Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock
()
or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.
Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
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.
###
Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
WASHINGTON – Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke issued the following statement today which was read during the 26th Annual Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Service at the United States Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M. The ceremony formally announced the names of three fallen law enforcement officers from the Navajo and Chickasaw Nations as new inscriptions to the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Monument.
“Like the famous and humble actions of the WWII Code Talkers who valiantly stepped out of Indian Country to defend the United States from foreign threats, these three brave officers courageously rose up within Indian Country to protect tribal communities from unexpected dangers. Today, I pay their families and their memories the utmost respect for their ultimate sacrifices as we permanently add their names to this distinguished memorial. May this memorial continue to serve as a testament that those who answer the call of duty will never be forgotten.
"In a tradition from my Navy service, I respectfully bid 'fair winds and following seas' to the spirits of these brave men and women.”
The officers recognized at this year’s ceremony brought the total number of names listed on the monument to 114:
The event is hosted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services and is held in conjunction with the International Chiefs of Police’s (ICAP) Indian Country Law Enforcement Section and other law enforcement organizations and agencies, including the National Sheriffs’ Association and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers at the U.S. Indian Police Academy in Artesia. The formal ceremony consists of full law enforcement honors with flag presentation, 21-gun salute, honor guard, traditional drum song and prayer, officer roll call, and family recognition. Each year, invited dignitaries provide keynote remarks at the ceremony.
The Indian Country Law Enforcement Officers Memorial was first dedicated on May 7, 1992, at the Indian Police Academy then located in Marana, Ariz. The academy and memorial were later moved to their present site, where the latter was re-dedicated on May 6, 1993. The memorial’s design is based upon indigenous design concepts. Comprised of three granite markers sited within a circular walkway lined with sage, a plant of spiritual significance to many tribes, the memorial includes four planters filled with foliage in colors representing people of all nations. The planters represent the four directions and are located near the walkway’s entrance.
The earliest inscribed name dates back to 1852. In addition to those from BIA and tribal law enforcement, officers listed represent numerous law enforcement agencies including the U.S. Border Patrol, the New Mexico State Police, the Arizona Department of Public Safety, the Navajo County Sheriff’s Office, the U.S. Customs Bureau, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A list of the names inscribed on the Indian Country Law Enforcement Officer’s Memorial is available at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers’ website.
-DOI-
Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
WASHINGTON -- To address concerns regarding mineral leasing and development activity adjacent to Chaco Culture National Historical Park, Deputy Secretary of the Interior Michael L. Connor today announced the U.S. Department of the Interior will expand the resource management planning effort underway in the Farmington, New Mexico area.
For the first time, the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Farmington Field Office and the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Navajo Regional Office will jointly conduct an expanded analysis of management in the area that covers both public and tribal lands.
“Today's announcement is an important step forward toward addressing the longstanding concerns surrounding oil and gas development around Chaco Canyon,” said Deputy Secretary Connor. “I heard these concerns firsthand when I visited Chaco last summer to participate in a public listening session with Senator Udall. BIA's decision to join BLM's planning effort as a co-lead reflects the complex land tenure around the park and demonstrates the Department's commitment to ensuring that the region's rich cultural and archaeological resources are protected.”
The BLM initiated a process to update its Resource Management Plan for the area – which guides development activities on public lands there – in 2014. In support of expanding the planning effort to include tribal lands in the area, the BLM and the BIA are seeking public comments to identify issues and concerns related to including BIA-managed mineral leasing and associated activities in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which is being prepared as part of the Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMP) Amendment. This expanded effort will look at the whole planning area, and will include mineral leasing and development activity around Chaco Culture National Historic Park.
The joint effort also reflects the Department of the Interior’s emphasis on working with Native American leaders to provide expanded opportunities for integrating traditional knowledge and expertise in the management of public lands that have a special historical, cultural or geographic connection with indigenous communities.
In June of 2015, Deputy Secretary Connor and Senator Tom Udall toured the Chaco Canyon area to see the sensitive archeological site and view the area beyond the park where drilling is proposed. After the visit to Chaco, Connor and Udall held meetings with interested stakeholders.
A Notice of Intent to prepare the RMP Amendment and conduct an EIS will be published in the Federal Register on October 21, 2016, which will formally open a 60-day public scoping period ending on December 20, 2016. The information gathered during this new scoping process will be added to the information already gathered as part of the BLM’s prior scoping process for the EIS.
