Source: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
The Nisqually Tribe’s natural resources office has been recording their activities over the last few weeks using personally mounted cameras. Here’s your first look, this time at steelhead surveys.
The united resistance of Fearless Summer — a conversation with Mathew Louis-Rosenberg
Bryan Farrell, Waging Non-Violence
This has been a busy summer for climate activists — with actions against the fossil fuel industry taking place on a near daily basis around the country. But busy is not the word they are using. They prefer to describe their efforts this summer as fearless. And why not? They are, after all, facing off against the largest, most profitable industry in the history of the world.
Nevertheless, this fearless action is not without strategy. In fact, the term Fearless Summer is being used to unite climate campaigns across the country that are working to stop fossil fuel extraction and protect communities on the frontlines. By coordinating collective action under the same banner, the aim is to speak as one voice against the fossil fuel industry.
To better understand how Fearless Summer came to be and what it’s accomplishing, I spoke with one of its coordinators, Mathew Louis-Rosenberg, who works in southern West Virginia fighting strip-mining — both with the community organization Coal River Mountain Watch and the direct action campaign Radical Action for Mountains and Peoples Survival.
How did the idea for the Fearless Summer come about?
Fearless Summer grew out of a discussion at the first Extreme Energy Extraction Summit held last February in upstate New York. The summit brought together an incredibly diverse group of 70 activists from across the country fighting against coal, gas, oil, tar sands, uranium and industrial biomass to create a more unified movement against energy extraction. We created shared languages, fostered relationships across the diverse spectrum of groups working on the issues and provided space for dialogue that allows innovative collaborations to form. Fearless Summer was one such collaboration.
Who are the principle organizers and groups involved? And how do you coordinate between one another?
Fearless Summer is an open-ended organizing framework and a call-to-action. So it’s difficult to say who the “principle organizers” are. There has been a core group of folks helping to coordinate and create infrastructure that includes organizers across a wide spectrum of groups, such as Radical Action for Mountains and Peoples Survival, Missourians Organizing for Reform and Empowerment, Peaceful Uprising, Food and Water Watch, Green Memes, Tar Sands Blockade, the student divestment movement and others. Coordination work has primarily been done through a listserv and open, weekly conference calls. There is no formal organizing or decision-making structure.
How does this build on last year’s Summer of Solidarity initiative and the actions that have happened since? Do you see it as an escalation?
Fearless Summer was explicitly conceived of as a next step beyond last year’s Summer of Solidarity. I think the intention and scale of Fearless Summer is the escalation. Summer of Solidarity arose out of the organizers of several large actions — the Mountain Mobilization, Coal Export Action, Tar Sands Blockade and Stop the Frack Attack — recognizing that we were all planning big things in a similar timeframe and by working together, primarily through social media, we could amplify each other’s messages rather than compete for attention. The hashtag #ClimateSOS took off and had a life of its own, but coordination never went beyond that core group. Fearless Summer was explicitly launched as an open framework intended to draw in as many groups and actions as possible and came with a clear statement of purpose. This time we engaged a much much wider spectrum of groups and actions under clear principles of unity and escalation. Fearless Summer has gone beyond social media coordination to really create some national dialogue between grassroots groups on presenting a united front on energy issues.
How does Fearless Summer compliment or differ from the many other summer initiatives going on, such as 350.org’s Summer Heat and indigenous peoples’ Sovereignty Summer? Did you coordinate with those organizers?
We see these efforts as highly complementary. We are probably most similar to Sovereignty Summer in how we are organized. Many current indigenous sovereignty struggles are deeply connected to struggles against energy industry attacks on native lands and we have been promoting many such struggles through Fearless Summer. We have also been talking extensively with 350.org organizers about the connections with Summer Heat, which is obviously different due to the central coordination through 350.org and a much more focused timeframe. Fearless Summer is an open framework for action through the summer, so any other similar organizing efforts strengthen the goals of Fearless Summer regardless of how coordinated they are with us.
How many actions have taken place under the Fearless Summer banner so far?
It’s really difficult to say. The trouble with an unstaffed, unfunded, open collaboration is that it’s hard to keep up with where people are taking things. Our kickoff week of action in June had at least 28 actions in six days and there have been dozens more outside of that. At least 50-60.
