Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations under Cobell Settlement, 11462-11463 [2015-04304]
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11462
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 41 / Tuesday, March 3, 2015 / Notices
competition Web site will be used to
contact selected finalists. Information is
not collected for commercial marketing.
Winners are permitted to cite that they
won this competition. The names, cities,
and states of selected winner or entity
will be made available in promotional
materials and at recognition events.
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 3719.
Dated: March 3, 2015.
Reginald Brothers,
Under Secretary, DHS Science and
Technology Directorate.
[FR Doc. 2015–04127 Filed 3–2–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9110–9F–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of the Secretary
Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal
Nations under Cobell Settlement
Office of the Deputy Secretary,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Land Buy-Back Program
(Program) for Tribal Nations will host a
listening session on March 19, 2015, in
Laveen, Arizona. The Program hopes to
receive feedback from tribes and
individuals on critical issues related to
the Program as well as the 2014 Status
Report: https://www.doi.gov/news/
upload/Buy-BackProgramStatusReport11-20-14-v4.pdf.
DATES: The listening session will take
place on March 19, 2015, at the Vee
Quiva Hotel, 15091 South Komatke
Lane, Laveen, Arizona 85339. Written
comments are also encouraged and must
be received by April 20, 2015, and may
be emailed to buybackprogram@
iso.doi.gov.
SUMMARY:
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT AND
RSVP: Please RSVP and direct questions
to Ms. Treci Johnson at treci_johnson@
ios.doi.gov or (202) 208–6916.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
I. Background
The Land Buy-Back Program for
Tribal Nations is the Department of the
Interior’s (Department) collaborative
effort with Indian Country to realize the
historic opportunity afforded by the
Cobell Settlement’s $1.9 billion Trust
Land Consolidation Fund
(Consolidation Fund). The purpose of
the Consolidation Fund is to
compensate individuals who willingly
choose to transfer fractional land
interests to tribal nations for fair market
value. The Program continues to
actively engage tribes and individuals
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:24 Mar 02, 2015
Jkt 235001
across Indian Country, as it has in
consultations since 2011.
The Department is currently
implementing the Buy-Back Program at
multiple locations across Indian
Country. Thus far, the Program has
made more than $780 million in offers
to individual landowners and paid
nearly $350 million directly to more
than 20,000 individuals that decided to
sell fractional interests. This has
restored the equivalent of more than
541,000 acres to tribes. Our working
relationships with tribes (17 cooperative
agreements or other arrangements to
date) and continued outreach to
landowners are important elements of
continued progress.
II. Listening Session
The purpose of the upcoming
listening session is to gather input from
tribes in order for the Department to
continue to refine its land consolidation
processes and engage individual
landowners who may have questions
about the Program. The listening session
will begin at 1 p.m. with opening
remarks from Deputy Secretary Michael
L. Connor and other senior
Departmental officials and will continue
until 4 p.m. Tribal leaders and
individual landowners will have an
opportunity to present comments.
III. Seeking Tribal Input
The Buy-Back Program is committed
to continuous consultations throughout
the life of the Program in compliance
with the letter and spirit of Executive
Order 13175 (Consultation and
Coordination with Indian Tribal
Governments) and Secretarial Order
3314 (Department of the Interior Policy
on Consultation with Indian Tribes).
At the beginning of 2013, Department
officials conducted extensive tribal
consultations on the following:
(1) Developing an efficient, fair
process for landowners of fractionated
interests to participate in the Buy-Back
Program;
(2) Identifying and maximizing
opportunities for tribal involvement;
and
(3) Offering tribes flexibility to
execute Program requirements in the
manner best suited for the unique needs
of each community.
Tribal input has been critical to
making necessary enhancements to the
Buy-Back Program. We are committed to
learning from every sale at every
location and making adjustments where
necessary that are transparent and fair.
For example, among adjustments
influenced by tribal input, the Bureau of
Indian Affairs (https://
www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/
PO 00000
Frm 00076
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
11/14/2014-27033/privacy-act-of-1974as-amended-notice-to-amend-anexisting-system-of-records) and Office of
the Special Trustee for American
Indians (https://
www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/
01/08/2015-00038/privacy-act-of-1974as-amended-notice-to-amend-anexisting-system-of-records) announced
this past year that the agencies were
updating their existing system of record
notices (SORNs).
