Dear friends,
The Western Shoshone are asking to protest new attempts by Nevada
politicians
to get through with the money distribution bill and some WS ranchers
also
received Notices of Intent to Impound their livestock. (see info
below).
I shortened the long list of Fax-No and would recommend first of all
the 2
Caucuses, especially Kucinich will be supportive and of the
Democrats those who
have been supportive in the past, like Tom Udall and George Miller.
Please ask them to support the Western Shoshone against the money
distribution
Bill, because a majority wants to stick to their land.
Sincerely
Renate
House Resources Committee Fax Numbers
General Phone – (202) 225-2761
General Fax – (202) 225-5929
Black Caucus
John Lewis (GA) 202-225-0351
Progressive Caucus
Dennis Kucinich (OH) 202-225-5745
Democrats
Dale E. Kildee (MI) 202-225-3611
Eni F.H. Faleomavaega (AS) 202-225-8757
Neil Abercombie (HI) 202-225-4580
Tom Udall (NM) 202-226-1331
Mark Udall (CO) 202-226-7840
George Miller (CA) 202-225-5609
Joe Baca (CA) 202-225-8671
Republicans
Richard Pombo (CA) 202-226-0861
George P. Radanovich (CA) 202-225-3402
Chris Cannon (UT) 202-225-5629
Rob Bishop (UT) 202-225-5857
Dear friends,
The Distribution
Bill is on the move again. On April 28, 2004, Congressman
Gibbons sent a request to Chairman Richard Pombo seeking ways to
streamline the
bill through the House of Representatives. The complete text of
Gibbons’ letter
is set forth below. This push is being made at the same time that
Gibbons’ is
sponsoring other legislation, HR 2869 and HR 2772, which would open
up Shoshone
lands to privatization by multinational mining companies and massive
geothermal
energy development with no provision for Western Shoshone interests
or
concerns. Additionally, in the last 2 weeks, Notices of Intent to
Impound
livestock have again been received by Western Shoshone grandfather
Robert
Healy, Sr. of Odger’s Ranch, Western Shoshone grandmothers Mary and
Carrie Dann
and other Western Shoshone ranchers.
If you want to express your thoughts or concerns, a list of fax
numbers for
House Committee on Resources members and contacts for Black Caucus
and
Progressive Caucus are attached with a reference sheet on the
Distribution
Bill. A copy of a letter sent by one concerned Shoshone community
is included
below for your reference.
If anyone has contacts to John Kerry’s campaign people, please let
us know or
contact them directly and let us know the results – it’s about time
the
candidates starting addressing their position on this issue.
TEXT OF LETTER SENT BY GIBBONS TO CHAIRMAN POMBO:
Dear Chairman Pombo,
First, thank you for holding a hearing and mark-up on H.R. 884, the
Western
Shoshone Claims Distribution Act. As you know, this legislation is
very
important to the Western Shoshone tribes in Nevada since this issue
has been
pending for over three decades. During this time, many members of
the tribe
have passed away without ever seeing the benefits of their money.
In the spirit of bipartisan cooperation, I am requesting that
Senator Harry
Reid’s version of this legislation (S 618), which passed the Senate
under
Unanimous Consent, be brought to the House Floor under Unanimous
Consent. If
this agreement cannot be made, please consider allowing S 618 to go
to the
House Floor by way of a Rule.
Thank you for your consideration of this request. Please do not
hesitate to
contact me or Sandra Keil of my staff at 225-6155 if you need
additional
information.
Sincerely,
Jim Gibbons, Member of Congress
CC: Ranking Member Nick Rahall
LETTER SENT by Western Shoshone Communities
Dear House Resources Committee Member,
On April 28, 2004, Congressman Gibbons sent this letter to Resources
Committee
Chair Pombo. Gibbons requests that Senator Reid’s version of H.R.
884 (S.618)
be brought to the House Floor under Unanimous Consent. If that is
not possible,
Gibbons requests that S.618 go to the House Floor by way of a Rule.
Gibbons
appears to be covertly amending the bill already reported out of the
House
Resources Committee. During the Resources Committee hearing on H.R.
884,
Congressman Gibbons engaged in a dialog with Congressman Tom Udall
in which
Gibbons stated he would assist the Western Shoshone in resolving
their land
issues. The very day this letter was sent to Pombo’s office, a
Western Shoshone
Delegation met with Gibbons’ office to request follow up on Gibbons’
statements. Gibbons’ office did not inform the delegation of the
letter.
Members of that delegation were:
Jerrill Johns, Chairman, Yomba Shoshone Tribe
Hugh Stevens, Chairman, Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone (largest
population
base)
Thomas Wasson, Chairman, Winnemucca Indian Colony
Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone National Council
Joe Kennedy, Timbisha Shoshone
Congressman Gibbons did not consult existing tribal or traditional
leadership.
