Tribal snub update

A few days ago we posted a press release from the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation voicing their displeasure and concerns that the Bureau of Indian Affairs had not consulted them about a Spring Valley stipulation agreement the agency signed with SNWA, withdrawing protests to SNWA water rights applications.

The snub was reported in the Las Vegas Sun (10-03-06) who followed up with an editorial (10-04-06).


A BIA official said SNWA's Spring Valley water rights applications didn't seem to them to affect Indian lands so "the federal government should go along with what looked to be inevitable."

BIA mailed an apology saying they were unable to consult with tribes prior to the agreement because of scheduling problems dealing with the Nevada State Engineer hearing and the SNWA-fed negotiations. Ed Naranjo, Goshute Tribe official, said the agency had plenty of time to consult, which was their legal responsibility. BIA said they had not been asked by local tribes to be part of the stipulation agreement, saying "The impact to the tribes doesn't look like it will be more than minimal."

BIA pledged to work with local tribes in the ongoing Bureau of Land Management Environmental Impact Study.

The Goshute Reservation's business council will meet to discuss a response to the SNWA-fed agreement.

Naranjo said the issue should have been avoided with a phone call.