Senate Indian Affairs Committee holds hearing on Indian energy

Monday, October 19, 2015  

A fracking well on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation in North Dakota. Photo by Talli Nauman / Native Sun News

The Senate Indian Affairs Committee is holding an oversight hearing on Indian energy on Wednesday.

The hearing will focus on a Government Accountability Office report that said the Bureau of Indian Affairs hinders development in Indian Country by failing to make decisions in a timely manner. The report also addressed uncertainty with the tribal energy resource agreements that were created by the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

The hearing takes place in Room 628 of the Senate Dirksen Office Building. The witness list follows:

Mr. Larry Roberts
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary - Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

Mr. Frank Rusco
Director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office, Washington, D.C.

The Honorable James “Mike” Olguin
Tribal Council Member, Southern Ute Indian Tribe, Ignacio, CO

The Honorable Grant Stafne
Councilman, Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes, Poplar, MT

Mr. Cameron J. Cuch
Vice President of Government Affairs, Crescent Point Energy U.S. Corporation, Denver, CO

Committee Notice:
Oversight Hearing on “The GAO Report on ‘INDIAN ENERGY DEVELOPMENT: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Development on Indian Lands.’” (October 21, 2015)

Government Accountability Office Report:
Indian Energy Development: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Energy Development on Indian Lands (June 2015)

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