The updated SORNs will make it
easier to exchange information with
tribal governments as they work to help
implement land consolidation activities
in cooperation with the program. These
updates respond to comments during
government-to-government
consultations, presentations, and the
Program’s 2014 Listening Session, in
which tribal representatives have
expressed a need for greater and simpler
access to landowner information to
effectively conduct outreach and land
consolidation activities for the Program.
While the Department welcomes
feedback related to any aspect of the
Program, the following areas are of
particular interest:
Ideas for Improvement. The active
participation of individual Indians,
tribal leaders, and other interested
parties is critical to success of the
Program. The Department seeks
comments on any ideas that will
facilitate continued improvement of the
Program.
1. Implementation at LessFractionated Locations. While the
implementation strategy keeps the
Program focused on the most highly
fractionated locations for the next few
years, the Program has involved ‘‘lessfractionated locations’’ as well. There
are about 110 less fractionated locations
that contain approximately 10 percent
of the outstanding fractional interests.
The Program continues to explore ways
for additional less fractioned locations
to participate in buy-back efforts.
The Program seeks comment on the
most efficient and cost effective way to
work with less-fractionated locations,
including comment on specific steps the
Program can take to facilitate earlier
purchases at less fractionated locations.
2. Outreach. Participation in the BuyBack Program is voluntary. It is unclear
how many of the approximately 245,000
individual owners will choose to sell
their interests for conveyance to the
Tribe. Currently, approximately 42% of
Program offers to landowners are
accepted on average.
The Program utilizes various outreach
tools, including a comprehensive Web
site to provide landowners, tribes, and
the public with information about the
E:\FR\FM\03MRN1.SGM
03MRN1
mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 41 / Tuesday, March 3, 2015 / Notices
Program. The site contains a detailed
list of frequently asked questions,
outreach materials, instructions for
completing the deed, cooperative
agreement guidance and instructional
documents, and Program presentations,
among other items.
The Program seeks comment on what,
if any, additional information on the
Program’s Web site would be helpful in
assisting individual landowners to reach
informed decisions about the
disposition of their fractional interests.
The Program also seeks comments on
what additional steps can be taken to
ensure landowners have sufficient
information and answers to their
questions.
3. Public Domain or ‘‘OffReservation’’ Lands. Under the
Settlement, fractional interests acquired
by the Program are to be immediately
held in trust or restricted status for the
recognized tribe that exercises
jurisdiction over the land. When
identifying the locations with fractional
interests that may be consolidated, the
Program excludes land area names that
include the term ‘‘public domain’’ or
‘‘off reservation’’ because use of these
terms indicate that there may be no
recognized tribe that exercises
jurisdiction over the land. The Program
has encouraged feedback, however, on
the list of locations in its 2012 and 2013
implementation plans. Since then, the
Program has received feedback from
several tribes suggesting that certain
land areas should be included.
The Program is now seeking general
feedback on whether the Program
should incorporate public domain or off
reservation land areas into the Program,
and if so, what criteria should be
applied.
4. Purchase Estimates. Consultations
between Departmental, Program, and
tribal leaders led to the policy decision
to express purchase ceiling amounts
within the Initial Implementation Plan
(2012 Plan) and Updated
Implementation Plan (2013 Plan). The
underlying concept behind such
purchase estimates is to approximate
the potential portion of the
Consolidation Fund available to pay
owners who choose to sell fractional
interests at a given location, based on a
formula that considers a location’s
proportional share of fractionation
across Indian Country.
The Program’s November 2014 Status
Report expounds on the purchase
estimate approach. Among other things,
it noted that the Program was
implementing several steps to ‘‘make
sure the Consolidation Fund is used
before November 2022,’’ including the
creation of opportunities for willing
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:24 Mar 02, 2015
Jkt 235001
sellers, leveraging efficient mass
appraisal results, making a single wave
of offers, and continually learning from
experience and data. Moreover, the
Status Report described a number of
factors the Program will consider to
determine how to best expend funds,
such as:
a. Level of interested or documented
willing sellers;
b. availability of valuation relatedinformation;
c. tribal readiness or interest;
d. severity of fractionation;
e. cost and time efficiency;
f. promotion of tribal sovereignty and
self-determination;
g. economic and/or cultural value for
the community, as evidenced by wellarticulated tribal priorities; and
h. loss of historical reservation land as
a result of allotment.
