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2012 Land & Water News Stories

? ? Hopi withdraws support of water rights settlement (Ktar) 12/28/12

• • RDC wants comprehensive approach to water rights (Navajo Times) 12/20/12

• • Indian land buyback program announced (The Jamestown Sun) 12/19/12

• • Land claim vote expected next year (Nugget.ca) 12/19/12

• • After 180 Years, Quapaw Tribe Returns to Arkansas in Land Deal (Arkansas Business) 12/18/12• • Mono tribe gets land approval from Bureau of Indian Affairs(Sierra Star) 11/30/12

• • Tribal rights central to state's mining debate (WUWM Milwaukee) 11/29/12

• • Historic water rights compact is up for review (Water Environment Federation) 11/28/12

• • Proposed MT-CSKT water deal up for public scrutiny (8 KPAX) 11/26/12

• • Black Hills, S.D.: Actor trying to help tribes buy sacred land (Twin Cities Pioneer Press) 11/25/12

• • Navajo officials weighing water-rights proposal (Arizona Central) 11/24/12

• • Mohawks hope to avoid court battle in land claims case (Fox 28 WNYF) 11/24/12

• • Navajos face $4M judgment in civil case (ABQ Journal) 11/14/12

• • Interior hosts Navajo and Hopi leadership for water settlement discussions (US Department of Interior) 11/14/12

• • Proposed water rights deal with tribes announced (SF Gate) 11/11/12

• • Court ruling could decide rural Skagit water use (Water Environment Federation) 11/11/12

• • CSKT, US governments complete proposed water rights compact (Independent Record) 11/9/12

• • Quarry approval could come in December (The Californian) 11/9/12

• • Appeal of Indian land trust settlement rejected (Times Union) 11/8/12

• • Snake Valley water agreement better than suits, report says (KSL Utah) 11/3/12

• • Yupiit fight for restoration of indigenous fishing rights in Alaska (Indian Country Today) 11/2/12

• • Tribes, state move forward on water accord (The Ada News) 11/1/12

• • US tenth circuit court upholds Wind River tax case dismissal (Indian Country Today) 10/27/12 (see Northern Arapaho Tribe v. Harnsberger case information)

• • Kickapoo ask Brownback to intervene in water spat (CJ Online) 10/26/12

• • Arizona State trust lands lack federally reserved water right (Lexology) 10/24/12

• • Legacy funds might help Fond du Lac Band buy land (The Bemidji Pioneer) 10/22/12

• • Water rights raise splash in race (Muskogee Phoenix) 10/20/12

• • Cheyenne River landowners sue over flooding (Indianz.com) 10/19/12

• • In Navajo Nation, water issues bring up representation, land rights in election season (Free Speech Radio News) 10/18/12

• • A tussle over sacred land (The Wall Street Journal) 10/17/12

• • Native water rights to play big part in Arizona elections (Indian Country Today) 10/17/12

• • Onondaga asks 2nd Circuit to send land rights lawsuit to trial (Indian Country Today) 10/17/12

• • County to appeal its ouster from Wappo suit (Napa Valley Register) 10/16/12

• • Schaghticoke Tribe's bid to win back land in Kent dead; Is it the last chapter in the saga? (Litchfield County Times) 10/10/12

• • Tribes seeking larger cut of oil tax money (The Jamestown Sun) 10/9/12

• • Judge recommends dismissing bulk of Mohawk land claims (Fox 28) 10/2/12

• • Onondaga to argue its land rights appeal at 2nd circuit court (Indian Country Today) 10/2/12

• • What's ahead for Mt. Taylor? (Albuquerque Journal) 9/30/12

• • Water rights meeting set for Wednesday, October 3 (Char-Kosta News) 9/27/12

• • BIA ordered to reconsider Oneida Nation land-into-trust ruling (Indianz.com) 9/26/12

• • USDA to provide remaining funding for Mni Waste Water System (Water World) 9/26/12

• • Minnesota Chippewa expecting funds with possible passage of Nelson Act (Northland Newscenter) 9/24/12

• • Navajo Nation ranchers wary of Grazing Act fees (The Daily Times) 9/22/12

• • Penobscot Nation lawsuit could have broad effects for river communities, businesses, says attorney (Bangor Daily News) 9/19/12

• • Navajo Nation adds Turquoise Ranch near Winslow (heraldextra.com) 9/19/12

• • House passes water leasing act for Mescalero Apaches (Alamagordo Daily News) 9/19/12

• • Court settles state trust land water rights dispute (arizonadailysun.com) 9/13/12

