2017 Land & Water News Stories
Judge rejects tribal claim that Connecticut owes it $610M (The Washington Post) 12/29/17
Major tribal land and forestry bill headed for President Trump's desk (JPR) 12/29/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.1306)
Army Corps of Engineers and Navajo delegates partner for watershed studies (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 12/26/17
Senate endorses forest equity for Coquille Tribe (KCBY) 12/22/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.1306)
Trump's Interior Secretary talks about adiminstration's Alaska plans and priorities (Anchorage Daily News) 12/22/17
Treaty tribes on wells: "It's about fairness" (Northwest Treaty Tribes) 12/16/17
DOJ files appeal on UKB land-in-trust ruling (Tahlequah Daily Press) 12/15/17 (See Cherokee Nation v. S.M.R. Jewell)
Ponca Tribe faces roadblock with lawsuit challenging restoration of homelands (Indianz) 12/15/17
Feds unveil 10-year recovery plan for threatened coastal coho (Oregon Live) 12/14/17
Supreme Court brings good news to Quapaw Tribe in restoration of homelands case (Indianz) 12/11/17
Wampanoag Tribe takes land into Federal Trust (Vineyard Gazette) 12/7/17 (See Massachusetts v. Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah))
Hoeven holds hearing to examine Indian Water Rights Settlement legislation (U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs) 12/6/17 (See 115th Congress S. 664 and S.1770)
Navajo Nation President testifies before Congress on protecting Utah Navajo water rights (Native News Online) 12/7/17 (See 115th Congress S.664)
Senate Committee on Indian Affairs takes up two tribal water rights settlements (Indianz) 12/5/17 (See 115th Congress S.664, S.1170)
Senate passes bill to improve safety and sanitation at Columbia River tribal fishing sites (U.S. Senator Patty Murray) 12/1/17 (See 115th Congress S.669)
How a big win for Native American water rights could impact the West (Resilience) 11/30/17 (See Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Riverside County)
Pechanga Ban celebrates execution of first water settlement in the Trump era (Indianz) 11/29/17
SCOTUS asked to hear tribal land condemnation case (Fox Rothschild) 11/28/17
Push continues for Navajo Indian Irrigation Project funding (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 11/28/17
Indigenous women lead effort to reclaim ancestral lands (San Fransico Chronicle) 11/28/17
Supreme Court won't hear California water agencies' appeal in tribe's goundwater case (Desert Sun.) 11/27/17 (See Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Riverside County)
Justive Thomas attacks land-into-trust provess as Oneida Nation secures victory (Indianz) 11/27/17 ( See Upstate Citizens for Equality v. U.S. and Town of Vernon v. U.S.)
Ponca Tribe secures victory in long-running battle over restoration of homelands (Indianz)11/15/17
States battle federal government for control of public lands. They both have long trampled on Native American rights. (The Washinton Post via MSN) 11/12/17
Supreme court upholds constitutionality of CSKT Water Compact (Missoulian) 11/9/17
Appeals court won't revist historic decision in Muscogee Nation boundary case (Indianz) 11/9/17 (See Murphy v. Royal)
Aquila Resources: Menominee Tribe takes action to protect its namesake river (4-Traders) 11/7/17
Trump administration delays roll-out of controversial trust land rule after uproar (Indianz) 11/3/17
Chumash Tribe finally secures county approval for land-into-trust agreement (Indianz) 10/31/17
Tribal leaders call land-use bill step in right direction (Los Angeles Times) 10/29/17 (See 115th Congress H.R. 215)
Leader of Bureau of Indian Affairs among witnesses for controversial tribal land bill (Indianz) 10/23/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.215)
Moving back to traditional lands (Tribal Tribune) 10/23/17
Timbisha Shoshone Tribe anticipates uphill battle with Trump team over casino (Indianz) 10/23/17
House subcommittee takes up controversial American Indian Empowerment Act (Indianz) 10/19/17 (See 115th Congress H.R. 215)
Interior Dept., Warm Springs tribes in land buy-back program (News Channel 21) 10/17/17
Tribes slam Trump administration for adding hurdles to land-into-trust process (Indianz) 10/17/17
Interior looks at behind-the-scenes land swap to allow road through wildlife refuge (The Washington Post) 10/15/17