Such steps are intended to help the
Program address instances where sales
fall below estimates to ensure full use of
the Consolidation Fund by November
2022. The Program seeks comment on
these steps, including the most
equitable, efficient, and cost effective
way to utilize/repurpose purchase
estimate amounts remaining following
active implementation at each
individual location.
5. Purchase Offer Package. The
Program strives to make the offer
package documents as clear and user
friendly as possible. Following the
initial purchase offers to landowners,
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) made
several changes to the Deed paperwork
to reduce common errors by landowners
and notaries and increase processing
speed. The Program also clarified the
Cover Letter and Instructions to address
frequent questions and recurring errors.
The Program seeks comment on what,
if any, additional changes would assist
in making offer package documents as
clear and user friendly as possible.
6. Reimbursement for Post-Settlement
Purchases of Fractional Interests. The
Buy-Back Program has received
inquiries regarding, and requests from
tribes for, reimbursement from the Land
Consolidation Fund for tribal purchases
of fractional interests.
The Program seeks comment on what
criteria it should apply in making
reimbursement decisions.
7. Structural Improvements. While the
Program will not acquire structural
improvements, which are non-trust
property, the Program continues to work
with its tribal and Federal partners to
determine the feasibility of making
offers on tracts with structures.
The Program seeks comment on a
recommended policy regarding
acquiring interests in tracts with
PO 00000
Frm 00077
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
11463
structural improvements, including
instances in which the Program might
choose to acquire interests.
8. Whereabouts Unknown.
Whereabouts unknown (WAU) is the
term used to describe Individual Indian
Money (IIM) account holders without
current address information on file with
the Office of the Special Trustee for
American Indians (OST). The
Settlement provides for an outreach
effort to locate landowners whose
whereabouts are unknown as of the date
of final approval of the Settlement. If
those owners are not located after the
Department undertakes the outreach
effort and the passage of five years, the
landowners shall be deemed to have
consented to the conveyance of their
fractional interest [Cobell Settlement
Agreement at F (6); Claims Resolution
Act of 2010 101(e) (5)]. Since the
Program’s inception, the focus has been
locating WAU through outreach efforts
so the individuals can receive and
consider an offer.
The Program has not exercised WAU
purchases thus far and is seeking input
from tribes and individuals on whether
and how it should implement the
provision.
IV. Additional Resources
The Land Buy-Back Program for
Tribal Nations 2014 Status Report and
additional information about the BuyBack Program is available at: https://
www.doi.gov/buybackprogram. In
addition, landowners can contact their
local Fiduciary Trust Officer or call
Interior’s Trust Beneficiary Call Center
at (888) 678–6836.
Dated: February 23, 2015.
Michael L. Connor,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–04304 Filed 3–2–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R8–ES–2015–N254; FXES11120000–
156–FF08E00000]
Supplemental Draft Environmental
Impact Statement for the Proposed
South Coast Resource Management
Plan Amendment; for the Proposed
Upper Santa Ana River Habitat
Conservation Plan and Land Exchange
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior; Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
AGENCY:
E:\FR\FM\03MRN1.SGM
03MRN1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 41 (Tuesday, March 3, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11462-11463]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-04304]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of the Secretary
Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations under Cobell Settlement
AGENCY: Office of the Deputy Secretary, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Land Buy-Back Program (Program) for Tribal Nations will
host a listening session on March 19, 2015, in Laveen, Arizona. The
Program hopes to receive feedback from tribes and individuals on
critical issues related to the Program as well as the 2014 Status
Report: https://www.doi.gov/news/upload/Buy-BackProgramStatusReport-11-20-14-v4.pdf.
DATES: The listening session will take place on March 19, 2015, at the
Vee Quiva Hotel, 15091 South Komatke Lane, Laveen, Arizona 85339.
Written comments are also encouraged and must be received by April 20,
2015, and may be emailed to buybackprogram@iso.doi.gov.
For Further Information Contact and RSVP: Please RSVP and direct
questions to Ms. Treci Johnson at treci_johnson@ios.doi.gov or (202)
208-6916.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations is the Department of
the Interior's (Department) collaborative effort with Indian Country to
realize the historic opportunity afforded by the Cobell Settlement's
$1.9 billion Trust Land Consolidation Fund (Consolidation Fund). The
purpose of the Consolidation Fund is to compensate individuals who
willingly choose to transfer fractional land interests to tribal
nations for fair market value. The Program continues to actively engage
tribes and individuals across Indian Country, as it has in
consultations since 2011.