What actions are coming up?
To be honest, I don’t know. There’s still a lot going on. We’re hosting an action camp in West Virginia and I’ve heard whispers of big plans in other parts of the country, but at this point people are just taking the framework and running with it as we intended.
What are the plans for the fall and beyond?
Those conversations are happening right now. I think people want to see coordination move to the next level of acting together nationally on some common targets more and there’s also a lot of talk about connecting more with other social justice issues and talking about root causes. The second Extreme Energy Extraction Summit is coming up September 6-10 and a lot of discussion will happen there.
Are you feeling optimistic about the larger climate justice movement at the moment?
I am feeling optimistic about the movement. We see more and more communities getting active. It’s getting harder and harder for the energy industry to find anywhere to operate without resistance. And it’s having an impact. The president’s speech and climate plan, despite its deep flaws, speak to the impact we are having. Four years ago, Obama was telling student leaders that he couldn’t do anything without a large scale public pressure movement. We have that now. I think we have a long way to go still. A lot of work still needs to be done to engage a wider base, connect with other struggles around justice and root causes of climate change, and articulate a policy platform that solves the climate crisis in a just and honest way. On the action front, we are still a long way from where the nuclear freeze movement was — with thousands occupying power plants and test sites — doing jail solidarity and really creating a concrete problem for the industry beyond public relations.
If momentum continues to build in the next year, where do you see it coming from? And what might the work of activists look like next summer?
I’m not sure what the big catalyst could be. So far the growth of the movement has mostly been in a proliferation of local campaigns. I think it’s going to take a lot of national dialogue to knit those into collective action for collective wins. My hope is that by next year we will be seeing mass direct action that truly challenges the ability of legal systems to respond and corporations to operate. We need more people acting like their children’s lives are on the line. Because they are.
Meet the activists who humiliated Monsanto
© AP
Alex Cline, PolicyMic
Last Thursday, an intriguing press release from “Monsanto Global” was sent out to to the email inboxes of media organizations all over the world. According to the press release, Monsanto had received approval from Mexico’s SAGARPA (Secretariat of Agriculture) to plant a quarter of a million hectares of GMO corn in Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango. This was coupled with the announcement of two new Monsanto-funded institutions: a seed bank preserving Mexico’s 246 native strains of corn, and a museum of Mexican culture, to be established such that “[n]ever again will the wealth of this region’s culture be lost as social conditions change.”
This was certainly interesting, and indeed, the SAGARPA was in fact considering a permit to allow Monsanto to plant the corn. Still, it seemed fishy, and totally unlike Monsanto to admit (even obliquely) that their corporate practices could possibly change Mexican culture and wipe out indigenous corn strains.
Within hours, the domain name linked to in the press release (monsantoglobal.com) was no longer available, and a second Monsanto-branded press release denouncing the earlier announcement went out. This one, sent from an email at a different domain name (monsanto-media.com), claimed that the Monsanto Global press release was the work of an activist group called Sin Maíz No Hay Vida.
The highlights of the strongly-worded message included the following:
“The action of the group is fundamentally misleading,” said Janet M. Holloway, Chief of Community Relations for Monsanto. “The initiatives they put forth are unfeasible, and their list of demands is peppered with hyperbolic buzzwords like ‘sustainability,’ ‘culture,’ and ‘biodiversity.’”
“Only ecologists prioritize biodiversity over real-world concerns,” said Dr. Robert T. Fraley, who oversees Monsanto’s integrated crop and seed agribusiness technology and research worldwide. “Commercial farmers know that biodiversity means having to battle weeds and insects. That means human labor, and human labor means costs and time that could be spent otherwise.”
Here is a mirror of both press releases.
Later that day, a post on Monsanto’s blog denied that they had sent a press release about Mexico of any kind that day, stating that “Information on this hoax web site and its related communication properties has been turned over to the appropriate authorities to further investigate the matter.”
I reached out to a spokesperson for Sin Maíz No Hay Vida to find out more about the motivations behind the hoax.