Western Arizona tribes could lease Colorado River water to areas thristy for development (AZ Central.) 10/15/17
Minnesota tribes to hold their own Line 3 pipeline meetings (Duluth News Tribune) 10/13/17
Osage Nation prepared to fight state over water rights on historic reservation (Indianz) 10/12/17
Trump official says government won't stand in the way of removing Klamath dams (The Sacramento Bee) 10/9/17 (See Baley v. United States)
Trump team discourages tribes from seeking land away from their reservations (Indianz) 10/4/17
Narragansett Tribe faces opposition from citizens after signing water agreement (Indianz) 10/4/17
House subcommitte schedules hearing on bill affecting Indian land in Oklahoma (Indianz) 10/3/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.2606, H.R.146, H.R.2402)
Judge denies irrigators special treatment, millions in drought payments (Earth Justice) 10/2/17 (See Baley v. United States)
Mountian Protector Prayer Walk calls attention to sacred San Fransico Peaks (Indianz) 9/28/17
Huffman reintroduces bill that would expand Yurok Tribe reservation, acquires Republican co-sponsor (Lost Coast Outpost) 9/28/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.3847)
Tentative deal announced between Santa Barbara County, Chumash Tribe over land in Santa Ynez Valley (KCLU) 9/26/27
Gun Lake Tribe draws in more allies as Supreme Court considers casino case (Indianz) 9/25/17 (See 113th Congress S.1603)
Pokanoket Nation signs agreement to preserve ancestral land in Rhode Island (Indianz) 9/25/17
Water bailout? Colorado river tribes pose statewide leasing idea (Tucson.com) 9/24/17
Winnebago Tribe seeks return of land in Iowa (Sioux City Journal) 9/24/17 (See 115th Congress H.R. 3688)
$9.1M project to deliver more water to Navajo communities (U.S. News) 9/22/17
A fresh look at Seneca history (Hype Magazine) 9/19/17
Trump administration moves to open Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling (Indianz) 9/18/17
Native American tribes fight for clean water (Eastern Arizona Courier) 9/16/17
President Trump's border wall could carve path through Native American lands (News 4 Tucson) 9/16/17
Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe returning to roots with 902-acre land buy (ABC 12) 9/15/17
Colorado River: Hualapai Tribe settles water rights claim (Coyote Gulch) 9/12/17 (See 115th Congress S.1170)
Corporations have legal personhood, but rivers don't? That could change (Yes! Magazine) 9/12/17
First Nation's tiny house symbolizes resistance to pipeline: Opinion (Guelph Mercury Tribune) 9/10/17
BIA sends notice on lands into trust applications for Ninilchik and Fort Yukon (State of Alaska Department of Law) 9/8/17
Blackfeet Nation secures $100k federal grant to enhance border security efforts (Indianz) 9/7/17
Udall, Heinrich, Lujan urge Secretary Zinke to defer all leases on land near Chaco Culture National Historical Park (U.S. Senator Tom Udall) 9/6/17
California water districts ask U.S. Supreme Court to review groundwater rights case (The Groundwater Association) 8/31/17 (See Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Coachella Valley Water District)
Tribes: Dallas' Energy Transfer Partners overstates Dakota Access piepline shutdown impact (Dallas News) 8/30/17
Confderate Salish and Kootenai tribes dealt setback on National Bison Range (Indianz) 8/28/17
Energy trade groups get say on potential Dakota Access pipeline shutdown (JW Energy) 8/29/17
Here are the national monuments being reviewed under Trump's order (Los Angeles Times) 8/22/17
Feds urge judge not to shut down Dakota Access pipeline during review (The Hill) 8/18/17
Tribes grapple with contaminated water, federal bureaucracy (The Oregonian) 8/15/17
Trump administration abandons tribes in battle over boundaries of reservation in Wyoming (Indianz) 8/14/17
How the U.S. Government is helping corporations plunder Native land (In These Times) 9/6/16
10 states back California agencies in fight with tribe over groundwater (Desert Sun) 8/8/17 (See Supreme Court Bulletin 2017-2018)
EPA Chief to reconsider paying claims over mine waste spill in Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico (The Salt Lake Tribune) 8/5/17
In court battle over groundwater rights, tribe's leader demands water treatment (Desert Sun) 8/5/17 (See Supreme Court Bulletin 2017-2018)
House approves land-into-trust bills for tibes amid concerns about process (Indianz) 7/14/17 (See 115th Congress)
