Facebook Twitter Email
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2002

The Department of Interior on Friday said it was sending our $1.8 million in oil and gas royalty checks to thousands of American Indians throughout the country.

This time, the department really meant it.

Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles told a Senate committee over a week ago that he was "tired" of waiting for approval from a federal court to operate the system that processes the checks. He said the department would manually issue the funds.

That didn't happen right away and the Office of Trust Fund Management (OTFM), an office of the Special Trustee, had to write a special program to calculate the royalties. According to the Associated Press, OTFM director Doug Lords said 7,100 checks were written.

Get the Story:
Database glitches send Interior Department back to slow track of communication (The Kansas City Star 2/25)
Check is in the mail, Office of Trust Funds Management says (AP 2/23)

Relevant Links:
Indian Trust, Department of Interior - http://www.doi.gov/indiantrust
Indian Trust: Cobell v. Norton - http://www.indiantrust.com
Trust Reform, NCAI - http://130.94.214.68/main/pages/
issues/other_issues/trust_reform.asp

Related Stories:
Defense on security charge lacking (2/22)
BIA: Grazing checks in 'backlog' (2/22)
Judge says 'duped' by government (2/21)
Judge blasts Interior 'deception' (2/21)
NCAI President testifies on shutdown (2/21)
Contempt testimony concludes (2/21)
DOI: 'No idea' on royalty payments (2/21)
Royalty checks still not out (2/20)
Letter: Dom Nessi took my job (2/19)
email@nps.gov sputtering through (2/19)
No payments hurt Indian Country (2/14)
Griles has hope on contempt (2/13)
Norton concludes testimony (2/13)
Norton takes the stand in contempt (2/13)
Norton agrees to testify (2/12)
Norton set for trial testimony (2/12)
Audit finds more security holes (2/8)
Norton dodges questions on Internet shutdown (2/7)
McCaleb: From a donkey to Star Trek (2/6)
Navajo Nation distributing checks (2/6)
Interior security funds outlined (2/5)
Navajo Nation approves royalty funds (1/30)
Letter: Enough is enough! (1/30)
Gaming commission ignoring Norton (1/28)
BIA to start payment processing (1/25)
Interior turning on trust fund system (1/24)
Computer security finally a concern (1/23)
Indian trust seen in new light (1/23)
Interior shutdown has wide effects (1/21)
Norton told of security problems (1/18)
Interior's weaknesses not unique (1/17)
Norton effort 'too little, too late' (1/16)
Interior shutdown still unresolved (1/16)
Norton notes 'challenge' of daily work (1/15)
McCaleb tries to explain computer shutdown (1/11)
Interior waited weeks on trust fund shutdown (1/9)
Order on trust fund payments sought (1/8)
Debate continues over trust fund shutdown (1/7)
Speedy trust fund payments sought (1/7)
Interior says working on shutdown (1/7)
Little hope for trust fund payments (1/4)
Computer security charge stands as checks delayed (12/21)
Checks to Great Lakes region delayed (12/20)
For BIA, a working holiday (12/19)
Taking lead on trust reform proves tough (12/19)
Baucus: Delay in checks 'unacceptable' (12/19)
Judge orders Interior reconnect (12/18)
Interior shutdown was 'overreaction' (12/18)
'Not be a very bright Christmas' (12/18)
Cost of Interior shutdown not known (12/17)
Interior computer agreement dropped (12/14)
Interior computer order finalized (12/13)
Editorial: Still ripping off Indians (12/12)
Griles in charge of IT reform (12/11)
Floods more important than Indians (12/10)
Judge holds security hearing (12/8)
DOI Shutdown: 'We're Hurting Tribes' (12/7)
From the top, a gamble in trust (12/7)
Norton acknowledges Internet problems (12/7)
'We're in the Dark' (12/7)
Judge orders Interior to cut Internet access (12/6)
Security contempt charge added (12/6)
Transcript of Dec. 5 trust fund hearing (12/6)
Interior doesn't understand court order (12/6)
Judge cuts trust fund access(12/5)
Report reveals attacks on tribal, Indian trust (12/5)
No Trust: Hacking the Department of Interior (12/5)
Judge holding secret hearings (12/4)
New: Security report released (12/4)