Across the country, tribes are coming up against resistance to having their voices heard on issues involving water. In California, tribes say they feel betrayed by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vetoes of legislation that would have given the tribes more say in access to the state’s dwindling surface water supply. The Karuk Tribe and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians were instrumental in drafting the legislation. On the East Coast, tribes just pulled out of a coalition planning a clean-up strategy for the Chesapeake Bay. After a year of negotiation, the tribes say the other regional elected leaders refused to give them equal status in the clean-up talks.
We’ll also hear from attorney Fatima Abbas (Haliwa-Saponi). She was the first to lead he U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Tribal and Native Affairs, which aims to streamline tribes’ access to federal funding and economic development.
Leave a Reply