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63 Indian reservations, including Kan. locations, join tribal ownership program

Image courtesy Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation
Image courtesy Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation

MATTHEW BROWN, Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — U.S. officials are adding 63 American Indian reservations across the Midwest and West to an initiative that seeks to return millions of acres of land to tribal ownership.

See the full list including Kansas locations here

The move comes as the Interior Department warns the $1.9 billion effort to return up to 3 million acres of land to tribes is running out of time and money.

The Associated Press obtained details in advance of a planned Tuesday announcement. Reservations in 16 states are joining the program.

It’s the result of a legal settlement with American Indians led by Elouise Cobell of Montana, who said the U.S. mismanaged trust money held on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Indians.

 The late Elouise Cobell meets President Barack Obama at the White House on December 8, 2010
The late Elouise Cobell meets President Barack Obama at the White House on December 8, 2010

Since 2013, the U.S. has paid $742 million to restore 1.5 million acres to tribal control.

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