The Bureau of Indian Affairs has issued a new checklist for land-into-trust applications, according to Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal.

The new list was reportedly issued in March. It limits the input of state and local governments, Blumenthal said.

The BIA didn't publish the changes in the Federal Register so Blumenthal is asking Interior Secretary Gale Norton to allow public comment.

The Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is holding an oversight hearing on land-into-trust on Wednesday, May 18.

Get the Story:
Blumenthal blasts latest BIA rules on land annexation (The Connecticut Post 5/10)
Officials Upset By New BIA Land Rules (The New London Day 5/10)
pwday

Relevant Links:
NIGC Indian Land Determinations - http://www.nigc.gov/nigc/nigcControl?option=LAND_DETERMINATIONS
Land into Trust, National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org/main/pages/issues/
governance/land_into_trust.asp

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