The Department is currently implementing the Buy-Back Program at
multiple locations across Indian Country. Thus far, the Program has
made more than $780 million in offers to individual landowners and paid
nearly $350 million directly to more than 20,000 individuals that
decided to sell fractional interests. This has restored the equivalent
of more than 541,000 acres to tribes. Our working relationships with
tribes (17 cooperative agreements or other arrangements to date) and
continued outreach to landowners are important elements of continued
progress.
II. Listening Session
The purpose of the upcoming listening session is to gather input
from tribes in order for the Department to continue to refine its land
consolidation processes and engage individual landowners who may have
questions about the Program. The listening session will begin at 1 p.m.
with opening remarks from Deputy Secretary Michael L. Connor and other
senior Departmental officials and will continue until 4 p.m. Tribal
leaders and individual landowners will have an opportunity to present
comments.
III. Seeking Tribal Input
The Buy-Back Program is committed to continuous consultations
throughout the life of the Program in compliance with the letter and
spirit of Executive Order 13175 (Consultation and Coordination with
Indian Tribal Governments) and Secretarial Order 3314 (Department of
the Interior Policy on Consultation with Indian Tribes).
At the beginning of 2013, Department officials conducted extensive
tribal consultations on the following:
(1) Developing an efficient, fair process for landowners of
fractionated interests to participate in the Buy-Back Program;
(2) Identifying and maximizing opportunities for tribal
involvement; and
(3) Offering tribes flexibility to execute Program requirements in
the manner best suited for the unique needs of each community.
Tribal input has been critical to making necessary enhancements to
the Buy-Back Program. We are committed to learning from every sale at
every location and making adjustments where necessary that are
transparent and fair. For example, among adjustments influenced by
tribal input, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/11/14/2014-27033/privacy-act-of-1974-as-amended-notice-to-amend-an-existing-system-of-records) and
Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians (https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2015/01/08/2015-00038/privacy-act-of-1974-as-amended-notice-to-amend-an-existing-system-of-records)
announced this past year that the agencies were updating their existing
system of record notices (SORNs).
The updated SORNs will make it easier to exchange information with
tribal governments as they work to help implement land consolidation
activities in cooperation with the program. These updates respond to
comments during government-to-government consultations, presentations,
and the Program's 2014 Listening Session, in which tribal
representatives have expressed a need for greater and simpler access to
landowner information to effectively conduct outreach and land
consolidation activities for the Program.
While the Department welcomes feedback related to any aspect of the
Program, the following areas are of particular interest:
Ideas for Improvement. The active participation of individual
Indians, tribal leaders, and other interested parties is critical to
success of the Program. The Department seeks comments on any ideas that
will facilitate continued improvement of the Program.
1. Implementation at Less-Fractionated Locations. While the
implementation strategy keeps the Program focused on the most highly
fractionated locations for the next few years, the Program has involved
``less-fractionated locations'' as well. There are about 110 less
fractionated locations that contain approximately 10 percent of the
outstanding fractional interests. The Program continues to explore ways
for additional less fractioned locations to participate in buy-back
efforts.
The Program seeks comment on the most efficient and cost effective
way to work with less-fractionated locations, including comment on
specific steps the Program can take to facilitate earlier purchases at
less fractionated locations.
2. Outreach. Participation in the Buy-Back Program is voluntary. It
is unclear how many of the approximately 245,000 individual owners will
choose to sell their interests for conveyance to the Tribe. Currently,
approximately 42% of Program offers to landowners are accepted on
average.
The Program utilizes various outreach tools, including a
comprehensive Web site to provide landowners, tribes, and the public
with information about the
[[Page 11463]]
Program. The site contains a detailed list of frequently asked
questions, outreach materials, instructions for completing the deed,
cooperative agreement guidance and instructional documents, and Program
presentations, among other items.
The Program seeks comment on what, if any, additional information
on the Program's Web site would be helpful in assisting individual
landowners to reach informed decisions about the disposition of their
fractional interests.
The Program also seeks comments on what additional steps can be
taken to ensure landowners have sufficient information and answers to
their questions.
