Legislation Legacy
A current issue between Native Americans and the federal government is the fight for land. In the resource, such an issue is of NCAI approving proposing reforms that would replace the obsolete lease conditions which prevented for the community’s tribal lands and development of renewable energy (solar and wind projects). As a result of not adopting those reforms, it would take the Indian tribes long durations to allow those projects (NCAI, 2006). Also inclusive in the reforms is Bureau of Indian Affairs guidelines on land leasing entrusted to tribes and certain persons on an area of 56 million acres. According to the Energy Department, the lands through wind power can satisfy 32% of the national requirements and solar energy double nation’s requirements.
Unfortunately, such projects haven’t taken place because of slow revising of the reforms. The new laws call for a 30-day residential and a 60-day business renewable energy leases with the laws requiring varying review processes. The opinion of Department of Interior on the current regulations was that they were jumbled land leasing processes and it was the norm for an application of mortgage to take years before the federal government approved it. Upon the new reforms, NCAI President Keel opined that the tribes would expand economically, the Indian country’s lands would be developed, create commerce and employment and in the process, contribute to the American economy, dependence on energy and recover greatly.
I think the legislation that is linked to the issue is the clause in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution which states that, “Congress shall have the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes.” I believe there is a connection because as stated in the aforementioned clause, “power to regulate commerce”, so is the Congress regulating the Indian tribes’ commerce; if the Congress wasn’t regulating, there could be irrelevance of words in the President Keel’s speech, “clear the way for us…build commerce.”
Reference
NCAI (2006). NCAI Expresses Support for Interior’s Proposed Leasing Reforms for Tribal Lands and Renewable Energy Development. Retrieved on February 28, 2012 from http://www.ncai.org/News-View.19.0.html?&no_cache=1&tx_ttnews[tt_news]=798&tx_ttnews[backPid]=9&cHash=bfc8e4ee27