Managing Indian Mineral Resources Using Digital Information

摘要

For the last several years the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Division of Energy and Mineral Resources has focus on assisting Tribes in developing effective strategies for the 21st Century. Income from production of both solid mineral resources and fluid mineral resources is still the largest single source of lease income to Tribes and allottees from trust lands. In 1997, income from sub-surface production, bonus and annual rentals was 88% of all income generated from Trust Resources. This income is critical to the financial good health of the Tribal economy. The Division has been developing an integrated system that will allow managers to access data needed to make sound management decisions. By having a more thorough understanding of both the geo-techncial data and economic information, Tribes are now entering into agreements which are highly complex, but economically beneficial to the Tribes. The development of Trust Resources must also include industry access to information on those reservations interested in development. The Division's highly successful Outreach Program provides opportunities, in the form of marketing events, for Tribes to promote development on energy and mineral prospects on their reservations. The Outreach Program is designed to address the factors in successful mineral agreement. In order to do this, the Outreach Program utilizes an integrated approach assisting Tribes to promote mineral development on their respective reservations.