3. Public Domain or ``Off-Reservation'' Lands. Under the
Settlement, fractional interests acquired by the Program are to be
immediately held in trust or restricted status for the recognized tribe
that exercises jurisdiction over the land. When identifying the
locations with fractional interests that may be consolidated, the
Program excludes land area names that include the term ``public
domain'' or ``off reservation'' because use of these terms indicate
that there may be no recognized tribe that exercises jurisdiction over
the land. The Program has encouraged feedback, however, on the list of
locations in its 2012 and 2013 implementation plans. Since then, the
Program has received feedback from several tribes suggesting that
certain land areas should be included.
The Program is now seeking general feedback on whether the Program
should incorporate public domain or off reservation land areas into the
Program, and if so, what criteria should be applied.
4. Purchase Estimates. Consultations between Departmental, Program,
and tribal leaders led to the policy decision to express purchase
ceiling amounts within the Initial Implementation Plan (2012 Plan) and
Updated Implementation Plan (2013 Plan). The underlying concept behind
such purchase estimates is to approximate the potential portion of the
Consolidation Fund available to pay owners who choose to sell
fractional interests at a given location, based on a formula that
considers a location's proportional share of fractionation across
Indian Country.
The Program's November 2014 Status Report expounds on the purchase
estimate approach. Among other things, it noted that the Program was
implementing several steps to ``make sure the Consolidation Fund is
used before November 2022,'' including the creation of opportunities
for willing sellers, leveraging efficient mass appraisal results,
making a single wave of offers, and continually learning from
experience and data. Moreover, the Status Report described a number of
factors the Program will consider to determine how to best expend
funds, such as:
a. Level of interested or documented willing sellers;
b. availability of valuation related-information;
c. tribal readiness or interest;
d. severity of fractionation;
e. cost and time efficiency;
f. promotion of tribal sovereignty and self-determination;
g. economic and/or cultural value for the community, as evidenced
by well-articulated tribal priorities; and
h. loss of historical reservation land as a result of allotment.
Such steps are intended to help the Program address instances where
sales fall below estimates to ensure full use of the Consolidation Fund
by November 2022. The Program seeks comment on these steps, including
the most equitable, efficient, and cost effective way to utilize/
repurpose purchase estimate amounts remaining following active
implementation at each individual location.
5. Purchase Offer Package. The Program strives to make the offer
package documents as clear and user friendly as possible. Following the
initial purchase offers to landowners, the Bureau of Indian Affairs
(BIA) made several changes to the Deed paperwork to reduce common
errors by landowners and notaries and increase processing speed. The
Program also clarified the Cover Letter and Instructions to address
frequent questions and recurring errors.
The Program seeks comment on what, if any, additional changes would
assist in making offer package documents as clear and user friendly as
possible.
6. Reimbursement for Post-Settlement Purchases of Fractional
Interests. The Buy-Back Program has received inquiries regarding, and
requests from tribes for, reimbursement from the Land Consolidation
Fund for tribal purchases of fractional interests.
The Program seeks comment on what criteria it should apply in
making reimbursement decisions.
7. Structural Improvements. While the Program will not acquire
structural improvements, which are non-trust property, the Program
continues to work with its tribal and Federal partners to determine the
feasibility of making offers on tracts with structures.
The Program seeks comment on a recommended policy regarding
acquiring interests in tracts with structural improvements, including
instances in which the Program might choose to acquire interests.
8. Whereabouts Unknown. Whereabouts unknown (WAU) is the term used
to describe Individual Indian Money (IIM) account holders without
current address information on file with the Office of the Special
Trustee for American Indians (OST). The Settlement provides for an
outreach effort to locate landowners whose whereabouts are unknown as
of the date of final approval of the Settlement. If those owners are
not located after the Department undertakes the outreach effort and the
passage of five years, the landowners shall be deemed to have consented
to the conveyance of their fractional interest [Cobell Settlement
Agreement at F (6); Claims Resolution Act of 2010 101(e) (5)]. Since
the Program's inception, the focus has been locating WAU through
outreach efforts so the individuals can receive and consider an offer.
The Program has not exercised WAU purchases thus far and is seeking
input from tribes and individuals on whether and how it should
implement the provision.
IV. Additional Resources
The Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations 2014 Status Report and
additional information about the Buy-Back Program is available at:
https://www.doi.gov/buybackprogram. In addition, landowners can contact
their local Fiduciary Trust Officer or call Interior's Trust
Beneficiary Call Center at (888) 678-6836.
Dated: February 23, 2015.
Michael L. Connor,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-04304 Filed 3-2-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P