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Governor calls tribe's offer 'a kind of blackmail'
Thursday, October 21, 2004

Wyoming Gov. Dave Freudenthal (R) accused the Northern Arapaho Tribe of "a kind of blackmail" for seeking support for a bill that would generate revenues for the tribe.

The tribe made its offer in a letter on Tuesday. The tribe said it would help finance the state's tribal liaison position if Freudenthal backs a bill returning state taxes generated from oil and gas development on the reservation to the tribe.

Freudenthal said he would not link the two issues. "The problem I have with it is ... I view it as a kind of blackmail to say, 'We will only support a tribal liaison if you agree in advance to a particular outcome on a particular issue,'" he said at a press conference, according to The Casper Star-Tribune.

To back up its request, the tribe released a study showing that it has lost out on nearly $81 million in state services since 1979 due to the state's taxation system.

Get the Story:
Governor terms tribe's offer 'blackmail' (The Casper Star-Tribune 10/21)

Related Stories:
Study shows tribe not receiving benefits from state (10/20)

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