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About Spilyay tymoo. (Warm Springs, Or.) 1976-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 31, 2008)
News from Inchon Country Page 9 Spilyay Tymoo January 31, 2008 Navajo lawmakers to vote on tribal superfimd law A LBUQUERQUE (A P )_ The U.S. Environm ental Protec tion Agency cleaned up co n tam inated soil o n properties n ear an ab an d o n ed u raniu m mine in C hurch Rock last year a fte r N av ajo officials sp e n t years trying to persuade the fed eral agency to do so. Navajo EPA officials hope that cleaning up such sites w on’t take as m uch tim e in the fu ture. T he Tribal Council is to vote next week on a bill— simi lar to th e federal S uperfund law— that w ould allow Navajo officials to m onitor and remove all hazardous substances, pollut an ts an d co n ta m in a n ts th a t could endanger the health and safety o f residents. “This is our approach to pro vide us with some authority simi lar to what the state and federal government have in response to dealing with hazardous waste,” said Navajo EPA executive direc tor Stephen Etsitty. U.S. EPA officials say the fed eral government still would work to clean up sites on the reserva tion, but the tribal law would al low the Navajo EPA to identify and take action on sites that are not always o f federal interest. “T here’s So m any sites and issues to be dealt w ith that ob viously th e m o re p eople you have tackling it, bringing tools to b e a r, th e b e tte r ,” said M ich ael H in g e rty , d e p u ty branch chief in the EPA’s O f fice o f Regional Counsel in San Francisco. “T h e E PA is only ever going to be able to get to a fraction o f the problems. E v ery bit helps.” T h e law w o u ld serve th e same purposes as the federal Comprehensive Environm ental R esponse, C om pensation and L iab ility A ct, k n o w n as th e S u p e rfu n d law. T h e N avajo N atio n has ad o p ted a list o f chemicals the federal govern m ent uses to determine whether a site is hazardous and added petroleum to that list. “This added flexibility should help avoid disputes over the application o f the act to vari ous and environm ental public health threats,” th e pro p o sed tribal law states. Like the Superfund law, the tribal legislation places respon sibility for the cleanup on cur ren t and past ow ners o f sites or those w ho arrange for haz ardous substances to be brought onto the Navajo N ation. I f those responsible cannot immediately be identified, the tribe w ould use funding gener ated by a tariff on transporters o f hazardous waste to clean up the site and seek reimbursement w h e n p o s s ib le , said F re id a W hite, sen io r en v iro n m en tal specialist for the Navajo EPA. T he am ount o f the tariff hasn’t been decided. It’s also n o t known w hen the tribe could begin cleaning up sites. O f p a rtic u la r in te r e s t to tribal officials is the cleanup o f m o re th a n 1,000 ab an d o n ed uranium mining sites that have left a legacy o f disease on the reservation th a t extends over parts o f N ew Mexico, Arizona and Utah. “A lo t o f people have been a ffe c te d in re s p e c t to th e ir health,” W hite said. T he U.S. EPA is working with the N avajo N ation and a num ber o f federal agencies to de velop a 5-year action plan to address the environm ental ef fects o f uranium mining on the reservation. A sp o k e s w o m a n fo r th e agency, Wendy Chavez, said the EPA will test 75 w ater sources and 100 structures this spring, and those found to be contam i n ated will be con sid ered fo r c le a n u p u n d e r th e fe d e ra l Superfund program. Chavez said the agency also is working w ith tribal officials to clean up m ining sites ranked highest for environm ental risk, sta rtin g w ith th e N o rth e a s t C hurch Rock Mine near Gallup. The tribal Superfund measure is on the council’s agenda for its winter session, which begins Mon day in the Navajo capital o f Win d o w R ock, A riz. D elegates George Arthur, the chairman o f the council’s Resources Commit tee, and Curran Hannon are spon soring the legislation. T he council’s Judiciary, Re sources and Ethics and Rules co m m ittees have p assed the m easure, although com m ittee approval is n o t required for the bill to reach the full council. The tribe has been working on drafting the legislation for m ore than a decade, and White said she is hopeful it will pass. “O h, I know it will,” she said. “T here’s a need for it.” Indian leader says Republican meeting chance to open dialogue H E L E N A , M ont. (AP)— A tribal chairm an picked to headline th e M ontana R e publican Party’s winter m eet ing says the G O P will have to w o rk to take A m erican In d ia n v o te rs aw ay fro m D em ocrats. B ut James Steele Jr., chair m an o f th e C