Do tribes have special groundwater rights? Water agencies appeal to Supreme Court in landmark case (The Desert Sun) 7/6/17
Interior letter renews hope for Mashpee tribe's plans (Cape Cod Times) 7/1/17
Standing Rock, Energy Transfer Partners square off (Indian Country Today) 6/26/17
Native Amerians to fight FERC over pipeline work (The Berkshire) 6/23/17
DAPL oil to keep flowing while legal battle continues (Duluth News Tribune) 6/21/17
Judge announces Trump won't be defendent in Dakota Access Pipeline lawsuit (JWN Energy) 6/21/17 (See Standing Rock Sioux Tribe v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Environmental Groups, tribe, go to court to keep frac sand mine out of wetlands (WPR News) 6/20/17
Hearing will address what happens to DAPL after judge's ruling (North American Shale) 6/19/17
Major 9th Circuit Court ruling affirms Gila River Indian Community's water rights in upper valley of the Gila River (Native News Online) 6/18/17 (See United States v. Gila Valley Irrigation District)
Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals rules in favor of Navajo Nation (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 6/13/17 (See Public Service Company of New Mexico v. Barboan)
Board affirms Oregon county's denial of railroad expansion (OPB) 6/13/17
Hopi and Navajo leaders try to break impasse in LCR water settlement (KNAU) 6/9/17
Federal agencies give notice of possible appeal of court ruling providing earlier spill for fish (The Columbia Basin Bulletin) 6/9/17
Water adjudication: Wogan hears exceptions to state's decree (Herald and News) 6/8/17
Columbia tribe's chair testifies for sea lion management bill (Northwest Sportsman) 6/8/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.2083)
Tribe's landmark water case will proceed while agencies appeal to Supreme Court (The Desert Sun) 6/7/17 (See Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Coachella Valley Water District and Desert Water Agency v. U.S. Department of the Interior)
Bill could exempt Chumash-owned land from taxes (Santa Maria Sun) 6/7/17
Tribes concerned proposed Nestle water pumping increase would harm environment, violate treaty (Michigan Radio) 6/7/17
Tribal land acquisition protected in Trump budget despite deep cuts in many Indian areas (Indian Country Today) 6/6/17
Hopi, Navajo continue negotiations for Little Colorado River Water Settlement (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 6/6/17
Judge dismisses $200 million water lawsuit from SD tribe (Rapid City Journal) 6/6/17
Despite $1.2 billion in purchases, tribal land buy-back 'treading water' (AZ Daily Sun) 6/5/17
Quinault Indian Nation wins... again (Native News Online) 6/2/17 (See Quinault Indian Nation v. Imperium Terminal Services, LLC)
Interior order on oil and gas drilling puts Artic public lands at risk (EarthJustice) 6/2/17
Court rules in CN's favor on UKB trust land case (Cherokee Phoenix) 6/1/17
Navajo Nation welcomes victory for 'sovereignty' in land dispute (Indianz) 5/30/17 (See Public Service Company v. Barboan) (Turtle Talk Materials)
Cole, Lucas, Mulling and Russell introduce the Stigler Act Amendment of 2017 (The Ada News) 5/25/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.2606)
Central Council of Tlingit-Haida applying to put downtown land in federal trust (Juneau Empire) 5/22/17
Trump administration blocks transfer of federal bison refuge to Indian Tribe (Talk Media News) 5/19/17
Supreme Court turns back challenge to 2008 land trust decision (Rome Sentinel) 5/17/17 (See Central New York Fair Business Association v. Zinke)
4th Judicial District Court upholds conviction in elk poaching case (Sheridan Press) 5/17/17
Judge grants Mashpee tribe's stay request (The Mashpee Enterprise) 5/16/17
Battle looms as Trump allies look to 'privatize' Native American reservations (Sputnik News) 5/15/17
New Jersey town asks judge to order tribe to remove teepees (U.S. News) 5/12/17
Oregon's Klamath tribes show stewardship with water call (The Hill) 5/10/17
Blackfeet Nation ratifies water compact (Indian Country) 5/10/17
Secretary Zinke vows support for sovereignty after 'off-ramp' comments about trust lands (Indianz) 5/9/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.215)
Senate approves water bill for one tribe and land bill for two others (Indianz) 5/9/17 (See 115th Congress S.140, S.249)
