Trust

BIA still reviewing Oneida Nation land-into-trust

Monday, March 31, 2008

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is still reviewing public comments on final environmental impact statement for the Oneida Nation's land-into-trust application.

The EIS recommends that about 13,000 acres in Madison and Oneida counties in New York be placed in trust. The final decision will be made by the Interior Department's associate deputy secretary Jim Cason.

The tribe applied for more than 17,000 acres after the U.S. Supreme Court said the tribe had to go through the land-into-trust process before asserting sovereignty on its properties.

Get the Story:
No decision yet (The Oneida Dispatch 3/31)

An Opinion:
Editorial: Land trust still leaves questions (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 3/30)

Relevant Documents:
Final EIS (March 2008) | Draft EIS (November 2006)

Federal Register Notice:
Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Transfer From Fee to Trust of Parcels Owned by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York in Oneida and Madison Counties, New York (February 22, 2008)

From the Indianz.Com Archive:
BIA official calls high court ruling 'quite depressing' (March 31, 2005)
Major defeat for Oneida Nation in Supreme Court case (March 30, 2005)

Relevant Links:
Oneida Nation Trust - http://www.oneidanationtrust.com
Oneida Nation, New York - http://www.oneida-nation.net
Indian Nation Fee-to-Trust Land Acquisition Applications in New York State - http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/888.html
Oneida Indian Nation's Land Into Trust Application, Madison County - http://www.madisoncounty.org/motf/OINTrustMain.html

Sherrill v. Oneida Nation Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Ginsburg] | Concurrence [Souter] | Dissent [Stevens]