o n fed erated Salish and K o o ten ai tribal council, said Democrats can no longer take the tribal vote for granted. Steele is scheduled to speak at Saturday night’s banquet o f th e M o n ta n a R ep u b lican Party’s winter kickoff in Bill ings. H e said it’s important that Re publicans are stressing more dia logue with tribes and their lead ers. “I think it’s a realization o f the im portance o f th e N ative American vote in the last few elections, and especially in the last election,” Steele said. “I think the D em ocratic Party has reached o u t to N ative A m eri cans in a variety o f ways ... that th e R epublican P arty has n o t really done.” M o n tan a G O P C h airm an E rik Iverson said Republicans are reaching o u t to voters on reservations. H e said the Repub lican Party in the past didn’t try hard enough to talk to Ameri can In d ian v o te rs a b o u t th e party’s message. “ P a rt o f th e p ro b le m fo r Republicans is that we just didn’t show up,” Iverson said. T h e chairm an was elected last sum m er w ith vice-chair- w om an Liane Johnson, a m em ber o f the Blackeet Tribe. Iverson said the Republican fiscal conservative message fea turing lower taxes will w ork on reservations like it does every where else. A nd he said the Re publican platform can help deal with problem s on reservations such as high unemployment. A t the same time, Steele can talk to Republicans about the success he has had in building coalitions in winning elections, Iverson said. “We’ve got to end this era o f confrontation in Helena, what we saw from both sides last legisla tive session,” Iverson said. D em ocrats said Republicans will need to deal w ith issues im portan t to Native Americans if they h o p e to succeed, rath er than by opposing initiatives like Indian Education for All such as some Republican lawmakers have in the past. “We appreciate any support in carrying the load and being o f assistance to the Native Ameri can co m m u n ities,” said A rt Noonan, executive director o f the Montana Democratic Party. “We hope the outreach and sincerity doesn’t end when chairman Steele leaves the building.” Steele said he is n o t partisan. H e said he has voted for both Republicans and Democrats. A nd he believes all elected leaders can learn from the job G ov. B ria n S c h w e itz e r has done in reaching o u t to A m eri can Indians. “H e set the bar for political leaders in M ontana; if you really w ant to get things done in M o n ta n a you h av e to reach out to everyone, and that includes Indian people in M ontana,” Steele said. H e said Republicans are taking a “step in the right di rection.” “B ut you are n o t going to get Native American people to overnight start voting for the Republican candidates,” Steele said. “It will take time. “It will take time under standing the Native A m eri can issues.” Flag from American Indian occupation of Alcatraz sold at auction SAN FR A N C ISC O (AP)— A flag believed to have flown w hen a group o f American In dians occupied Alcatraz nearly 40 years ago sold for $69,000 at an auction Thursday. The flag was sold to an uni dentified private collector, said Bruce M acM akin, senior vice president o f PBA Galleries in San Francisco where the flag was sold. I t w asn’t clear how big a role the flag had in the 1969 p ro test. Some participants o f the occupation said they didn’t re call the flag and were dismayed at the idea o f it being sold for profit. “I think that’s a stretch, to call th at historic,” said A dam F ortu nate Eagle Nordwall, one o f the organizers o f the 19-m onth oc cupation. “W hen I look at the picture o f that flag, it really doesn’t do anything to m e as an artist, or as a Native American. I t really is n o t symbolic o f the Indian cause.” B ut MacMakin said the seller provided detailed docum enta tion, including a 1970 p h o to graph from the San Francisco Chronicle that showed it flying on Alcatraz and a snapshot o f the w om an w ho designed the flag handing it over to be raised. “ I t w as ju s t fascin atin g ,” MacMakin said. K n o w n to m an y as “T h e Rock,” hom e to a now-closed federal penitentiary, A lcatraz also was the site o f three Ameri can Indian occupations, the long est and best-know n o f w hich began on Nov. 20, 1969, when organizer Richard Oakes led a group o f supporters to the is land. T he protest got massive at- tention and drew thousands o f American Indians from around the country. The occupation ended in June 1971, but the m ovem ent it in spired continued, inspiring a new era o f A m erican In d ian activism. CHIPS Repair & Auto Sales Free towing w/engine or trans replacement from Warm Springs & Madras area i ■ Approved Auto Repair 475-6618 330 S.W. Culver Hwy. Madras, OR 97741 Free Battery Check & Installation with purchase y »
