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TUESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2002

Assistant Secretary Neal McCaleb on Monday said his office was responding to Indian Country requests for the latest trust reform report prepared by EDS Corporation.

McCaleb told tribal leaders at the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET) in Washington, D.C., that copies of the finalized report, along with the 8th quarterly report, would be made available the Indian trust task force. The task force, composed of 24 tribal leaders and other technical advisors, is developing alternatives to Secretary of Interior Gale Norton's proposal to create the Bureau of Indian Trust Asset Management (BITAM).

But to do that, USET President Keller George of the Oneida Nation of New York pointed out, tribes need an accurate picture of trust reform. "We're not getting the information we really need," he told McCaleb during a question and answer session.

McCaleb said his office was mailing via FedEx copies of the documents to the task force. Later, Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesperson Nedra Darling said the office would hand deliver copies for those members who are coming to this week's consultation session in suburban-Washington, D.C.

In advance of the consultation, the task force is having an all-day technical meeting Thursday to digest the EDS report and do other analyses. The National Congress of American Indians is spearheading the meeting.

Friday's consultation takes place at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Highway, in Arlington, Virginia. The hotel is accessible via the Crystal City Metro.

Immediately following the meeting, and for the rest of the weekend, the task force will be holding a working session at an Interior conference center in West Virginia. Secretary Gale Norton will attend and have "her hands in the gear box," McCaleb said.

EDS Corporation was hired last summer to assess trust reform. The firm's reports, which were kept from tribal leaders until they criticized the department, have gained an almost legendary reputation in Indian Country.

The final EDS report still hadn't been placed on the Interior's web site as of yesterday.

Today on Indianz.Com:
McCaleb talks of termination of trust (1/29)

Trust Reform Updates:
Intro | Secretary's Observations | Special Trustee Observations | Trust Transition Observations | Departmental Organization | Historical Accounting | Computer Security | Trust Management | Data Cleanup | EDS Roadmaps

Get the 8th Quarterly Report:
Status Report to the Court Number Eight (1/16)

Relevant Links:
United South and Eastern Tribes - http://usetinc.org
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

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