• OSM Good Neighbor Award Recipients
• Secretary Norton addresses U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Natural Gas exploration
• The Interior Department has awarded $12.9 million in cost-share grants under President Bush's Cooperative Conservation Initiative. The grants from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service will be added to matching funds from more than 700 partners for a total of more than $35 million.
• Redmond, Oregon Hosts House Field Hearing on Forest Restoration Act
• Secretary Norton Celebrates 50th Anniversary of Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act at Western Gulf of Mexico Lease Sale
• BIA Funded Schools Gear Up for New Year
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Calls for Wildlife Grant Proposals from Indian Tribes

The Office of Surface Mining gives out awards each year recognizing how companies perform. This year three coal operators we're recognized for being good corporate citizens. The GOOD NEIGHBOR AWARD is a new award and each winner was presented theirs by a member of the local community where they mine.

Audio Clip	Summary	Length
	Mining in and around areas of two distinct Indian reservations is a culturally sensitive task requiring open communication. Peabody Western Coal achieved the Gold award as a good neighbor to Navajo and Hopi Indian tribes in Arizona.(text)	:57
	The Silver award went to the Vigo Coal Company in Boonville, Indiana. They worked with local citizens to stop a flood problem and established a 45 acre wetland in the process. (text)	:53
	The Bridgeview Coal Company in Farmington, Pennsylvania received the Bronze award. The members of the family owned and operated company have a personal stake in the effect of mining on the community because they live there too. (text)	:55
	During reclamation of lands south of Monument Valley, the Peabody Coal Company made a rare herb part of their reclamation plan after meeting with tribal medicine men. (text)	:12
	Being a good neighbor isn't something that OSM can regulate, but they certainly encourage it. (text)	:10
	Wharton Township official Jack Lewis says the Bridgeview Coal Company has left behind land that they can be proud of. (text)	:11

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Audio Clip	Summary	Length
	35 percent of U.S. natural gas production comes from lands managed by the Interior Department. Secretary Gale Norton addressed business leaders at the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington DC where she emphasized that consultation is an important part of land use decisions on energy development. (text)	1:05
	Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and U.S. Chamber of Commerce examined the impact of increased natural gas prices on farming and industry. (text)	1:00
	The Interior Secretary says a reliable source of natural gas is needed to keep jobs in America. (text)	:10
	Natural gas has many uses in farming, including the production of ethanol. (text)	:13
	Secretary Norton emphasizes that rigorous environmental regulation accompanies every stage of oil and gas exploration. (text)	:12

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Audio Clip	Summary	Length
	The Interior Department has awarded $12.9 million in cost-share grants under President Bush's Cooperative Conservation Initiative. The money will be combined with matching funds from challenge grants to work on 256 conservation and restoration project. (text)	1:00
	Assistant Secretary Craig Manson says the projects will have a positive impact on future generations. (text)	:11
	The matching funds come from a diverse group of more than 700 partners across 40 states and Puerto Rico according to Manson. (text)	:11
	The projects range from restoring wetland prairie habitat to eradicating invasive plants. Manson says without the Cooperative Conservation Initiative, the projects may not have happened. (text)	:11

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Audio Clip	Summary	Length
	A house resource committee report called "America's most threatened forests" ranks Oregon's Siskiyou National Forest as number eight out of twelve. With that in mind the House Resource Committee will hold a field hearing at the Deschutes County Fairgrounds Monday on H.R. 1904, The Healthy Forest Restoration Act. (text)	1:07
	Three panels of experts will testify on reducing the threat of wildfires. Ed Shepard, an Assistant Director in the Bureau of Land Management says they will also address concerns on how much contractors can take while thinning dense forests. (text)	:13
	Last year fires burned the habitat of the Northern Spotted Owl, this year it is threatening the habitat of the Sage Grouse. (text)	:08
	Ed Shepard, an Assistant Director in the Bureau of Land Management says that several areas of Oregon have a high fire threat due to overgrown forest. (text)	:16

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Audio Clip	Summary	Length
	Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) by opening the 100th offshore oil and gas lease sale conducted in the Gulf of Mexico. The Outer Continental Shelf is a critical source of energy. (text)	1:06
	In addition to providing energy, the offshore energy industry provides thousands of jobs. And according to Tom Readinger, the Associate Director for Offshore Minerals Management, the industry has a sound environmental record. (text)	1:05
	The lease sale marked the 100th for the Gulf of Mexico, the nation's primary source of offshore energy. (text)	:09
	Royalty revenues for 2002 totaled over $6 billion. A portion of the money goes to federal parks and recreation programs in all 50 states. (text)	:16
	The offshore energy industry has an economic impact with both the product and the jobs it provides. (text)	:08

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Audio Clip	Summary	Length
	Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Aurene Martin discusses improvements in program management for BIA funded schools as well as post secondary education. (text)	1:04
	Meeting the goals of the Bush Administrations's "No Child Left Behind" act presents both federal and state challenges for tribal educators and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. (text)	1:07
	Assistant Secretary Martin says management and communication are improving in the BIA funded school system. (text)	:14
	In BIA funded schools, regulations are developed through negotiated rule making with tribal educators and representatives throughout the country. (text)	:16
	BIA funded schools also adhere to state regulations. The schools are located in 23 states serving nearly 48,000 students. (text)	:17
	Assistant Secretary Martin wants to examine post secondary education to better prepare Native Americans for careers in the BIA and community. (text)	:12

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Audio Clip	Summary	Length
	The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced its first-ever call for funding proposals from federally-recognized Indian tribes under the new Tribal Landowner Incentive Program and Tribal Wildlife Grants program. Steve Williams, Director of the Fish and Wildlife Service, says the two programs are part of an ongoing partnership between the Service and America's tribes. (text)	:16
	Williams said the grant proposals will give the Service a closer look at tribal priorities and give tribes help in affecting land management. (text)	:17
	The Tribal Landowner Incentive Grants Program, as authorized by Congress, provides $3.97million in a competitive grant program for federally-recognized Indian tribes to address protection, restoration, and management of habitat. (text)	:12
	At least 25 percent of the costs associated with each funded project must be covered by non-federal funds. The $9.97million Tribal Wildlife Grant Program, as authorized by Congress, is also competitive. (text)	:13
	Only federally-recognized Indian tribes are eligible to apply for. Although matching funds are not required for Tribal Wildlife grants, they are considered an indicator of tribal commitment to the project. Proposals for funding for both Tribal Landowner Incentive grants and Tribal Wildlife grants must be submitted by September 11, 2003 to the appropriate U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's regional office. (text)	:19

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