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In The Hoop
WEDNESDAY, MAY 29, 2002

Welcome to In The Hoop, Indianz.Com's occasional column about assorted Indian issues.

Fire Sale
Tribal leaders (and your lobbyists), you have exactly one extra day to submit your views to the National Indian Gaming Commission on some proposed regulations.

A Federal Register notice published today extends the comment period on changes to the Minimum Internal Control Standards (MICS for short) that will affect tribal gaming operations. It's actually an extension of a previously granted extension and since the document was signed last week, it's actually a one-week extension.

But who's keeping track? Not us. Send in your concerns today!

BIA Home Alone
Speaking of gaming, remember that little spat between Chairman Montie Deer and Secretary of Interior Gale Norton over the NIGC's Internet connections? Well not much came of it but as you will soon see, the NIGC's web site is back up and running, just like much of the Department of Interior.

The same can't be said for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the department's stepchild that just won't go away. (Well, until it gets reorganized.) Even the web site for the embattled Office of the Special Trustee is online.

It's not entirely clear the nature of the holdup, although we were informed that BIA folks went through every single document on the web site to ensure they were free of "Indian trust data."

Interior Watch
Speaking of Norton, she's getting a new friend to work with her on those thorny Indian issues.

But he's actually an old friend of the Interior, having worked on budget, policy and related issues during the reign of William Clark, President Ronald Reagan's second public lands minister. He even was part of a mini-dispute involving coalbed methane drilling, an area current Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles knows all too well.

The new Indian official will start work June 7, giving him just enough time to wrap up things at the Department of Energy, where he currently works on even more budget issues.

Just who is this masked person?

Well, we'd tell you his name but you probably won't recognize it. So rather than break the news ahead of the department, we're going to let everyone wait patiently for the sanctioned announcement.

We could be convinced to out this person but since he's not in town right now, we might just let it slide. In any event, stay tuned to Indianz.Com for more about this exciting new appointee.

In Your Hoop
Who is the next to join the Department of Interior's Indian team? Email In the Hoop and let us know your pick.

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