The Department of Interior has changed the way some land appraisals are conducted.
The new Appraisal Office can no longer consider the "public interest value" of lands. An official said only Congress can impose that standard.
The office was created by consolidating appraisal services among all DOI agencies. Special Trustee Ross Swimmer is considering turning over Indian land appraisals to the office.
Get the Story:
Cubin worried about appraisal office
(The Billings Gazette 3/18)
Official: Interior appraisals improved (The Las Vegas Review-Journal 3/18)
Relevant Documents:
Indian Preference
Memo (October 23, 2003) | Federal
Register: Tribal Consultation on Participation by the Office of the Special
Trustee for American Indians in the Department of the Interior Consolidation of
Agency Appraisal Functions (September 17, 2003)
Special Master 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
Office of Special Trustee - http://www.ost.doi.gov
Related Stories:
Fate of Indian preference in hands of
Swimmer (02/04)
Editorial: Reform
DOI, not the trust responsibility (11/26)
Tribes and Bush administration still apart on
trust (11/20)
Editorial: Indian
Country's Ugly Baby (11/05)
Indian
employees to lose preference under Bush plan (11/04)
Self-governance tribes fear impact of
reorganization (10/09)
Consolidation
plan advances at Interior (9/16)
Court report finds undervaluation of Navajo
lands (08/21)
Court master releases
report on Navajo appraisals (8/20)
Swimmer weighs consolidation of appraisals
(8/15)
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)
New DOI office changes standards for appraisals
Thursday, March 18, 2004
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