[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 234 (Wednesday, December 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 63306]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-30327]



[[Page 63305]]

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Part IV





Department of the Interior





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Office of the Secretary



Bureau of Indian Affairs



Office of Special Trustee for American Indians



Office of Indian Trust Transition



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Tribal Consultation on Indian Trust Asset Management; Notice

  Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 234 / Wednesday, December 5, 2001 / 
Notices  

[[Page 63306]]


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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.

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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]
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