PolicyMic (PM): Can you tell me about Sin Maíz No Hay Vida, who they are, and what their mission is?
SM: Sin Maíz No Hay Vida (Without Corn, there is No Life) is a coalition of activists, students, and artists from Mexico, the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Uganda, Venezuela, Spain, and Argentina.We are fighting to preserve biological and cultural diversity in Mesoamerica and around the world.
PM: What was the goal of the fake press release?
SM: We wanted to demonstrate the importance of corn (in terms of biodiversity, sustainability, and cultures in Mexico) and to show what is at stake if companies like Monsanto manage to privatize this staple crop. It’s not an exaggeration to say that in Mexico and around the world, there is no life without corn.
We also hoped to raise consciousness about Monsanto’s current application to seed genetically modified corn on a commercial scale in three states in Mexico, a huge expansion of their current projects in Mexico. We wanted remind the Mexican officials at SAGARPA, who have the power to make this decision, that activists are paying attention. We urge them not to grant Monsanto the permit to seed commercially. Finally, we hoped to work in solidarity with other activist groups fighting Monsanto.
PM: What do you believe should be the alternative to growing GMO corn?
SM: I think that question “What’s the alternative to growing GM corn?” assumes that genetically modified corn is a necessity, and it’s not. Monsanto and other producers of GMOs want us to believe that these crops are necessary to sustain a growing population, but in fact, Monsanto is just trying to grow their bottom line by privatizing staple crops around the world. This hurts all of us: farmers, the environment, and just about everyone who eats food. To paraphrase Irina Dunn and Gloria Steinem, we need GM corn like a fish needs a bicycle, and a rusty, blood-thirsty bicycle at that. Have you ever ridden a blood-thirsty bicycle? It’s a terrible experience.
PM: Do you have any info on the website coming down?
SM: Unfortunately, I don’t have any information about why monsantoglobal.com was taken down. We’re working to get it back up. In the meantime, you can visit our website for more information about the action.
PM: What do you think of Monsanto’s response?
SM: It’s interesting that Monsanto was frightened enough by activists paying attention to their actions that they quickly denounced us online and on social media. I think I’d be happier, though, if they had withdrawn their petition to seed commercially in Mexico. I expect them to do so any minute now.
PM: What are some resources you can recommend for everyone reading who wants to get involved?
SM: We’re compiling resources for activists on our blog, especially links to activist groups in Mexico and the United States who are have been fighting Monsanto. If you want to help mobilize against Monsanto or to suggest a group that we should link to, please visit our blog.
Tribal court to hear claim
By K.C. Mehaffey, The Wenatchee World
NESPELEM — A Colville Tribal court will hear a civil complaint Wednesday claiming the Colville Business Council should have considered a petition from tribal members seeking full distribution of a $193 million settlement with the U.S. government.
Yvonne L. Swan, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, said she filed the complaint in May on behalf of herself, other members of the Colville Members for Justice, and 2,700 tribal members who signed a petition asking the council to distribute the entire amount to members.
The money is part of a $1 billion settlement from the U.S. government with 41 American Indian tribes whose trust lands were mismanaged by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Last year’s council adopted a plan in October to spend half of the settlement to fund senior centers, health clinics, resource restoration, language development and other programs.
The council distributed the other half to members in two separate payments, giving about $10,000 to each of roughly 9,500 members.
Swan will ask a judge to prevent the council from spending or planning to spend the remaining funds until the issue over whether the council should consider full distribution is settled.
She said she also hopes the court will order the council to direct all tribal programs to return any funds provided through the settlement.
And, she said, she wants a full accounting of any funds spent so far, and detailed information on the council’s plans for remaining money.
“We have a right by (tribal) constitution to have that,” she said. “We’ve been fighting for 15 or 16 months to try to get that information. They did not keep their promise to let us decide how to spend the remaining 50 percent, so that’s when the petition for the rest of the money began,” she added.
Teams Travel to Cherokee Nation for Inaugural Stickball Tournament
Source: Native News Network
TAHLEQUAH, OKLAHOMA – Five stickball teams from Oklahoma and Mississippi will showcase their skills this Saturday, August 24, in the inaugural Cherokee National Holiday men’s stickball tournament at Sequoyah Schools’ Thompson Field.
