Turtle Talk

From the NYTimes on July 29 (link here).

Here’s an excerpt:

The Interior Department’s inspector general released audits yesterday that shed light on two long-standing problems: divided Indian lands and interagency contracting.

The department faces a difficult task in consolidating tribal ownership of lands as part of a $3.4 billion settlement over federal mismanagement of American Indian trust accounts. More than 21,000 parcels of land have 50 or more owners, and Interior now must spend $1.9 billion to buy back such parcels and consolidate them for redistribution to tribes.

A federal judge approved the Cobell v. Salazar settlement last month, but Interior’s inspector general found that the department has work to do to ensure it can keep up with appraisal requests. A previous IG audit found that 1,000 appraisal reports were past due; now the agency is hoping to replace its old appraisal system to clear the backlog, according to the IG report.

When complete, the Office of Appraisal Services Information System will track appraisal requests and be a one-stop shop for information on tribal land.

DOI OIG Report on Appraisal Tracking System needs