As part of the scoping process, the BLM and the BIA will be hosting public scoping meetings at the following locations, dates, and times:
| Location | Date | Time |
|
Shiprock Chapter House |
November 10 (Tentative) |
9:00am-1:00pm (Tentative) |
|
Huerfano Chapter House |
November 10 |
3:00pm-7:00pm |
|
Counselor Chapter House |
November 12 |
9:00am-1:00pm |
|
Nageezi Chapter House |
November 12 |
3:00pm-7:00pm |
|
Ojo Encino Chapter House |
November 14 |
9:00am-1:00pm |
|
Whitehorse Lake Chapter House |
November 15 |
9:00am-1:00pm |
|
Navajo Technical University |
November 17 |
3:00pm-7:00pm |
|
Navajo Nation Museum |
December 2 |
10:00am-2:00pm |
The BLM and BIA are asking that input be received within the 60-day scoping period, ending December 20, 2016, or 15 days after the last meeting, whichever is later.
Input may be submitted by mail to BLM Farmington Field Office, Attention: Mark Ames, Project Manager, 6251 North College Blvd., Suite A, Farmington, New Mexico 87402; by email to BLM_NM_FFO_Comments@blm.gov, or by fax to 505-564-7608.
For the BIA, please contact Harrilene Yazzie, BIA Regional National Environmental Policy Act Coordinator at 505-863-8287, P.O. Box 1060, Gallup, New Mexico 87301, or harrilene.yazzie@bia.gov.
Additional information is available online at FARMINGTON RMP: MANCOS-GALLUP AMENDMENT.
Indian Affairs - Office of Public Affairs
WASHINGTON – Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs Lawrence S. Roberts today issued an updated Contract Support Costs (CSC) Policy for the Indian Affairs Manual (IAM). The updated Policy reflects extensive tribal consultation and the work of the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) CSC Workgroup, which is comprised of tribal and federal experts.
The updated Policy provides for the full payment of CSC and helps ensure that the payment of CSC is accurate, timely, and meets 100 percent of a tribe’s CSC need as calculated under the Policy. The Policy also simplifies and streamlines CSC calculation to expedite payment.
“The updated Contract Support Costs Policy was driven by our strong commitment to tribal self-determination and self-governance,” Roberts said. “The Policy will ensure that tribes contracting or compacting to administer Indian Affairs programs and services receive the amount of CSC that the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act requires. “I want to thank the tribal representatives and federal staff of the CSC Workgroup for their multi-year effort to collaboratively draft the Policy, review tribal comments on the Policy, and incorporate tribal input in the final version of the updated Policy.”
This is the first update to the CSC Policy since it was initially issued in May of 2006. The Supreme Court’s decision in Salazar v. Ramah Navajo Chapter and the Administration’s commitment to fully fund CSC necessitated significant revisions. The update repeals the 2006 approach of equitable distribution of insufficient CSC funds to reflect the modern approach of fully funding CSC.
Many of the key components of the updated policy involve the calculation and payment of CSC. After hearing from tribal leaders about the burdens of increased employee health insurance premiums, increased facilities support costs, and additional administrative expenses, direct CSC will now be calculated as 18 percent of tribal budgeted salary costs, not including fringe, of section 106(a)(1) programs. In addition, the policy provides a simplified method for calculating indirect CSC for smaller tribes that do not meet the single-audit threshold for funding and do not have an approved IDC rate that is four or fewer years old. These provisions will provide administrative and financial relief to tribes that will ensure they are not forced to use program funding to cover administrative costs.
Incorporating the updated policy into the Indian Affairs Manual respects tribal requests to provide clear policy. To view the updated CSC Policy, along with other parts of the Indian Affairs Manual, visit the Indian Affairs website at: https://www.indianaffairs.gov/WhatWeDo/Knowledge/Directives/IAM/index.htm.
The Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary – Indian Affairs oversees the BIA which directly administers or funds tribally based infrastructure, economic and workforce development, law enforcement and justice, social services (including child welfare), tribal governance, and trust land and natural and energy resources management programs for the nation’s federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes.
####
Overview
The Deputy Regional Director for Indian Services serves as the designated official for maintaining and discharging the trust responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior through public laws and restricted requirements concerning Housing, Human Services, Tribal Government, Self-Determination Services, Transportation and Economic Development.
indianaffairs.gov
An official website of the U.S. Department of the Interior
