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THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2002

Accusing former Assistant Kevin Gover of running the Bureau of Indian Affairs like a "runaway train," The Norwich Bulletin in an editorial today calls on Congress to reimburse $1.2 million for a lawsuit filed by three Connecticut towns.

The towns of Ledyard, North Stonington and Preston spent the money challenging the BIA's decision to take 165 acres of land into trust for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation. The case has now been dropped since the tribe has withdrawn its request.

That means Congress should pay for the lawsuit, says the paper. "Beyond being the right thing to do, Congress would be sending the message across the country that small towns don't have to spend enormous sums of money in order to protect themselves from the federal government," the paper writes.

The paper doesn't point out that Gover's predecessor, Ada Deer, made the decision to approve the land-into-trust application. Gover only ran the BIA for three years of the Clinton administration.

Get the Story:
Editorial: Towns right to seek attorneys' fees in land-into-trust suit (The Norwich Bulletin 3/28)
Towns seek to recover legal cost of land fight with tribe (The New London Day 3/28)

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Pequot Tribe seeks peace (2/27)
Conn. claims victory on land-into-trust (2/26)
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