6th Regional Tribal Consultation on Cobell Settlement Set for Tomorrow in Oklahoma City

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Cobell Settlement

Native Brief: OKLAHOMA CITY - Tribal leaders from Eastern Oklahoma and Southern Plains Regions are scheduled to participate in the sixth consultation with Department of the Interior (DOI) officials on Thursday, October 6 in Oklahoma City.

Representing the Department of the Interior will be Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs for Policy and Economic Development Jodi Gillette and Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Director Michael Black.

The $3.4 billion Cobell settlement was approved by Congress on November 30, 2010 (Claims Resolution Act of 2010) and signed by President Obama on December 8, 2010. The Cobell Settlement will address the federal government's responsibility for an historical accounting of individual Indian trust accounts and trust mismanagement claims on behalf of more than 300,000 individual American Indians. A fund of $1.5 billion will be used to compensate class members for their historical accounting, trust administration and asset mismanagement claims.

In addition, to address the continued proliferation of thousands of new trust accounts caused by the "fractionation" of land interests through successive generations, the Settlement establishes a $1.9 billion fund for the voluntary buy-back and consolidation of fractionated land interests. The land consolidation program will provide individual American Indians with an opportunity to obtain cash payments for divided trust land interests and free up the land for the benefit of tribal communities. Up to $60 million of the $1.9 billion will be set aside to provide scholarships for post secondary higher education and vocational training for American Indians and Alaska Natives.

WHAT:     Sixth Regional Tribal Consultation on the Cobell Trust Land Consolidation Program

WHO:     Jodi Gillette, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy and Economic Development, Indian Affairs, DOI
Michael Black, Director, Bureau of Indian Affairs, DOI
Tribal leaders from the BIA Eastern Oklahoma and Southern Plains Regions and Other Regions

WHEN:     Thursday, October 6
Registration will begin at 7:00 am cdt
Consultation will begin at 8:30 am - 4:00 pm cdt

WHERE:     Best Western Saddleback Inn and Conference Center
4300 Southwest Third
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

posted October 5, 2011 2:40 pm edt