Interior Officials at Mystic Lake for Buy Indian Act & Sacred Sites

Native News Network Staff in Native Briefs. Discussion »

PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA – The Department of the Interior officials will hold two sessions at the same location today to hear from tribal leaders from the Midwest Region.

Consultation & Listening Session

Two topics are on the agenda:

Buy Indian Act Consultation

In the morning, there will be the fourth consultation session on the proposed ruled to implement the Buy Indian Act. The Act provides the Bureau of Indian Affairs with the authority to set aside procurement contracts for qualified Indian-owned businesses. The proposed rule describes uniform administrative procedures that the Bureau of Indian Affairs will use in all of its locations to encourage procurement of goods and services from eligible Indian economic enterprises, as authorized by the Buy Indian Act.

The proposed rule has been in development for decades. The Bureau of Indian Affairs proposed this rule in the Federal Register on several prior occasions, but never succeeded in publishing a final rule. In 2010, Indian Affairs distributed a new draft of the rule and held three consultation sessions in preparation for the updated proposed rule.

Sacred Site Listening Session

To address tribal concerns regarding sacred sites issues, Interior will conduct listening sessions on sacred sites during the afternoon.

The Obama Administration recognizes that the protection of sacred sites on federal lands is integral to traditional religious practices, tribal identities and emblematic of sovereign tribal nations. These sacred site listening sessions are intended to assist in developing policies that result in effective, comprehensive and long lasting federal protection of and tribal access to the places that are so important to the fabric and culture of tribal nations.

The Department of Interior will be better equipped to make decisions that are sensitive to the ceremonial use and physical integrity of sacred sites through the benefit of tribal input and views on such matters.

WHAT:
Fourth Indian Affairs Tribal Consultation session on proposed rule to implement the Buy Indian Act

WHEN:
Thursday, August 23
8:00 am -12:00 Noon cdt

WHAT:
Third DOI listening session on sacred sites in Indian Country

WHEN:
Thursday, August 23
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm cdt

WHERE:
Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
2400 Mystic Lake Boulevard
Prior Lake, Minnesota 55372

posted August 23, 2012 7:00 am edt