Senate passes Flake-McCain bill to complete the White Mountain Apache Tribe Water Settlement (Sen. McCain Press Release) 5/9/17 (See 115th Congress S.140)
Closing arguments for 'takings' case today (Herald and News) 5/9/17 [Klamath River]
Blood quantum debate renewed: Legislature passes bill that would lower requirement for Hawaiian homestead successors (Hawaii Tribunal Herald) 5/7/17
Mashpee Wampanoag say fight over land about more than proposed casino (Cape Cod Times) 5/5/17
Secretary Zinke advocates 'off-ramp' for taking lands out of trust (Indianz) 5/3/17
In last-minute move, legislators remove money to implement tribal water compacts (Missoulian) 5/3/17
Supreme Court brings bad news to tribes by taking up land case (Indianz) 5/1/17 (See Patchak v. Zinke)
Central Council working to put Juneau parcels into trust (KTOO) 5/1/17
Feds drop appeal in casino case, may still take land in trust on other grounds (South Cost Today) 4/29/17
Mashpee Wampanoag work towards decision on land status (Cape Cod Today) 4/28/17
Appeals court upholds decision allowing hatchery fish in Elwha River salmon recovery (Columbia Basin Fish & Wildlife News) 4/28/17
Ak-Chin Indian Community files suit over water rights (Indian Country Today) 4/27/17
Mashpee Wampanoag tribe files motion to delay land into trust lawsuit (Cape Cod) 4/27/17
Blackfeet tribal members approve water compact (Billings Gazette) 4/26/17
The Tohono O'Odham Nation's border wall opposition (Law Professors) 4/26/17
Supreme Court takes no action on long-running tribal land case (Indianz) 4/24/17 (See Patchak v. Zinke)
Blackfeet tribal members to hold vote on water compact (Daily Inter Lake) 4/18/17
Zinke: U.S. won't transfer bison range to tribes (Daily Inter Lake) 4/13/17
Tribal members in Oklahoma defeat natural gas pipeline company (Indian Country Today) 4/12/17
Agua Caliente water rights suit heading to Supreme Court (Indian Country Today) 4/9/17 (See Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians v. Coachella Valley Water District)
BIA sends notice on lands into trust applications for lands used as parking lots (State of Alaska Dept. of Law) 4/7/17
Indian Country secures victory with end to long-running land case (Indianz) 4/4/17 (See Citizens Against Reservation Shopping v. Jewell)
Tribal fairness, wild steelhead acts move toward Senate (News-Review) 3/30/17 (See 115th Congress H.R.1306)
Hatch and Chaffetz introduce Navajo Water Settlement Legislation (Sen. Orin Hatch Press Release) 3/30/17 (See 115th Congress S.664)
Secretary Zinke confirms role in talking to tribes about unwanted border wall (Indianz) 3/29/17
Bipartisan U.S. Senate committee supports safety bill for Columbia River tribal sites (The Oregonian) 3/29/17 (See 115th Congress S.669)
Desert water agencies will appeal to Supreme Court in tribe's landmark groundwater case (The Desert Sun) 3/29/17 (See Agua Caliente v. Coachella Valley Water District)
Two Bureau of Land Management regulations on life support under President Trump (JD Supra) 3/25/17
A fight over a bison herd in Montana sets retired rangers against Tribes (BuzzFeed) 3/24/17
Tohono O'odham tribal members opposing Trump's border wall take fight to McCain (AZ Central) 3/23/17
Reading into proposed Blackfeet Water Rights Compact (Glacier Reporter) 3/22/17
Tribes' federal water rights include groundwater—but how much? (JD Supra) 3/22/17
Uranium mine near Grand Canyon deals with excess water (Arizona Public Media) 3/21/17
Northwestern members of Congress reintroduce bill to improve safety and sanitation at Columbia River tribal fishing sites (Public Now) 3/21/17 (See 115th Congress S.669)
Supreme Court considers petition in casino land-into-trust dispute (Indianz) 3/20/17
A river in New Zealand is now legally a person (SunHerald) 3/15/17
Finding the intersection of American Indian law and property law (PropertyProfBlog) 3/15/17
Judge delays opening of appeal on tribal land in trust (The Mashpee Enterprise) 3/15/17
Jury convicts Malheur National Wildlife Refuge occupiers in second trial (Indian Country Today) 3/14/17
No standing to challenge BIA's Native American land lease tax reg (Constitutional Law Prof Blog) 3/9/17
Ninth Circuit confirms tribe's water rights (Courthouse News Service) 3/8/17
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe files another land-into-trust application (Indianz) 3/8/17
Water agency dealt setback in challenge to Bureau of Indian Affairs rule (Indianz) 3/7/17
