[Federal Register: December 5, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 234)]
[Notices]
[Page 63305-63306]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05de01-145]
[[Page 63305]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part IV
Department of the Interior
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Office of the Secretary
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Office of Special Trustee for American Indians
Office of Indian Trust Transition
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Tribal Consultation on Indian Trust Asset Management; Notice
[[Page 63306]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of the Secretary
Bureau of Indian Affairs
Office of Special Trustee for American Indians
Office of Indian Trust Transition
Tribal Consultation on Indian Trust Asset Management
AGENCIES: Office of the Secretary, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of
the Special Trustee for American Indians, Office of Indian Trust
Transition, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of tribal consultation meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Office of the Secretary, along with the Bureau of Indian
Affairs, the Office of Special Trustee for American Indians, and Office
of Indian Trust Transition will conduct meetings on Indian trust asset
management. The purpose is to discuss a proposed reorganization of the
Department's trust responsibility functions to improve the management
of Indian trust assets. Any Indian tribe, band, nation or individual is
encouraged to attend the meeting and to submit written comments.
DATES: The second consultation meeting will be held in Minneapolis,
Minnesota on December 20, 2002 at 9 a.m. The first consultation meeting
is scheduled to be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico on December 13,
2001. The dates times and locations of additional meetings will be
announced shortly. All written comments must be received by February
15, 2002.
ADDRESSES: The location of the Albuquerque consultation has changed.
The Albuquerque meeting will be held on December 13, 2002 at the Hyatt
Regency, 330 Tijeras Street NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico. The
Minneapolis consultation will be held at the Doubletree Hotel, 7901
24th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Send written comments to the
Office of the Secretary, Attn: Office of the executive Secretariat,
1849 C Street NW., MS7229-MIB, Washington, DC 20240. Send written
comments by electronic mail to www.doi.gov/oait.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Wayne R. Smith, Deputy Assistant
Secretary Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street NW., MS4140-MIB, Washington, DC
20240, (202) 208-7163, Fax (202) 208-5320.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the meeting is to involve
affected and interested parties in the process of organizing the
Department's trust asset management responsibility functions. The
Department has determined that there is a need for dramatic change in
the management of Indian trust assets. This need has been made apparent
in several ways. An independent consultant has analyzed important
components of the Department's trust reform activities and made several
recommendations, including the recommendation that the Department
consolidate trust functions under a single entity. Concerns have also
been raised in the Cobell v. Norton case, which is currently pending in
the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia. Internal
review has also supported reorganization. Additionally, a recent report
commissioned by the Department of the Interior has supported
reorganization. This report, developed by the EDS Corporation, should
be available online at www.doi.gov by December 10, 2002. A new office
in the Department, the Office of Indian Trust Transition, has been
created to plan and support reorganization. While preliminary actions
have been taken by the Department, the plan is still in the early
stages of development. The meeting is the first in a series of public
meetings. Future meetings have been tentatively scheduled in Oklahoma
City, OK on January 3, 2002; Rapid City, SD on January 10, 2002; Palm
Springs, CA on January 17, 2002; Anchorage, AK on January 23, 2002; and
Washington, DC, on February 1, 2002. The dates and locations of these
meetings will be announced in a future notice.
Written comments, including names, street addresses, and other
contact information of persons submitting comments, will be available
for public review at the address stated in the ADDRESSES section.
Interested persons may examine the written comments during regular
business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. EST), Monday through Friday,
except Federal holidays. Individuals who submit comments may request
confidentiality. If you wish us to withhold your name, street address,
and other contact information (such as fax or phone number) from public
review or from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you
must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will
honor your request to the extent allowable by law. We will make
available for public inspection in their entirety all submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses.
This meeting supports administrative policy on tribal consultation
by encouraging maximum direct participation of representatives of
tribal governments, tribal organizations, and other interested persons
in important processes.
Dated: December 3, 2001.
J. Steven Griles,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-30327 Filed 12-4-01; 10:09 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-02-M