Citizens play a social game of stickball during the 60th Cherokee National Holiday.
“If we don’t show everyone our traditional games, we will lose them,”
said stickball tournament coordinator Marcus Thompson, who will also play with his team, the Nighthawks.
“Men’s stickball is the roughest sport there is, but we want people to know you can still play the game and that it is fun.”
Stickball was traditionally used to settle disputes or prepare for war. Today, teams of 20-30 people take the field and play an hour-long game consisting of four 15 minute quarters or two 30 minute halves.
The object is to hit the pole in the center of the field by throwing the ball with stickball sticks or running the ball and touching the pole while possessing the ball. The team with the most points at the end of the game wins.
The double-elimination tournament using traditional Choctaw rules will start at 8:00 am. Admission is free.
Social stickball games will also be played at Sequoyah Schools’ football field at 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm, August 31.
Other sporting events at the 61st Cherokee National Holiday August 30-September 1 include the following:
Traditional Events
- Finals in the marble tournament will be held at 9 am, August 31, at the Cherokee Heritage Center. For more information, call Phil King at 918.837.1940.
- Cornstalk shoot competition will be held at 7:30 am west of the W.W. Keeler Complex on August 31-September 1, with registration at 7:30 am and competition at 8:00 am. For more information, call Charolette Jackson at 918.316.2932.
- Horseshoe pitch competition will be held west of the W.W. Keeler Complex at 9:00 am on August 31. For more information, call Jody Slover at 918.822.2428.
Non-traditional Events
- 5K Holiday Veterans Run will begin at the Cherokee Nation War Memorial on August 31. Registration begins at 6:00 am and race starts at 7:30 am. Cost is $20 on the day of the race. For more information, email Hillary Mead at Hillary-fry@cherokee.org.
- Co-ed volleyball tournament will be played west of the Cherokee Nation W.W. Keeler Complex starting at 9:00 am, August 31. Entry deadline is August 23. For more information, call Denise Honawa at 918.816.1995.
- 3 on 3 basketball tournament on August 30-31 at the Cherokee Nation Male Seminary Recreation Center. For more information, call Kim Arneecher at 479.427.9494.
- Cherokee National Holiday softball tournaments will be played at the Cherokee Nation Softball Complex near Sequoyah Schools. The fast-pitch tournaments will be played August 23-25, and slow-pitch tournaments August 30-September 1. For more information, call Sherwin Johnson at 918.696.5760 or Crystal Bogle at 918.316.1940.
- Children’s fishing derby will held August 31 from 7:30 am to noon at the pond east of the W.W. Keeler Complex. Angler Jason Christie will be on site to take photos and sign autographs, and 300 fishing poles will be given out to participants. For more information, email Ryan Callison at ryan-callison@cherokee.org.
- Three golf tournaments will be hosted at Cherokee Springs Golf Course August 29-31. The Thursday tournament will be a senior two man scramble and the Friday tournament a two man scramble open to all ages. The Saturday tournament will be a four man scramble with tee times at 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. Entry fee for all tournaments is $40 for golf course members at Cherokee Springs or Cherokee Trails and $50 for non-members, and all entries must be pre-paid. For more information, call Tyler Crouch at 918.456.5100.
Klamath Tribes Annual Restoration Celebration is Full of Fun-Filled Activities
Levi Rickert, Native News Network
CHILOQUIN, OREGON – The Klamath Tribe’s 27th Annual Restoration Celebration kicks off tomorrow. The theme of this year’s celebration is Time of Change “Ho Winna.”
The Restoration Celebration includes activities for the whole family. If you are in the area, make plans now.