Trump administration backs Cowlitz Tribe in Supreme Court brief (Indianz) 3/7/17
Indigenous people speak out against pollution of tribal lands (DailyLoBo) 3/5/17
From Standing Rock to Colorado, American Indians fight to control their resources (Colorado Public Radio) 3/1/17
Chairman: No 'quid pro quo' for 200 acres given to Torres Martinez tribe (Desert Sun) 2/28/17
Rincon moves to protect reservation water (Valley Road Runner) 2/25/17
Wyoming tribes lose major ruling in reservation boundary case (Indianz) 2/22/17
Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals rules in favor of Hoopa Valley tribe (Native News Online) 2/22/17
Tohono O'odham Nation releases video on its opposition to proposed border wall (Tucson) 2/21/17
Court supports order to divert water to support salmon (San Francisco Chronicle) 2/21/17
Disaster declaration for Hoopa Valley Tribe approved, tribes win legal victory for salmon (Daily Kos) 2/18/17
National Congress of American Indians reacts to Trump's executive order to build a wall on border (Native News Online) 2/17/17
Officials field concerns on Pojoaque Basin water plan (Santa Fe New Mexican) 2/17/17
Tribes, wildlife advocates spar with ag groups over bison bill (Bozeman Daily) 2/16/17
Connecticut: tribe can't sue for $600 million for land grab (Hartford Courant) 2/15/17
'Takings' trial adjourns (Hearld & News) 2/15/17
Feds ordered to increase Klamath flows for coho (The Siskiyou Daily News) 2/14/17
MT County fights for lost revenue from tribes' dam (Courthouse News) 2/13/17
Federal court protects Klamath salmon, tribal and fishing communities (Earthjustice) 2/8/17
County to continue talks with Chumash (Santa Barbara News-Press) 2/8/17
Teck Metals loses appeal, must pay Colville $8.2 million (Indian Country Today) 2/7/17
Our view — consider all sides in tribal lawsuit, not just one (News-Review) 2/3/17
City disagrees with tribe on reservation boundaries (Go Anacortes) 2/1/17
Trump team gets more time for brief in Supreme Court tribal casino case (Indianz) 1/31/17
Michigan Governor asks court to toss lawsuit (Casino Connection) 1/31/17
St. Regis Mohawk Tribe applies for trust status for 63 acres in Franklin County (The Malone Telegram) 1/31/17
La Plata County OKs letter on tribal water standards application (The Durango Herald) 1/31/17
NARF vows to stand firm against any incursions on or harm to Indian lands (Native News Online) 1/29/17
Native American tribe vows to stop Donald Trump building Mexican border wall on their Arizona reservation (Independent) 1/29/17
Navy sued over aircraft hull-scraping in Puget Sound (Northwest Public Radio) 1/27/17
Mark Zuckerberg listens to Native Hawaiian concerns, drops lawsuits (Huffington Post) 1/27/17
Agreement reached on megaload use of Highway 12 (Lewiston Tribune) 1/27/17
Montana, federal officials hope to resolve Yellowstone bison conflict quickly (Bozeman Daily Chronicle) 1/27/17
Trump must include tribal nations in Land and Water Conservation Fund (Indian Country Today) 1/27/17
Yakama Nation sues county over approach to proving water adequacy (Methow Valley News) 1/26/17
Governor opposes railroad expansion plan through southern RI (WNPR) 1/26/17
Bureau of Indian Affairs expands Santa Ynez Chumash's tribal lands (KCBX) 1/24/17
New twist in efforts to transfer Bison Range to Indian tribes (Independent Record) 1/19/17
Court says tribe's suit against BNSF can proceed (Goanacortes) 1/18/17
DOI approves Craig Land-into-Trust application (Capital City Weekly) 1/18/17
Obama designates new National Monuments along California coast (AGNet) 1/13/17
Interior Secretary Jewell, tribal leaders mark enactment of four additional water rights settlements for Indian Country (eNews Park Forest) 1/13/17
Alaska tribe makes history with approval of trust land application (Indianz) 1/13/17
Lawsuit accuses Dakota Access of misleading landowners (Grand Forks Herald) 1/11/17
Deputy Secretary Connor accounces land buy-back program sales exceed $1 billion (Native News Online) 1/07/17
Obama signs Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act (JD Supra) 1/04/17
State Supreme Court may step in over tribal casino land (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 1/03/17
Utah trust lands in Bears Ears monument an issue (Durango Herald) 1/03/17
Havasupai Tribe files two lawsuits fighting for water rights (Navajo-Hopi Observer) 1/03/16