• • CSKT water rights talks hitting turbid and turbulent white water (Char-Koosta News) 9/13/12

• • Senate Committee of Indian Affairs examines controversial Supreme Court decisions Carcieri and Patchak (Senate Committee press release) 9/14/12

• • 9th Circuit backs Tohono O'odham Nation land-into-trust bid (Indianz.com) 9/11/12

• • Witness list for SCIA hearing on Carcieri and Patchak rulings (Indianz.com) 9/11/2012

• • Time running out for water rights compact on Flathead Reservation (Missoulian) 9/09/12

• • Satellite land dispute throws wrench in plans for smaller casino (Smokey Mountain News) 9/05/12

• • Jerry Brown gives green light to two off-reservation casinos (Sacramento Bee) 9/01/12

• • SD criticizes proposed charge for Mo. River water (CNBC) 8/28/12

• • Tribal water-rights bill all but dead for this Congress (Tucson Sentinel.com) 8/22/12

• • Goshute Tribes fight for water rights in face of 300-mile pipeline to Vegas (Indian Country Today) 8/20/12

• • A bad bet on Indian casinos (NY Times) 8/19/12

• • Congress considers tribe?s circumstances (Santa Ynez Valley News) 8/16/12

• • Congress hears tribal testimony (Santa Inez Valley News) 8/09/12

• • Gov told of Kickapoo water emergency (cjonline.com) 8/08/12

• • Act seeks more tribal control, shorter waits (Taos News) 8/08/12

• • Congress holds hearing on Fort Wingate army depot lands (Indian Country Today) 8/09/12

• • Tribal Leaders Seek Clear Path in Little Colorado River Water Rights (Indian Country Today) 8/06/12

• • Harper government [Canada] to introduce law to allow private property on reserves (Globe and Mail) 8/05/12

• • Chairman of ND tribe seeks more tribal control of land (INFORUM) 8/04/12

• • Goshutes to protest BLM?s apparent OK of Las Vegas water plan (Salt Lake Tribune) 8/04/12

• • Navajo, Zuni leaders ask for federal help settling dispute over land (Cronkite News) 8/02/12

• • Strengthening tribal communities through the HEARTH Act (White House Blog) 7/30/12

• • President Obama signs HEARTH Act giving Indian tribes more land independence (ABC15.com) 7/30/12

• • Schrader bills to streamline process for tribes to take land into trust have legislative hearing (Kurt Schrader) 7/25/12

• • Narragansett Indian leader wants to meet with Chafee over land trust (Providence Journal) 7/23/12

• • Tribes, state to keep negotiating (The Ada News) 7/20/12

• • Senators introduce water legislation (Individual.com) 7/12/12

• • Taunton casino?s fate tied to landless tribe?s legal battle (Boston Globe) 7/16/12

• • Tribal water settlement sparks recall efforts (AP-Alert) 7/12/12

• • Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe land adjacent to reservation will go into trust status (KPBJ.com) 7/10/12

• • BIA approves three land-into-trust acquisitions for Pueblo tribes (Indianz.com) 7/6/12

• • Tribe gets US approval for 7-acre annexation (Santa Ynez Valley News) 6/28/12

• • Cooperation along the Colorado River (National Geographic) 06/26/12

• • Native Sun News: Tribes facing deadline on fracking regulations (Indianz.com) 6/26/12

• • Hopi lawmakers approve water rights settlement (AZDailySun) 6/22/12

• • Hopi lawmakers vote on water rights legislation (AP) 6/19/12

• •Supreme Court decision on Gun Lake Casino lawsuit reaches far beyond Michigan (MLive) 6/18/12. See related Patchak case in the Supreme Court Bulletin.

• • Supreme Court: Michigan man's lawsuit over operating American Indian tribe casino can move forward (Detroit Free Press) 6/18/12. See related Salazar case in the Supreme Court Bulletin.

