skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Ute Tribe Waits for Congress to Make a Move

play audio
Play

Friday, September 7, 2012   

FORT DUCHESNE, Utah - Perhaps no one in Utah is more anxious for Congress to end its summer break and get back to work this month than members of the Ute Indian Tribe. A bill that allows the exchange of mineral rights on one parcel of land for another on the Ute reservation was passed by the House in June, but is stalled in the Senate.

The land swap is being sought by the tribe to preserve its hunting, fishing and religious practices. And Tribal Business Committee chair Irene Cuch says they want to keep these 18,000 wild acres from being drilled for oil and gas.

"We are concerned, probably because we thought it was going to get on the agenda earlier. If the Senate would pass this bill, in fact, it would make a long-standing dream come true for the Ute Indian tribe and its membership."

The land in question has been used by the tribe since the 1940s, and this idea originated in 2005. In Congress, the bill has been bundled into a larger package of legislation, some of which is controversial. So, the tribe wants the bill to have its own hearing – which for now, depends on the committee chair, Senator Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.

The swap gives the Utah State and Institutional Trust Lands Administration (SITLA) the mineral rights on another part of the reservation instead, on land that is better suited to development. John Andrews, SITLA associate director, says consolidating the land will allow the state and tribe to benefit, and the wild lands to stay wild.

"The tribe's very interested in economic development, to support their jobs and income services for their membership. So, there's a business relationship that we think will be good for both sides."

The land swap for what is called the Hill Creek Extension has bipartisan support of the Utah congressional delegation. The tribe's attorney, Jeremy Patterson, says the only concerns were raised by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), which contends the two parcels of land are unequal in terms of their mineral value.

"The tribe does not share that concern. You know, the tribe's placed value in having the lands protected as a wilderness area, as a sacred area. And while you may not be able to put a monetary value to that interest, the interest is still there."

The tribe believes that without the legislation, there won't be sufficient protection to prevent mining or drilling. Patterson says Congressional approval is needed since federal land and mineral rights complicate the deal.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021