Bismarck, North Dakota - News

The U.S. Department of the Interior, along with Congress, needs to provide a strong remedy to the Indian Trust problem, in reforms that result in accountability and security, that result in a cure.

The reforms come in response to an ongoing 1996 class-action lawsuit -- Cobell vs. Norton -- that alleges long-term mismanagement, resulting in losses on the part of the Indian people of $1 billion.

The federal government has held Indian lands, along with grazing and mineral rights, for more than 100 years. The management of those resources has been at least shoddy, if not fraudulent. It's hard to tell which because of poor record-keeping on the part of the government, even in this time of high-speed data management.

And the accompanying loss of trust revenue was felt often, not always, by very poor people scratching out a living on marginal land.

The federal government acknowledges the mismanagement. The question is what to do about it.

Recently, the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs and U.S. House Resources Committee held a hearing in Bismarck to get comments from tribal members.

People speaking at the hearings wanted three things: Settlement, accountability and for the federal government to do the job right. Not unreasonable requests.

It's important to keep in mind that the lands and the rights in the trust belong to the Indian people. It's not a matter of the federal government dipping into the U.S. Treasury to provide funds for a government program. The Interior Department has been charged with managing the trust, much like a banking institution would in another situation.

It isn't about politics or culture. It's about accounting and business.

The secretary of the interior and Congress need to move with good haste in proposing practical and fair reforms.

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