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Blackfeet traditionalists and conservation groups on Wednesday appealed a federal court decision that reinstated a controversial lease in the Badger-Two Medicine.
Montana Public Radio’s Aaron Bolton reports, this is the latest court filing in a decades long battle over oil and gas development in the traditional homeland of the Blackfeet Nation in northwest Montana.
The roughly 165,000-acre Badger-Two Medicine is a section of the Lewis and Clark National Forest along the Rocky Mountain Front.
The landscape is sacred to the Blackfeet people and is popular with recreationists and hunters.
A decades-long legal battle over dozens of oil and gas leases within the Badger took a major step in 2016, when the federal government canceled any remaining leases, including one owned by Louisiana-based Solenex.
In September, a federal court ruled that Solenex’s lease must be reinstated, saying the federal government lacked the authority to cancel the lease.
The Pikuni Traditionalist Association, which preserves Blackfeet culture, along with several conservation groups appealed that ruling to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. They maintain that like many other leases issued in the region in the 1980s, the Solenex lease lacked an environmental assessment and was therefore issued illegally.
Gary Farmer, seen here performing at the #WaterIsLife Festival in Duluth, MN on September 4, 2022, spoke during a NCAI convention panel about cannabis this week.
A cannabis policy session at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) annual convention in Sacramento, California, was well attended Wednesday.
The Indigenous Cannabis Industry Association spoke about advancing tribal Sovereignty and Indian Self-Determination in cannabis.
The discussion looked at strategies and priorities in federal cannabis reform.
ICIA’s founder Rob Pero says the turnout for the session shows there’s much interest in the cannabis industry in Indian Country.
“Well, it’s been changing for years. What we want to do at ICIA is provide a platform for people to actually have discussions about it like who’s doing what, who needs help here, who needs help there and how can we fill the voids and our development of the cannabis industry in general. The narrative is ramping up and that fact that we had such great participation at NCAI, we are really excited about the future.”
The session featured special guest Gary Farmer.
The musician and actor is known for his role as Uncle Brownie in the TV series “Reservation Dogs”.
Farmer talked about his support for the cannabis industry.
NCAI continues Thursday with focus on water rights, the Indian Child Welfare Act, Indian education, climate resilience, the Farm Bill, and how to resolve tribal-U.S. disputes.
Higher education leaders, especially advocates for tribal colleges and universities, say they hope to see strong turnout for the midterms.
Mike Moen has more.
Cheryl Crazy Bull with the American Indian College Fund says because most of these schools are on reservations, they can’t rely on state support, only federal funding.
She says they hope to see voters research candidates who would make more funding a priority, so these schools could have more of a firm financial footing.
“We need people in Congress who support Native higher education, so that we can get the kinds of resources that we need.”
She says additional support could also help address gaps in Native students seeking financial aid.
During the pandemic, Congress has provided emergency relief to tribal colleges. But leaders testified before federal lawmakers that their funding levels per student remain inadequate, typically falling below the authorized level $9,000.
In Minnesota, Jacob McArthur leads economic development for the White Earth Tribal Government. He attended his area’s community college before moving on to a mainstream university. He says tribal schools or TCUs serve as a great bridge, especially for non-traditional students, whether they finish at another school or fill needed roles within their community.
“Our TCUs are really important for workforce development. It isn’t just about the two-year degree and putting you on the pathway towards a four-year degree.”
According to the Gallup Purdue index, nearly 75% of tribal college alumni said they were employed in areas related to American Indian communities or tribal lands, and many work directly with their tribe.
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