• • Fixing Carcieri for Michigan (Turtle Talk Blog) 6/15/12

• • Bill would prohibit state from opposing Indian land transfers (MENAFM.com) 6/12/12

• • Navajo president backs water rights settlement (Las Cruces Sun-News) 6/11/12

• • Oglala Sioux move closer to establishing first tribal national park (Native American Times) 6/7/12

• • Senate Bill 162 causes uproar locally (Santa Ynez Valley News) 06/05/12

• • Oglala Sioux, feds sign deal on 1st tribal park (Sioux City Journal) 06/03/12

• • Bureau of Indian Affairs Moves Forward with Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's Application for Land in Trust (Pechanga.net) 06/04/12

• • Officials break ground on Navajo water project (ABC15.com) 06/02/12

• • Oglala Sioux tribe poised to take control of first tribal national park (Care2) 05/27/12

• • Tribes angry federal government isn't including them in pipeline plans (KSL.com) 05/24/12

• • Senate Carcieri Report blames Supreme Court for mess in Indian country (Indian Country Today) 05/24/12

• • Duluth's attempt to block tribal hotel fails (Winona Daily News) 05/24/12

• • Tribes say feds haven't protected them from Las Vegas pipeline project (Las Vegas Review-Journal) 05/23/12

• • Judge tells Oklahoma tribe to stop building casino (WSLS) 05/18/12

• • DC court: Tribal faction can't block land payments (The San Francisco Chronicle) 05/17/12

Read more in our Federal Courts Bulletin

• • Court hearing begins in fight over construction of casino by Okla. Native American tribe (The Republic) 05/16/12

• • Goshutes battle to save their sacred water from SNWA pipeline (IndyBay) 05/15/12

• • Arizona Navajo, Hopi water deal revision stirs controversy (Tucson Citizen) 05/13/12

• • Tribal water settlement key to region's future (Az Central) 05/13/12

• • UN probe: U.S. should return stolen sacred land, including Mt. Rushmore, to Native Americans (DemocracyNow!) 05/11/12

• • Tribal tax appeal heard in Denver; has implications on border issue (The Ranger) 05/08/12

• • U.N. report: return Black Hills to tribes (Keloland) 05/07/12

• • Tribe from Michigan's Upper Peninsula say mines violate rights (Michigan Radio) 05/07/12

• • Utah and Arizona pass bills to seize federal land; Sioux Indians demand the same (AllGov) 05/07/12

• • Observers optimistic Gun Lake case will be decided on a narrow legal question (Indian Country Today) 05/06/12

• • UN official: US must return control of sacred lands to Native Americans (MSNBC) 05/05/12

• • Tribal group gets ancestral land in Mendocino (The San Francisco Chronicle) 04/28/12

• • Feds move closer to first tribal national park (sctimes.com) 04/26/12

• • Farr letter opposes tribal annexation (Santa Ynez Valley News) 04/26/12

• • Supreme Court to hear Gun Lake Tribe gaming land dispute (Indianz.com) 04/24/12

• • Supreme Court trying to decide whether tribal casino lawsuit can move forward (The Washington Post) 04/24/12

• • Native American tribes file legal challenge to Las Vegas groundwater pumping plan (CasonNow.org) 04/23/12

• • State senator pushes for clarity on court ruling that could affect status of Indian casinos (The Republic) 04/22/12

• • City of Duluth, Fond du Lac Band face off in court over downtown land (Duluth News Tribune) 04/20/12

• • Interior's land consolidation plan: another 'disaster' in the making (Indian Country Today) 04/19/12

• • Work begins on new Laguna Pueblo water system (KOB.com) 04/17/12

• • While Little Colorado River dispute heats up, massive project is under way to deliver water to Navajo Nation (Indian Country Today) 04/18/12

• • Court of Appeals hears case on proposed casino near Glendale (AzCentral.com) 04/16/12

• • Kyl water settlement doesn't serve tribes (Az Daily Sun) 04/11/12

• • Los Coyotes win case against Eagle Rock Training Center (San Diego City Beat) 04/09/12

• • A difficult choice on water (The New York Times) 04/06/12

• • 8th Circuit backs Yankton Sioux land-into-trust application (Indanz.com) 04/06/12
To read more on the case see our Federal Courts Bulletin

• • Navajos and Hopis protest Kyl and McCain water theft scheme (The Narcosphere) 04/05/12

• • Water settlement protects tribal rights (Arizona Daily Sun) 04/04/12

• • Utes, Interior Department spar over land (Uintah Basin Standard) 04/03/12

• • Supreme Court asks Justice Department to analyze Oklahoma water case (Water Environment Federation) 04/02/12

• • Negotiations could resume between Oklahoma and the Chickasaws, Choctaws tribes over water rights in southeast part of state (NewsOK) 03/28/12

• • EPA, three oil companies reach deal over Fort Peck water pollution (Great Falls Tribune) 03/26/12

• • Indian Affairs Committee holds legislative hearing on land and tribal membership bills (U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs) 03/22/12

• • Cheyenne-Arapaho tribes call on President Obama to recognize tribes' ownership of the Fort Reno lands (PR Newswire) 03/21/12

