applicants selected under Indian Preference will be appointed under Excepted Service, Schedule A, 213.3112 (a) (7) appointing authority. Click here to access the form.
4. Transcripts:
   A full set of unofficial transcripts from all institutions attended are required. They will be used to evaluate the level for which an applicant qualifies which will, in turn, determine the grade level and salary offered.
5. Assessment Questionnaire:
   Applicants will be required to submit an online assessment questionnaire. Preview of questions.

Applications are due no later than Wednesday, November 30, 2016, and should be submitted through USAJobs.gov via https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/454414200#btn-req-docs. Send questions about the application to IA_Institute@bia.gov.

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A new program designed to help Indians buy homes in off-reservation locations has been launched by the Employment Assistance Branch of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Commissioner of Indian Affairs Robert Lo Bennett announced today.

The plan is another building block in the Bureau's efforts to develop a real sense of belonging in the off-reservation Indian who decides to settle in the city.

Confined mostly to the major cities where training programs are effectively being carried out for Indian families, a $500,000 appropriation for fiscal year 1968 is designed to supplement other activities that help Indian people make the transition from reservation to urban living.

Bennett pointed out that for some years the Bureau has guided Indian families who wish to leave reservations and move to the cities by first informing them of the benefits of the Employment Assistance Program in various cities. They receive counseling and guidance on job opportunities, institutional training, cost of living, climate, housing, and community resources. The head of the household may go into direct employment or adult vocational training. When this is determined, he and his family are guided to go to the place that has the kind of vocational training or employment he prefers. The entire family is transported to a major 9ity.

Meanwhile, the BIA Employment Assistance Officer in the city the Indian family · has chosen is informed about all members of the family and when they will arrive. Arrangements for temporary housing are made for the family. When the head of the household has chosen the place he will work or the school he will attend, BIA counselors help the family find suitable permanent housing. Also, the counselors guide the couple on how to shop in a city, enroll their children in school, use public transportation, and use community resources.

"Yet, too often, somewhere in the course of these plans, something happens to destroy the Indian's confidence, his sense of identity," Bennett said, "In many cases, the desire for a home and family, with a plot of ground, is frustrated by an inability to pay."

By the time the man is established in a job or has finished his schooling and is ready to take on a job, the family is usually pretty well adjusted to city life. After the man goes to work, often a real need arises for the permanently of a home and a family neighborhood in which to bring up the children. But the Indian family that has spent month getting itself accustomed to a new life and surroundings, including work, home, and school, doesn't usually have cash set aside for a down payment on a home.

Under the new program, after the man has shown satisfactory work habits, the Bureau puts up the money for the down payment and closing costs, no strings attached. Employment Assistance staffers realistically evaluate the chance the family has to keep up regular mortgage payments, and check the prospects of the community in which the Indians want to live.

Generally, requirements are that the Indian applicant for these funds must have been steadily employed off the reservation for at least 6 months, or if he has been in training, he must have been steadily employed at least 3 months. In both cases he must have demonstrated job and family stability and shown a real desire to become a home owner. A Bureau counselor then guides the applicants on how to secure a loan.

Typical of the current success of .the program is the story of Phillip Starr, an Arikara Indian from Emmet, N.D.

Starr went to Chicago in March this year leaving his wife and six children on the Fort Berthold Reservation. He was finding it increasingly difficult to support his family in the reservation area and felt that with his background in various jobs, including meat-cutting learned in the Army, he would have better employment opportunities in the city.

The Jewel Tea Company was impressed with his sincerity and willingness to learn and he was soon earning $170 a week, including overtime, as a junior engineer mechanic. The work involves the maintenance of conveyor equipment, welding, and the repair of battery-operated fork lifts.

Soon, Starr could afford to have his family with him, but his small savings blocked attempts to find a home that was large enough and in a proper community for bringing up children.

The new Home Purchase Program was the answer to Starr's and many Indians' problems. The Chicago Employment Assistance housing specialist had found few rental units available and rental rates exceedingly high. In looking into purchases, Starr himself found one that exactly suited his purpose in suburban North Lakes, Ill.

The two-story home has three bedrooms and a large living room on a 60' x 130' lot. A Bureau specialist inspected the home and was impressed. It was located in a good neighborhood and close to both shopping and transportation. Schools were within a few blocks, with a large playground nearby.

Under the home purchase plan, the Starr family was given a small grant which was sufficient, with Starr’s own savings, for the down payment and closing costs. The family has moved into their new home. Today, Phil Starr is remodeling the upper half of the home to provide additional space.

The same program is being launched in Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Oakland, San Jose and other major cities.