Friday:
Noon – 3:00 pm Fun Run/Walk & Healthy BBQ
7:00 pm Competition Powwow Grand Entry
Saturday:
10:00 am Parade on Main Street in Chiloquin, Oregon
Noon Competition Powwow Grand Entry
7:00 pm Competition Powwow Grand Entry
Sunday:
1:00 pm Crater Lake Youth Rodeo
7:00 pm Competition Powwow Grand Entry
Editor’s Note: We attempt to publish a complete list of powwows in Indian country. Please let us know if we missed one in your area so that we may update our calendar: levi@nativenewsnetwork.com
POWWOW Calendar
This weekends powwows include:
12 Powwows this weekend
27th Annual Klamath Restoration Celebration
August 23 – August 25
Chiloquin High School Football Field
Chiloquin, Oregon
32nd Annual Cha Cha Bah Ning Traditional Powwow
August 23 – August 25
Inger, Minnesota
137th Rosebud Fair & All-Indian Rodeo
August 23 – August 25
Rosebud Powwow Grounds
Rosebud, South Dakota
20th Annual Potawatomi Trails Powwow
August 24 – August 25
Shiloh Park
Zion, Illinois
Chippewas of Rama First Nation Competition Powwow
August 24 – August 25
5884 Rama Road
Rama, Ontario
Metis of Maine Fall Gathering & Powwow
August 24 – August 25
105 Gould Road
Dayton, Maine
Three Fires Homecoming Powwow
August 24 – August 25
2789 First Line Road
Hagersville, Ontario
Third Ga-Lo-Ni Powwow
August 24 – August 25
293 Ditto Landing
Huntsville, Alabama
Pala’s Sixth Annual Powwow
August 23 – August 25
Pala Rey Campground
Pala, California
10th Annual Native American Style Powwow
August 24 – August 25
Smoky Mountain Visitors Center
Cosby, Tennessee
Spirit of the Wolf Native American Powwow
August 24 – August 25
Pine Park Campground
Broadalbin, New York
Mashantucket Pequot Schemitzun
August 24 – August 25
Mashantucket Cultural Grounds
Mashantucket, Connecticut
Roadwork on Marine Drive may cause delays, Aug 25-30
Marine Dr, between I-5 (4th Street) and 33rd Ave NE (Near the Q Casino):
Lane closures and lane shifts will be in effect Aug 25 – Aug 30, 10 p.m. – 5 a.m. Reece Trucking & Excavating will extend the watermain across Marine Drive in conjunction with New Roy Robinson Subaru.
WSDOT is coordinating the work.
(Thomas Guide p. 356-G7)#451-13JN
State fair provides plenty of fun for all
The Giant Wheel lights up the midway as it rotates at the Evergreen State Fair in 2011.
Ashley Stewart, The Herald
Monster truckers, rodeo performers and musicians come from all over to be part of the Evergreen State Fair.
But it’s the community that sets the local gem apart.
“The entertainment is a lot of fun, but the quality of our exhibits — the barns, the animals, the quilts — that’s what makes us unique,” said Hal Gausman, manager of the Evergreen State Fairgrounds and Park.
“It’s just a big community party.”
And there will be no shortage of community at this year’s event.
Families will be blowing bubblegum, throwing Frisbees and eating pie.
Local 4-H and FFA animal exhibitors will show off dogs, llamas, cattle, pigs and piglets, and “the best collection of rabbits you’ll ever see anywhere,” Gausman said.
And they’ve added a robot-building section to the 4H exhibits.
Food vendors will serve elephant ears, purple cows, blooming onions and other, move adventurous foods.
“Basically, if you’re not afraid to eat almost anything, you can find it out here,” Gausman said.
He said visitors can expect interesting variations of popcorn this year.
Close to the food vendors is the family stage for visitors who didn’t get tickets to the fair’s grandstand stage entertainment. Jugglers, comic magicians and musicians will give free performances on the Pepsi Family Stage between the south end of the arena and the north end of the grandstand.
The fair offers three days of barrel racing, bull riding, steer wrestling and calf roping at the Pro West Rodeo and drag races, demolition derbies and other car events, available with tickets.
Familes can also cheer on squealing racers at the fair’s legendary all-Alaskan pig races, watch the saw-offs, log rolls, axe throws and spare pole climbs at the fair’s International Lumberjack Show and pick apples, gather eggs, dig for potatoes and milk a cow at the fair’s free Farmer for the Day spots.
“It’s just a great place to come out, spend the day and make memories,” Gausman said.
The Evergreen State Fair opened Thursday and continues through Sept. 2 at its Monroe fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE.
