DENVER — The Department of the Interior’s Office of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) today recognized the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico for their superior performance and significant contributions to ONRR’s mission.

ONRR presented the Navajo Nation and the State of New Mexico with the prestigious Joan Kilgore Award and James B. Griffith Award, respectively, for their superior work with the Federal Government for Fiscal Years 2012-2014 under their Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act (FOGRMA) cooperative agreements with ONRR.

ONRR Director Greg Gould presented the awards during the State and Tribal Royalty Audit Committee (STRAC) meeting on May 6, 2015, at the Denver Federal Center.  “Recipients of the Joan Kilgore and the James B. Griffith Awards have made significant contributions to ONRR’s mission,” Gould said.  “That mission is to collect, disburse and verify Federal and Indian energy and other natural resource revenues on behalf of all Americans.”

Gould extended his thanks to the State of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation for their commitment to enhancing ONRR’s ability to meet its mission objectives.  “The State of New Mexico and the Navajo Nation have performed above and beyond in helping ensure ONRR collects every dollar due.”

The Joan Kilgore Award recognizes a Tribe for outstanding performance in their audit activities and investigations under their cooperative agreement with ONRR.  The award is based on the Tribe’s quality of work performed in partnership with the Federal Government, while making strides toward tribal self-governance over the management of American Indian mineral lease revenues.  The Joan Kilgore Award is named in honor of former DOI employee Joan Kilgore, who spent much of her 20 years with the government as an advocate for Indian royalty issues.

The James B. Griffith Award, named in honor of former Wyoming State Auditor James Griffith, recognizes a state for its outstanding performance in its audit activities and investigations under its cooperative agreement with ONRR.  Griffith played a key role encouraging states and Indian Tribes to participate with the Federal Government in mineral audit activities.  His visionary leadership is reflected in the award, which is a reminder of the importance of cooperation among the Federal Government, states and Tribes in managing the nation’s mineral resources with a common goal to collect every royalty dollar that is due.

The Office of Natural Resources Revenue, part of the Department’s Office of Policy, Management and Budget, is responsible for collecting and disbursing revenues from energy production that occurs onshore on Federal and American Indian lands, and offshore in the Outer Continental Shelf.  During Fiscal Year 2014, the agency disbursed more than $13.4 billion to states, American Indian Tribes and individual Indian mineral owners, and to various Federal accounts, including the U.S. Treasury, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and the Reclamation Fund.

ONRR