WABI-TV/AP
Maine
Attorney General Janet Mills, above, has allegedly made a number of
blatantly anti-Indian moves that undermine sovereignty, according to
Penobscot Indian Nation Chief Kirk Francis.
8 Allegedly Anti-Sovereignty Actions Taken by Maine Attorney General’s Office
2/18/14
In
calling for an investigation of the office of Maine Attorney General
Janet Mills, Penobscot Indian Nation Chief Kirk Francis cited a number
of actions on the part of her office that he said fly in the face of
Indian sovereignty and are an attempt to undermine numerous agreements
and precepts that uphold tribal rights.
“Let’s just look at the last few years,” Francis told Indian Country Today Media Network. Below, some samples of Mills’s “anti-Indian sovereignty actions,” according to the chief. Mills's office did not respond to requests for comment.
RELATED: Penobscot Chief Calls for Investigation of Maine Attorney General's Office
1. You’ve Been Here How Long?
“[We receive] a letter from the AG that they do not think our 10,000-year-old presence in the Penobscot River and the cultural practices associated with that exist any more and that our rights are on land only.” (This letter resulted in a lawsuit pending in federal court filed by the Nation against the attorney.)
RELATED: Feds Join Penobscot Suit Against State of Maine on Fishing Rights
2. Stafford Act Amendment: Maine Tribes Need Not Apply
“[The AG] writes language to Senator Susan Collins to exclude the tribes of Maine from the Stafford Act amendments (that allow tribes to apply directly to the federal government for disaster and emergency relief funds rather than having to go through the state).
RELATED: President Obama Signs Law Putting Tribes on Equal Footing as States for Federal Emergency Aid
Tribes Ask UN for Help Fighting Anti-Indian Laws in Maine
3. Penobscot Need State Approval for Bingo Machines
“[The AG] writes an opinion that the Penobscot cannot implement bingo machines without state approval,” Francis said. “Ironically, she writes this as two out-of-state-managed casinos are operating in Maine. She writes this opinion saying the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Equal protection claim here maybe?”
4. Threatening Lawsuit Against Feds for Enforcing Water Quality Standards
“The state threatens to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for respecting tribal waters and not approving Maine’s water quality standards within our territory. Maine refused EPA's request for consultation with us.”
5. Blocking Wind Farm Memorandum of Understanding
“The AG would not allow an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the state and the Penobscot on permitting our wind farm. [She] claimed it was state authority to do it and would not acknowledge our permit. This [claim was made] a year after negotiations began with the Department of Conservation, which when [the AG’s office] stepped in.”
6. Elver Agreements Deemed Unconstitutional
“She raises constitutional concerns over elver agreements, ignoring federal Indian law and salt water rights that were never ceded.”
RELATED: Mills Kills Passamaquoddy-State Elvers Agreement
7. Interfering With Settlement Act Implementation
“In 2007 [she] was against almost every recommendation of the Tribal State Work Group (TSWG),” Francis said. If implemented, the recommendations “would have started to change or clarify the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. [The AG intervened] two years after the TSWG process started.”
RELATED: Chiefs Blast Attorney General’s ‘Distorted, Revisionist Account’ of Settlement Act Negotiations
Penobscot Chief Calls on Obama to Help Stop State Erosion of Tribal Sovereignty
8. Attempts to Alter Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Provisions for Maine Tribes
“[The AG] recently called the Department of Justice to get a copy of our Violence Against Women (VAWA) pilot project,” Francis said. “The AG wrote in a report to the legislature that our right to VAWA provisions was not a view [she] shared and she said the act would have to be amended for it to apply to the tribes of Maine. The VAWA specifically says that nothing in the act preempts state jurisdiction. Again, her world view.”
“Let’s just look at the last few years,” Francis told Indian Country Today Media Network. Below, some samples of Mills’s “anti-Indian sovereignty actions,” according to the chief. Mills's office did not respond to requests for comment.
RELATED: Penobscot Chief Calls for Investigation of Maine Attorney General's Office
1. You’ve Been Here How Long?
“[We receive] a letter from the AG that they do not think our 10,000-year-old presence in the Penobscot River and the cultural practices associated with that exist any more and that our rights are on land only.” (This letter resulted in a lawsuit pending in federal court filed by the Nation against the attorney.)
RELATED: Feds Join Penobscot Suit Against State of Maine on Fishing Rights
2. Stafford Act Amendment: Maine Tribes Need Not Apply
“[The AG] writes language to Senator Susan Collins to exclude the tribes of Maine from the Stafford Act amendments (that allow tribes to apply directly to the federal government for disaster and emergency relief funds rather than having to go through the state).
RELATED: President Obama Signs Law Putting Tribes on Equal Footing as States for Federal Emergency Aid
Tribes Ask UN for Help Fighting Anti-Indian Laws in Maine
3. Penobscot Need State Approval for Bingo Machines
“[The AG] writes an opinion that the Penobscot cannot implement bingo machines without state approval,” Francis said. “Ironically, she writes this as two out-of-state-managed casinos are operating in Maine. She writes this opinion saying the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Equal protection claim here maybe?”
4. Threatening Lawsuit Against Feds for Enforcing Water Quality Standards
“The state threatens to sue the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for respecting tribal waters and not approving Maine’s water quality standards within our territory. Maine refused EPA's request for consultation with us.”
5. Blocking Wind Farm Memorandum of Understanding
“The AG would not allow an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) between the state and the Penobscot on permitting our wind farm. [She] claimed it was state authority to do it and would not acknowledge our permit. This [claim was made] a year after negotiations began with the Department of Conservation, which when [the AG’s office] stepped in.”
6. Elver Agreements Deemed Unconstitutional
“She raises constitutional concerns over elver agreements, ignoring federal Indian law and salt water rights that were never ceded.”
RELATED: Mills Kills Passamaquoddy-State Elvers Agreement
7. Interfering With Settlement Act Implementation
“In 2007 [she] was against almost every recommendation of the Tribal State Work Group (TSWG),” Francis said. If implemented, the recommendations “would have started to change or clarify the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. [The AG intervened] two years after the TSWG process started.”
RELATED: Chiefs Blast Attorney General’s ‘Distorted, Revisionist Account’ of Settlement Act Negotiations
Penobscot Chief Calls on Obama to Help Stop State Erosion of Tribal Sovereignty
8. Attempts to Alter Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Provisions for Maine Tribes
“[The AG] recently called the Department of Justice to get a copy of our Violence Against Women (VAWA) pilot project,” Francis said. “The AG wrote in a report to the legislature that our right to VAWA provisions was not a view [she] shared and she said the act would have to be amended for it to apply to the tribes of Maine. The VAWA specifically says that nothing in the act preempts state jurisdiction. Again, her world view.”
Read more at http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2014/02/18/8-allegedly-anti-sovereignty-actions-taken-maine-attorney-generals-office-153635
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