A view of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. Photo from Standing Rock Sioux Tribe
The Interior Department has sent out $195 million in offers to landowners on the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota and South Dakota. The offers were made as part of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. Landowners have until June 1 to decide whether they want to accept the money and have their fractional interests transferred to the tribe. “I am greatly encouraged by the steady interest we are seeing in the Buy-Back Program across Indian Country and by the partnerships we are developing with tribal governments to tailor implementation to each location,” Deputy Secretary Michael Connor said in a press release today. “The program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and the payments are already making a significant difference for individuals, families and their communities.” To help landowners make a decision, the tribe will be holding four Buy-Back meetings next week. The reservation is the second-most highly fractionated reservation in the nation. "Although selling one’s land through the Buy-Back Program has the potential to greatly benefit tribal communities, landowners who receive offers can choose to sell all, some, or none of their fractionated interests," the tribe's website states. The $3.4 billion Cobell settlement provided $1.9 billion for Indian landowners who want to sell their fractionated interests. DOI will pay "fair market value" as required by the Indian Land Consolidation Act. Participation is entirely voluntary. Any land that is acquired will be returned to tribes. As of March 13, DOI has extended $892 million in offers to nearly 48,000 owners. Some $351 million in transactions have been accepted so far, according to a chart posted on the program's website.
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