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DOI: Paying Navajos less for land is reasonable
Thursday, August 21, 2003
An independent review of the Department of Interior's appraisal
practices will find that leasing Navajo lands for less than
market value is "reasonable and appropriate," a spokesperson
said on Wednesday.
"This is clearly another faulty and biased report from the special master,"
Interior spokesperson Dan DuBray told The Washington Post.
The special master in the Indian trust fund lawsuit released
a report yesterday detailing how the appraisal process for
rights-of-way on allotments belonging to individual Navajo
tribal members.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs allowed oil and gas companies
to pay the allottees 20 times less than what private and even tribal-owned land
got for their land.
The BIA's appraisal function was transferred to
the Office of Special Trustee in early 2002.
The Bush administration is considering consolidating appraisals
to a new department-wide entity.
Get the Story:
Report Finds Oil Firms Paid Indians Less for Land
(The Washington Post 8/21)
Get the Report:
SITE VISIT
REPORT OF THE SPECIAL MASTER TO THE OFFICE OF APPRAISAL SERVICES IN GALLUP, NEW
MEXICO AND THE BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS NAVAJO REALTY OFFICE IN WINDOW ROCK,
ARIZONA (August 20, 2003)
Relevant Links:
Indian
Trust: Cobell v. Norton -
http://www.indiantrust.com
Navajo Nation -
http://www.navajo.org
Office of Special
Trustee -
http://www.ost.doi.gov
Related Stories:
Court master releases report on Navajo
appraisals (8/20)
Swimmer weighs
consolidation of appraisals (8/15)
Norton admits Interior hid facts from
Congress (7/24)
Navajo trust
fund manager targeted in internal probe (07/15)
Indian employees challenging DOI
reorganization (06/03)
Navajo
leaders criticize upheaval at trust fund office (05/09)
Confusion detailed at Interior
(10/16)
DOI land swap
program to be reviewed (10/11)
Norton land deal subject of dispute
(10/01)
DOI approved $100M land
'giveaway' (8/19)
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