Regular gate admission $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and youth and free for ages 5 and younger or 90 and older.
Parking is $8 on weekdays, $10 on weekends. Season and half-season parking passes are available.
Tickets are available online or by calling 800-514-3849, ext. 2.
For more information, call 360-805-6700. For a complete schedule of events, go to www.evergreenfair.org.
Cabela’s hosts lifejacket fitting in memory of Elijah Spratt
Amy Jacobson, left, and J.J. Edwards, right, fit Amy’s son Riley for a lifejacket at the Tulalip Cabela’s on Aug. 17
Kirk Boxleitner, Marysville Globe
MARYSVILLE — J.J. Edwards doesn’t want any other mother to suffer the loss she experienced when her 10-year-old stepson, Elijah Spratt, drowned on the Stillaguamish River on June 30.
After conducting lifejacket donation drives on July 6 and 13 at Twin Rivers Park in Arlington, where her stepson went into the water, Edwards and her friend Amy Jacobson partnered with the Tulalip Cabela’s to perform lifejacket fittings and serve up a benefit barbecue in front of the store on Saturday, Aug. 17, and Sunday, Aug. 18.
Jacobson explained that she and Edwards are trying to enter the Evergreen State Fair Aug. 22 through Sept. 2, to reach as many people as possible with their water safety message, but they need volunteers to help man their booth during those 12 days.
“At the Stillaguamish Festival of the River, we heard so many people say, ‘Oh, my kid can swim,’” Jacobson said.
“They don’t realize that the rush of the river is a little different from still waters,” Edwards said. “I get a little emotional over it.”
Katie Sanford, marketing manager for the Tulalip Cabela’s, sees Edwards and Jacobson’s mission as dovetailing with Cabela’s own goals of supporting its stores’ surrounding communities and helping people enjoy the outdoors safely.
“We sell boats and lifejackets, and promote being on the water,” said Sanford, who joined Edwards and Jacobson in praising Snohomish County Search and Rescue and the Everett Sail & Power Squadron for aiding their efforts. “When we saw this story in the newspaper, we were really touched by it, and we’re very glad to have such great partners for such a great cause.”
Edwards and Jacobson are providing updates on their campaign at www.facebook.com/TwinRiversPark-CommunityLifeJacketShed. For more information, or if you would like to contribute, log onto www.gofundme.com/3u01ho.
Power Brokers IV, Pacific Northwest: The Most Tribes, But Few Legislators
Brian Daffron, ICTMN
The “Power Brokers” series travels to the Northwest and West Coast, whose traditional tribal lands house some of the most ethnically diverse cultures in the United States. Yet, among the states along the West Coast and Northwest, there is little representation in state government. Indian Country Today Media Network contacted the administrative offices—as well as legislative assistants—for the states of Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington State, Idaho and Nevada. Among these states, only two—Alaska and Washington—have Native people within its legislative body – an interesting statistic given California is home to the second largest federally recognized tribes within a state at 103, and Nevada is home to more than 20.
Alaska
According to the Environmental Protection Agency website, there are 229 federally recognized tribes, villages and Native village corporations within the state of Alaska. From the 229 tribal governments, the 2012 U.S. Census shows that the American Indian and Alaskan Native percentage is 14.8 percent. The halls of Alaska’s state legislature have six Native members overall—two in the Senate and four in the House.
