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THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2001

Now that most of her top aides are in place, Secretary of Interior Gale Norton will be traveling more, leaving the daily duties of running the agency to Deputy Secretary J. Steven Griles.

Griles is one of seven Interior officials confirmed by the Senate so far. A former lobbyist for the coal and mining industry, his nomination was the most contentious.

Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Neal McCaleb was the first to be confirmed.

Yesterday, Norton met with the Hopi Tribe of Arizona. On Friday, she will go to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to tour the Office of Trust Fund Records (OTR), responsible for maintaining the records of Individual Indian Money (IIM) account holders and tribes.

Accompanying Norton will be McCaleb and Bert Edwards, the director of the Office of Historical Trust Accounting. Norton created the office last month to carry out a full, historical accounting to an estimated 300,000 IIM account holders throughout the country.

The OTR is currently being investigated by the special master in the Cobell v. Norton case.

Get the Story:
Not Exactly an Emergency, but Norton Is Given First Aide (The Washington Post 8/9)

Department of Interior Profiles:
Deputy Secretary: J. Stephen Griles (3/9)
Solicitor: Bill G. Myers (3/30)
Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget: P. Lynn Scarlett (4/4)
Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs: Neal McCaleb (4/18)