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- By Native News Online Staff
WASHINGTON — In addition to articles already covered by Native News Online, here is a roundup of other news released from Washington, D.C. that impacts Indian Country recently.
Tule River Water Settlement Bill Advances to Full Senate
U.S. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla (both D-Calif.) announced that the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs advanced their legislation to formally recognize the Tule River Tribe’s reserved water rights and quantify the Tribe’s water right of 5,828 acre-feet per year of surface water from the South Fork of the Tule River. The bill passed out of committee by voice vote and now moves to the Senate floor for consideration by the full Senate.
For decades, the Tule River Tribe has worked with the federal government and downstream water users to advance a settlement agreement, avoiding costly and adversarial litigation for both the tribe and the United States government. This legislation would fulfill the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities to the Tule River Tribe by ensuring that the Tribe is able to access the water resources they were promised and to provide clean drinking water to their people.
“Water is a precious resource that so many of us take for granted. This legislation will provide much-needed water security for the Tule River Tribe and ensure critical access to clean drinking water,” said Senator Schiff.
“Water is a sacred and necessary resource for tribal nations and all communities,” said Senator Padilla. “As California and the West experience periods of extreme drought and devastating atmospheric rivers, our bill would provide water security for the Tule River Tribe now and for future generations. The federal government must live up to its trust and treaty responsibilities to protect the long-term strength of the Tule River Tribe by finalizing this critical water settlement.”
National Indian Health Board Seeking Federal Cutback Impact Stories
It is worth noting that on January 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) issued a memorandum rescinding Memorandum M-25-13 which ordered a freeze on “Federal financial assistance.” Still, providing information on the impacts of what has transpired since the freeze was ordered will be helpful as the National Indian Health Board works to defend Indian health systems from impacts of recent and ongoing policy developments.
“This bill will help secure critical water supplies to the Tule River Reservation and to the agricultural community downstream,” said Tule River Tribe Chairman Lester Shine Nieto. “As we have since our efforts to settle our water rights began in 1971, we will continue to work tirelessly to ens
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