• • Brownstein Hyatt lobbying for Navajo Nation on water rights (The Blog of Legal Times) 03/20/12

• • Bill to exchange tribal land earns plaudits (The Salt Lake Tribune) 03/20/12

• • Indian Affairs oversight hearing explores the benefits of settling Indian water rights claims (US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs) 03/16/12

• • Water rights session focuses on Tribes' on- and off-reservation claims (Char-Koosta News) 03/15/12

• • Navajo Water Project working to secure its path (Public Works Magazine) 03/12/12

• • Tribes' water lawsuit to stay in federal court (The ADA News) 03/12/12

• • U.S. Fish, Wildlife Service seeks water rights for refuge (Great Falls Tribune) 03/11/12

• • Tribe that owns Skywalk repeals eminent domain law (AzCapitol Times) 03/08/12

• • Tribes seeking casinos face questions about land-into-trust (Indianz.com) 03/07/12

• • Indian tribes use casino profits to buy real estate (KPBS) 03/07/12

• • Tusayan water at issue (Arizona Daily Sun) 03/06/12

• • Motion made to toss Akwesasne land theft charge (The Press Republican) 03/04/12

• • The American Indian Empowerment Act ? a 'radical' tribal land plan (Indian Country Today) 03/04/12

• • Onondaga Nation appeals land rights action (PR-Canada.net) 03/03/12

• • President signs into law Cantwell-backed bill to move Quileute Tribe out of tsunami zone (PoliticalNews.me) 02/28/12

• • Onondaga Nation seeks public's support in land claim fight (Syracuse.com) 02/28/12

• • Council to vote on river ordinance (Santa Fe New Mexican) 02/23/12

• • Ninth Circuit fast tracks appeal in casino case (The Glendale Star) 02/19/12

• • Indian tribes want to regulate their oil exploration (Kansas City infozine) 02/17/12

• • Developer challenges tribe's takeover of Skywalk (Las Vegas Sun) 02/17/12

• • Arizona Senators water rights theft would be 'death sentence' for Navajos (The Narcosphere) 02/17/12

• • Legislation would settle water claims (AzJournal) 02/17/12

• • Tribes want order denying water rights (The Norman Transcript) 02/16/12

? ? Deal could bring water to Navajo, Hopi homes (?AZcentral) 02/15/12

? ? 9th Circuit sets oral argument in Tohono O'odham casino suit (Indianz.com) 02/14/12

? ? Proposed tribal casino case goes to appeals court(AZcentral) 02/14/12

? ? Ariz. senator introduces tribal water rights deal (Alamogordo News) 02/14/12

? ? 'Twilight' tribe wins land transfer for tsunami protection (The Miami Herarld) 02/14/12

? ? Tribes say state plea over water not needed (The ADA News) 02/13/12

? ? Fighting for land rights (The Post Journal) 02/09/12

? ? Tribe says no to Loop 202 (InMaricopa.com) 02/08/12

• • Oklahoma governor asks Chickasaw, Choctaw nations to dismiss water lawsuit (NewsOK) 02/03/12

• • Indian Affairs Committee holds legislative hearing on settlement and land into trust bills (U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs) 02/02/12

• • Opinion: Leave water out of clean-air battle (Azcentral) 01/31/12

• • Hopi Tribe sues U.S. Government - arsenic in drinking water causing harm on reservation (The Hopi Tribe) 01/30/12

• • Tribes adopt seven-point plan for water (The Ada News) 01/29/12

• • Sault tribe would pay $1.24M for city land (Lansing State Journal) 01/27/12

• • Oklahoma tribes amend federal water rights lawsuit (Tulsa World) 01/26/12

• • Land claim settlement act might aid off-reservation casino (Indianz.com) 01/25/12

• • Okla. water adjudication likely a lengthy process (kxii.com) 01/16/12

• • Tribes seek federal suit to resolve long-simmering Nooksack River water rights issue (The Bellingham Herarld) 01/12/12

• • Tribes could turn the tables on water control (Red Lodge Clearinghouse) 01/10/12

• • APNewsBreak: Interior expected to approve 20-year ban on new mining claims near Grand Canyon (Washington Post) 01/08/12

• • Indian tribes concerned about water, gaming (Deseret News) 01/06/12

• • Sandia Pueblo Settlement Technical Amendment Act (Open Congress) 01/05/12

• • Tribal-specific conservation practices get USDA funding in California (Indian Country Today) 01/05/12