Outgoing Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is in New Mexico for two events with Pueblo tribes.

Salazar will be at Sandia Pueblo this morning. The tribe is the first to implement regulations under H.R.205, the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act (HEARTH) Act.

The law makes it easier for tribes to lease and develop their own lands without the Bureau of Indian Affairs being involved at every step of the process.

Later this afternoon, Salazar will be at Santa Fe Indian School. He will finalize a water rights settlement with the Pueblos of Tesuque, Nambe, Pojoaque, and San Ildefonso.

Assistant Secretary Kevin Washburn, the head of the BIA, will join Salazar for the events.

Get the Story:
Press Release: Secretary Salazar to Visit New Mexico to Mark Historic Progress in Indian Country (DOI 3/12)
Interior Secretary will be at Sandia Pueblo (The Albuquerque Journal 3/14)
NM tribe to get leasing rights under federal law (AP 3/14)

Federal Register Notice:
Notice of Public Scoping Meetings for the Pojoaque Basin Regional Water System Environmental Impact Statement, New Mexico (March 13, 2013)