A majority of the Western Shoshone federally-recognized tribal
councils and all
traditional Western Shoshone oppose the bill because it does not
provide a
process whereby the Western Shoshone can secure a culturally and
economically
viable landbase. The Distribution Bill, in combination with H.R.
2772 (a bill
to open “public” lands to expansion of Geothermal energy
development, a
majority of which fall within Shoshone territory) and H.R. 2869 (a
bill to open
certain lands – all within Shoshone territory -- to purchase by
mining
companies), appears to have the impact of “paying off” the Shoshone
and selling
their lands to mining and geothermal interests without including the
Western
Shoshone in the process.
It is crucial that you oppose this bill because it does not
accurately reflect
the will of the Western Shoshone Nation. Thank you for your support.
The Western Shoshone Distribution Bill - H.R. 884/S 618
Key Points:
HR 884/S 618 is an
attempt to legitimize the theft of Western Shoshone lands
and to initiate massive corporate giveaways of the land and its
resources.
This bill
distributes money awarded for an alleged extinguishment of
title to 24 million acres of land, the vast majority of which is
currently
classified as “public” lands. The issue of title to the land and
accounting
for resource extraction is the subject matter of current litigation,
Western
Shoshone v. U.S., 03-CV-2009, U.S. District Court, D.C.
This bill would
open the way to large scale privatization of lands held
sacred by the Western Shoshone and currently used and occupied by
the native
people for grazing, gathering medicinal and food plants, hunting and
fishing,
and ceremonial purposes. The stage is already being set for
corporate
giveaways and largescale privatization of the lands. For example:
H.R. 2869
would work to give away Western Shoshone lands to major mining
interests such
as Placer Dome; HR 2772 would encourage large scale expansion of
geothermal
energy production with no provision for Western Shoshone cultural
beliefs or
compensation for use of the hot water; Senator Reid’s office has
drafted the
Northern Nevada Public Lands Management Act which creates a process
for large
scale privatization of the same lands.
The land produces
2/3 the gold in the U.S., making it the third largest
gold producing area in the world, behind South Africa and
Australia. Due to
the enormous wealth of minerals, a 1999 USGS report sited the area
as the
number one investment opportunity for extraction companies.
Energy companies
are lining up for access to the vast geothermal
resources with Senator Reid calling the area the next “Saudi Arabia”
of
geothermal energy production.
In a November 2003
letter sent to Secretary of Interior Gale Norton,
Congressman Grijalva (AZ) raised serious concerns about the real
intent of the
bill and the involvement of the federal government and mining,
energy and
nuclear industries in presenting a misleading picture of the issues
to the
public and to members of Congress. (Copy available at
www.wsdp.org
.
Western Shoshone
people oppose HR 884/S 618.
A majority of the
tribal councils and all of the traditional Western
Shoshone oppose the distribution of money until the resolution of
the land
issues.
In 1980, at the
formal Hearing of Record, the claims money was rejected
because the U.S. could not demonstrate how it had legally acquired
title to the
land. Since that time, there has never been any vote of the Western
Shoshone on
the bill. The straw poll ballot referenced by Congressman Gibbons
and Senator
Reid was never authorized or certified by any Western Shoshone
government.
Despite a request by Congressman Tom Udall (NM), Interior has failed
to provide
any documentation of its statements that a “majority” of people are
in favor of
the bill.
HR 884/S 618
fundamentally violates human rights of the Western Shoshone.
The Western
Shoshone have never received a hearing on the issue of title.
The only issue decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in U.S. v. Dann was
whether
or not “payment” had been made when the money was accepted by the
Department of
Interior on behalf of the Western Shoshone. The Supreme Court said
“yes”,
Interior serves as a “trustee” to the Indians and Interior’s
acceptance equals
acceptance by the Western Shoshone, thereby triggering a statutory
bar to
litigation on the issue.
Last year, after 10
years of briefings and hearings, an international
judicial body (the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) found
that the
process used by the U.S. violates Western Shoshone rights to
property, to due
process, and to equality under the law.
Amnesty
International has issued a formal report on the situation and has
called upon the United States to adhere to the international ruling
of the
Inter-American Commission.
The Department of
Interior continues acts of armed surveillance and
threats of impoundment against Western Shoshone. (In the past
Congressional
session, hundreds of cattle and horses were forcibly seized by the
Department
under military-type tactics.)
What the Western
Shoshone Nation is asking for is reasonable.
From the beginning,
the Western Shoshone have asked for good faith
negotiations with the United States. Their request is simple: to
sit across
the table and talk on an equal level.
Complex negotiations occur in the corporate world everyday and if
the U.S. were to commit the appropriate political will, a process
could be
decided upon that would satisfy all concerned.
The cost to the taxpayer would be less than continuing the dispute
and may in fact save monies which would otherwise be spent in
ongoing
enforcement actions against Western Shoshone and monies wasted or
not realized
in private sweet heart deals with corporations and land developers.
