Jodi Rave: BIA decision-making slow without leader

Wednesday, March 7, 2007  

"After a two-year vacancy in the nation's top post for federal Indian affairs, the U.S. Senate has confirmed Carl Artman as the new head of the Interior Department‘s Bureau of Indian Affairs.

On Tuesday, Artman said he's ready to “clean out the gutters” once he's sworn into office.

“People have been waiting for this guy,” said Nedra Darling, spokeswoman for the BIA. “He's anxious to meet with tribal leaders and get to work in Indian Country.”

Artman, an enrolled member of Wisconsin's Oneida Tribe, has worked as an Interior Department attorney and as lead counsel for the Oneida Tribe. He received an 87-1 Senate confirmation vote on Monday after being nominated to the BIA post last August by President Bush.

The Chippewa-Cree tribe of Montana applauded Artman's confirmation, hoping that he will help speed up the bureaucratic process, which tends to get weighed down with matters as “mundane” as getting a liquor ordinance, which needs secretarial approval.

“We have a lot of interaction with the regional office of the BIA in Billings and with (Washington) D.C.,” said Dan Belcourt, attorney for the Chippewa-Cree. “Since we haven't had an assistant secretary, decision-making has been slow.”

The tribe has been waiting half a year for top bureau officials to approve a tribal liquor ordinance for a sports bar in its new casino. It's slated to open at the end of March."

Get the Story:
Senate confirms new BIA director (The Missoulian 3/7)

Senate Roll Call:
On the Nomination (Confirmation Carl J. Artman, of Colorado, to be Assistant Secretary of the Interior) (March 5, 2007)

Sen. Dorgan Statement:
DORGAN APPLAUDS CONFIRMATION OF CARL ARTMAN AS ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR INDIAN AFFAIRS (March 5, 2007)

Hearing Webcast/Testimony:
CONFIRMATION HEARING on the President's nomination of Mr. Carl Joseph Artman, to be Assistant Secretary-Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior (February 1, 2007)

September 2006 Senate Confirmation Hearing:
Webcast | Carl Artman Testimony

White House News:
Personnel Announcement (August 1, 2006)

Relevant Links:
Oneida Nation - http://www.oneidanation.org
Senate Indian Affairs Committee - http://indian.senate.gov

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