Laserfiche WebLink
<br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br /> <br />2243 <br /> <br />INDIAN WATER IN MODERN TRIBAL POUCYMAKlNG <br /> <br />7 <br /> <br />Indian tribes have used the couns, the Congress, their own institutions and their own <br />energies to establish a legal framework that, if implemented, holds out the promise of <br />continued and substantial cultural and economic progress. <br /> <br />1.3, BUILDING HOMELANDS: THE CHALLENGE OF THE YEARS <br />TO COME <br /> <br />The legal frameworK that legitimized and strengthened tribal institutions has a <br />profound potential for Indian tribes, but enonnous obstacles still must be overcome <br />before that potential can be realized. Health care, housing, education and <br />employment opportunities often are deficient on reservation lands. <br /> <br />A consensus exists among Indian people concerning the best hope for <br />accelerating the improvement of social conditions among reservation Indians. <br />Careful planning will allow tribal councils, implementing their inherent tribal <br />sovereignty, to utilize tribal natural resources and the immunities from state law to <br />provide a measure of income to the tribe and its people and to soften the adverse <br />effects of development so that tribal traditions and sacred aieas are not infringed. <br /> <br />Already notable successes exist. The Confederated Tribes of the Wann Springs <br />Indian Reservation in Oregon now own and operate a hydroelectric facility on the <br />Deschutes River. The Jicarilla Apache Tribe of New Mexico is receiving substantial <br />taX revenues from oil and gas development on the reservation and has a tribally <br />owned and operated drilling operation. The Colville Tribe of Washington, <br />Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin. and many others operate tribal logging operations <br />and timber mills. Several tribes, including the Mescalero Apache Tribe of New <br />Mexico, operate modem reson complexes. The White Mountain Apache Tribe of <br />Arizona owns and operates a skiing facility. Over a hundred tribes across the country <br />run bingo operations, which are attractive to non-Indian customers because the tribes <br />can operate outside of state law and offer larger jackpots. Although bingo is not <br />always a popular means to obtain operating revenue, it is an example of the way in <br />which insulation of Indian reservations from state juriSdiction can generate funds for <br />Indian tribes. <br /> <br />Tribal natural resources playa central role in the future of most tribes. Indians <br />own 52 million acres in the lower 48 states, about 2.5% of all land in the country. <br />Tribes own approximately 10% of the currently mineable coal reserves in the United <br />States and possess approximately 13% of the nation's on-shore oil and gas. About <br />5.3 million acres of commercial timber land are included within Indian reservations. <br />Fish and wildlife resources also are substantial on many reservations and are vital 10 <br />Indian economies, food supplies, and lifestyles. And, of course, as discussed in the <br />following section, water resources are critical to tribal homelands. <br /> <br />1-4. THE SPECIAL ROLE OF TRIBAL WATER RESOURCE <br />MANAGEMENT <br /> <br />Water is essential for most resource development in the American West. Energy <br />projects largely are dependent upon significant quantities of water. Funher, in almost <br />