Facebook Twitter Email
FEBRUARY 2, 2001

In his first 13 days in office, President George W. Bush has reached out to thousands of religious groups whom he says the government must stop discriminating against, African-Americans who rejected him 9 out of 10 times at the polls last November, and 54 million disabled Americans who Bush says have been shut out of education, employment, and other opportunities.

Elected without receiving a majority of the vote, Bush has promised to be a uniter and not a divider and is facing intense scrutiny by millions of Americans who intend to hold him to his pledge. Yet one big question still remains for Indian Country: When will tribes have their day in the spotlight?

Soon. Well, at least that's the expectation of tribal leaders who have been awaiting news of how Bush will include them in his agenda. A number hope to meet with him in the coming weeks at the urging of Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), the Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs.

But while many tribal leaders and Indian organizations like the National Congress of American Indians have remained decidedly unpartisan about some of Bush's controversial Cabinet members, they haven't been silent about asserting their place in the new administration. Since January, tribal leaders all over the country have been patiently discussing strategies, priorities, and positions they will take during the next four years.

One organization doing just that is the United South and Eastern Tribes (USET), representing tribes from Maine to Texas to Florida. Tribal leaders have been meeting all week in Washington, DC, to discuss legislative, economic, and environmental issues not just with each other but with members of Capitol Hill.

USET President Keller George is among many who are eager to work with newly confirmed Secretary of Interior Gale Norton. Although George hasn't had any first-hand experience with her, he said he was encouraged by the "government-to-government" relationship she maintained with Ute tribes during her tenure as Colorado's Attorney General.

Ray Halbritter, representative of the Oneida Nation of New York, had similar sentiments. He said Norton has shown "respect" for tribal sovereignty although a number of Indian organizations have raised red flags about Norton's past positions on Supreme Court cases affecting tribal rights.

For the leaders of three Passamoquoddy and Penobscot tribes in Maine, former New Jersey Governor Christine Whitman as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency holds the keys to a debate affecting the water quality of rivers near their reservations. In the final days of the Clinton administration, the EPA left open for Whitman the question of state control over the rivers.

Penobscot Gov. Barry Dana, Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Governor Richard M. Doyle, and Passamaquoddy Indian Township Governor Richard Stevens want the federal government to assume jurisdiction over rivers they say have been polluted by paper companies. They also say the state has done a poor job of keeping the rivers clean.

Meanwhile, the three have been held in contempt of a Maine freedom of information law for refusing to turn over tribal documents to the paper companies. They await federal court hearing on the matter, scheduled for February 9 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Relevant Links:
United Southern and Eastern Tribes - usetinc.org
The Department of Interior - www.doi.gov
The Environmental Protection Agency -www.epa.gov
Stop Gale Norton - www.biologicaldiversity.org/swcbd/
stop-norton/index.html
Say No to Norton - www.saynotonorton.org