April 29, 2021

Interior sets new path through land maze

https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/interior-department-makes-land-into-trust-easier
ALIYAH CHAVEZ -22 HOURS AGO
Interior sets new path through land maze
The federal agency announced new processes to “untangle” and advance the process of putting land into trust


After hearing some tribes completed fee to trust applications, then waited years to hear back, the U.S. Department of Interior is deciding to take action.

The agency announced major steps this week to allow for more straightforward guidelines for tribal nations applying to put land into trust.

“No tribe should have an application that lingers for years and years and years,” a speaker from the office of the secretary said.

On Tuesday, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland, Laguna Pueblo, issued a new secretarial order which says fee to trust applications will now be reviewed and authorized by regional directors of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, instead of the previous process that required applications to be reviewed through Interior’s headquarters.

According to the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the interior secretary is authorized to acquire land into trust for federally recognized tribes.

The changes are effective immediately, though the order will not apply to gaming applications, the Interior department said. [snip]

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Long informative article about needed changes to this process!