BIA superintendent out of office amid Osage drilling issues

Thursday, January 24, 2013  

A Bureau of Indian Affairs superintendent is out of the office for 120 days amid complaints about drilling on the Osage Nation.

BIA Osage Agency superintendent Melissa Currey told The Osage News she is working from home due to a medical issue. She declined further comment but tribal members say she is under investigation for her handling of the tribe's mineral estate.

In one recent case, a judge blasted BIA for failing to keep written records. According to The Bigheart Times, a drilling company was allowed to continue working on the reservation after getting permission on the phone.

The extension was given even though Currey's written approval had already expired, the paper reported. The judge issued a temporary restraining order against the company.

“They are escaping review over there at the Agency," Judge B. David Gambill told the paper. “They have to follow the rules like everyone else. And if they’re not going to, I will restrain them.”

A BIA spokesperson in Washington, D.C., would not discuss Currey's situation.

Get the Story:
BIA Osage Agency superintendent on leave (The Osage News 1/15)
Judge: BIA at fault in well dispute (The Bigheart Times 1/23)