Senator Lyman Hoffman (D)
Tribal Afflilation: Yupik
Senate District: S
Years in Office: 1991-1992 and 1995-Present
Previous Legislative Experience: Alaska House of Representatives, 1986-1990 and 1993-1994
Committees: Community and Regional Affairs; Fish & Game Subcommittee; Transportation & Public Facilities—Finance Subcommittee; Legislative Centennial Commission; Finance; Governor-Finance Subcommittee; World Trade; Alternate, Legislative Council; Commerce, Community & Economic Development–Finance Subcommittee; Legislature—Finance Subcommittee; Alaska Arctic Policy Commission
Key Legislation: Co-Sponsor, Energy Assistance Program; revision of state brand board
Senator Donny Olson (D)
Tribal Affiliation: Inupiaq (Golovin)
Senate District: T
Years in Office: 2001-Present
Committees: Part of a Republican/Democrat Coalition—One of two Democrats invited within coalition; Finance; Judiciary; State Affairs
Key Legislation: Creation of Native Language Preservation Council; controlled substances classification; legislation concerning U.S. Coast Guard operations in the Arctic; request for U.S. government to open oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; establishment of Alaska Mining Day; reduction of salmon catch by trawl fishers
Representative Bryce Edgmon (D)
Tribal Affiliation: Choggiung Village Corporation
House District: 36
Years in Office: 2006-Present
Additional Experience: President, Choggiung Village Corporation
Committees: Chair, Subcommittee on Corrections; Chair, Subcommittee on Public Safety; Finance; Subcommittee on Health and Social Services; Alternate, Alaska Arctic Policy Commission
Key Legislation: Change of the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” in Alaska statutes; act relating to performance reviews, audits and termination of Alaska executive and legislative branches, the University of Alaska and the Alaska Court System; request to the Department of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management to plug legacy well drilling sites; reinstatement of child and adult immunization programs in the state Department of Health and Social Services; renewable energy grant fund; loan for commercial fishing entry permits; act making regional Native housing authorities eligible for grants from the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation; law requiring the Department of Natural Resources to deliver a fishing stream access report to the legislature and governor’s office; Village Safe Water Act
Representative Neal Foster (D)
Tribal Affiliation: Sitnasuak Native Corporation
House District: 39
Previous Experience: Vice-President, Sitnasuak Native Corporation
Years in Office: 2009-Present
Committees: Co-Chair, Military & Veterans Affairs; Community & Regional Affairs; Public Safety-Finance Subcommittee; Judiciary; Transportation & Public Finance Subcommittee; Natural Resources-Finance Subcommittee; Energy
Key Legislation: Legacy well sites; creation of a state food resource development group; opposition to Food & Drug Administration’s findings on genetically-engineered salmon; act relating to performance reviews, audits and termination of Alaska executive and legislative branches, the University of Alaska and the Alaska Court System; revolving bank loan fund; request for United States Congress to adequately fund United States Coast Guard Arctic missions; act making regional Native housing authorities eligible for grants from the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation; law requiring the Department of Natural Resources to deliver a fishing stream access report to the legislature and governor’s office; relocation of the Coastal Villages Region Fund home port; Village Safe Water Act
Representative Charisse Millett (R)
Tribal Affiliation: Inupiaq
House District: 24
Years in Office: 2009-Present
Committees: Co-Chair, Energy; Select Committee on Legislative Ethics; State Affairs; Labor & Workforce Development-Finance Subcommittee; Judiciary; Administration-Finance Subcommittee; Labor & Commerce; Commerce, Community & Economic Development—Finance Subcommittee; Task Force on Sustainable Education
Key Legislation: Vulnerable adult prompt response and notification; Alaska Challenge Youth Academy; police standards; creation of a state food resource development group; commercial use authorization for the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation; legacy well sites; Change of the terms “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” in Alaska statutes; proclamation of Alaska as a Purple Heart State; opposition to Food & Drug Administration’s findings on genetically-engineered salmon; laws concerning sale and possession of switchblades and gravity knives; encouragement of firearm and firearm accessory manufacture; Alaska Minerals Commission membership; establishment of the Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation; self-defense definitions; establishment of Vietnam Veterans Day; Statewide Suicide Prevention Council; no charge for death certificates of deceased veterans; establishment of Alaska National Guard Day; renewable energy grant fund; authorization of Native housing authorities to receive grants through Alaska Housing Finance Corporation; requirement of Department of Natural Resources to submit report on fishing stream access; urging of U.S. Congress to open coastal plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas exploration; opposition to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create new protected habitat within upper Cook Inlet and Kachemak Bay; prevention, evaluation and liability for concussions in student athletes
Representative Benjamin Nageak (D)
Tribal Affiliation: Inupiaq
House District: 40
Years in Office: 2013
Committees: Co-Chair, Community & Regional Affairs; Education & Early Development—Finance Subcommittee; Health & Social Services; University of Alaska—Finance Subcommittee; Court System—Finance Subcommittee; Energy
Key Legislation: Law regarding abandoned and derelict vessels; legacy well capping; changing of statute language regarding phrases “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded”; opposition to FDA findings on genetically-engineered salmon; establishment of the Alaska Gasoline Development Corporation; allocation of funds to the Special Education Service Agency
Washington
Washington State—the home of Chief Seattle and Sherman Alexie—has 30 federally recognized tribes within its borders, making up 1.8 percent of the state’s total population. Out of 97 members of the Washington House of Representatives, two are Native.
