The Great Plains regional office of the Bureau of Indian Affairs says it will take up to 10 years to consolidate fractionated land.

The BIA has contracted with Chickasaw Nation Industries to buy land from individual Indians. The land is supposed to be turned over to the tribes.

The BIA conducted a pilot project in the Great Lakes region but failed to make a dent in the fractionated land base. Over five years, about 55,000 ownerships were consolidated but nearly the same amount were created.

The Bush administration requested $70 million for land consolidation in 2005 but the House has cut the amount to $42 million. The Senate has yet to take up its version of the BIA budget.

Get the Story:
BIA overseeing land consolidation effort (The Rapid City Journal 8/9)

Relevant Links:
Indian Land Tenure Foundation - http://www.indianlandtenure.org
Indian Land Working Group - http://www.ilwg.net
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com

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