Bristol Bay Tribes Sue Trump Administration

For years, the local people and tribes of Bristol Bay (Alaska) have advocated for policies to manage their water ways and protect their pristine ecosystem. Despite widespread local support and extensive scientific research backing these policies, Trump's Environmental Protection Agency recently decided to remove the bay's protections. This reversal came after Governor Mike Dunleavy met briefly with the president on Air Force One, and told reporters that he was convinced that the president was “doing everything he can to work with us on our mining concerns.”

The decision to change course was political, arbitrary, capricious, and absolutely illegal. The Bristol Bay Defense Alliance, consisting of (NARF's client) United Tribes of Bristol Bay, Bristol Bay Native Association, Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, Bristol Bay Reserve Association and Bristol Bay Economic Development Corporation, are taking legal action on behalf of the local people who rely on the Bristol Bay fishery and all it sustains. The suit, filed on October 8, is based on the fact that the agency changed its position without good reason or explanation, which are required by law. Learn more at our website.

Montana Residents Beware Deceptive Solicitation

On October 17, NARF and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law sent a letter to the Republican National Committee demanding that it stop its practice of sending misleading and deceptive mailers to voters in Bozeman, Montana. The letters feature words such as “Census” and simultaneously seek solicitations for the Republican party. Officials in Montana have declared the mailers deceptive and warned about responding to the “imitation census survey.”

“The Census is critically important for Indian Country. The political power of Native Americans and Alaska Natives is directly tied to the population data derived from the Census, because more accurate numbers translate into more representative districts. Indian Country also relies on the dollars distributed based on the Census for things like health care and education. That is why we are disturbed by this blatant misinformation in these mailers—it confuses voters and damages the entire Census process,” said NARF Staff Attorney Natalie Landreth.

An Update on Bears Ears National Monument

On September 30, 2019, US District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan rightfully denied the Trump Administration’s attempt to dismiss the Bears Ears National Monument case. The case was brought when President Trump unlawfully tried to reduce the Bears Ears National Monument, an area of utmost importance to the region’s tribal nations.

 

With this decision, the plaintiffs—including NARF’s clients, the Hopi Tribe, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, and Zuni Pueblo—can move forward to protect our lands and stop the President’s illegal attempt to open our federally protected national treasures to exploitation by big business. Nowhere has Congress given the President authority to diminish existing monuments. Get more information on the case at our website.