Representative John McCoy (D)
Tribal Affiliation: Tulalip
House District: 38, Position 1
Years in Office: 2003-Present
Committees: Chair, Community Development Housing & Tribal Affairs; Vice-Chair, Environment; Education
Recent Key Legislation: Initiative to increase STEM education; authorization of state-tribal compact schools; protection of state’s cultural resources; Yakima River Basin resource management; access of tribal members to state land; music education initiatives; academic credit for military training; visitation rights for grandparents; Small Rechargeable Battery Stewardship Act; modification Native child care costs; hunting regulations for tribal members; recognition of Native American Heritage Day; regulation of sibling visitation for foster children; excuses of work and school absences for reasons of faith or conscience; increasing capacity of school districts to respond to troubled youth; limiting liability for habitat projects; job order contracting procedure for Department of Transportation; insurance coverage of eosinophilia gastrointestinal associated disorders; initiatives in high school to save lives for cardiac arrests; housing trust fund investments; tribal conservation easements; prohibiting liquor self-checkout machines; high school equivalency certificates; powers and duties of gambling commission; contribution limits to school board candidates; law requiring state to retrocede civil jurisdiction over Indians and Indian territory, reservations, county and lands; creation of state Indian Child Welfare Act; enhancement of Pacific Salmon production; creation of Washington Investment Trust; decommissioning of coal-fired power generators; establishing state-tribal relations; enactment of Middle Class Jobs Act; creation of Clean Energy Partnership; air quality protection; regulation of aviation biofuels production; clarification of rights and obligations of domestic partners in regards to parentage; creation of Indian Education division within office of Superintendent of Public Instruction; bullying prevention; oil spill program requirements; traumatic brain surgery strategic partnership.
Representative Jeff Morris (D)
Tribal Affiliation: Tsimshian
House District: 40, Position 2
Years in Office: 1996-Present
Committees: Chair, Technology & Economic Development; Environment; Transportation
Previous Experience: Speaker Pro Tempore and Floor Leader, Washington House of Representatives
Recent Key Legislation: Joint Center for Aerospace Technology Innovation; business and government streamlining projects; early learning opportunities; wireless communication structures; restriction of crab fishery licenses; extending business and occupation tax credits for research and development; assessment of energy storage systems; using marijuana-related revenue to fund agricultural production research; modification of renewable energy cost recovery program; authorization of small consumer installment loans; stewardship of household mercury-containing lights; scrap metal licensing; renewable energy options for electricity company customers; grandparents’ visitation rights; increase of regulatory oversight for the Office of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises; renewable energy jobs; elimination of traffic safety cameras; reduction of littering by retail carryout bags; firearm safety funding; tribes and conservation easements; establishment of energy efficiency improvement loan fund; child abuse investigation and proceedings statutes; decommissioning of coal-fired power generators; establishments of energy efficiency standards for consumer products; establishing government-to-government relationship between state and tribes; privatizing management of state ferry system; limits on fertilizer containing phosphorus; defining of municipal solid waste as a renewable resource; procedure of retrocession of civil and criminal jurisdiction over federally recognized tribes; implementation of Blue Alert System; Higher Education Opportunity Act; restriction of television viewers in motor vehicles; expanding rights of domestic partners in regards to parentage; embalmer regulations; improvement of fishing opportunities in Puget Sound and Lake Washington; creation of Indian Education division within office of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau; epa.gov; Washington Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs; Open States; and Project Vote Smart
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2013/08/22/power-brokers-iv-northwest-home-most-tribes-less-legislators-150971