Statements on Introduced Bills and Joint Resolutions - S 1438

STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

By Ms. CANTWELL (for herself, Mr. INOUYE, and Mrs. MURRAY):

    S. 1438. A bill to provide for equitable compensation of the Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation in settlement of claims the Tribe concerning the contribution of the Tribe to the production of hydropower by the Grand Coulee Dam, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Indian Affairs.

    Ms. CANTWELL. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation with my friend and colleague Senator MURRAY, as well as the vice chairman of the Indian Affairs Committee Senator INOUYE, that provides an equitable settlement to the Spokane Tribe of Indians. This bill addresses the decision of the Federal Government to take lands belonging to the tribe in order to construct the Grand Coulee Dam on the Columbia River.

    For more than half a century, the Grand Coulee Project has made an extraordinary contribution to this Nation. It helped pull the economy out of the Great Depression. It provided the electricity that produced aluminum required for airplanes and weapons that ensured our national security. The project continues to produce enormous revenues for the United States, it is a key component of the agricultural economy in eastern Washington, and plays a pivotal role in the electric systems serving the entire western United States.

    However, these benefits have come at a direct cost to tribal property that became inundated when the U.S. Government built the Grand Coulee Dam. Before dam construction, the free flowing Columbia River supported robust and plentiful salmon runs and provided for virtually all of the subsistence needs of the Spokane Tribe. After construction, the Columbia and its Spokane river tributary flooded tribal communities, schools, and roads, and the remaining stagnant water continues to erode reservation lands today.

    The legislation Senators INOUYE, MURRAY, and I are introducing today is similar to P.L. 103-436, which was enacted in 1994 to provide the neighboring Confederated Colville Tribes. This bill would provide the Spokane Tribe of Indians' with compensation that is directly proportional to the settlement afforded the Colville Tribes. Specifically, the Spokane Tribe would receive 39.4 percent of the past and future compensation awarded the Colville Tribes pursuant to the 1994 legislation. This percentage is based on the proportion of tribal lands impacted after the Federal Government built the Grand Coulee Project.

    The United States has a trust responsibility to maintain and protect the integrity of all tribal lands within its borders. When Federal actions physically or economically impact harm, our Nation has a legal responsibility to address and compensate the damaged parties. Unfortunately, despite countless efforts, half a century has passed without justice to the Spokane people.

    The time has come for the Federal Government to finally meet is fiduciary responsibility for converting the Spokane tribe's resources to its own benefit. Senators INOUYE, MURRAY, and I believe that the legislation we are proposing today will finally bring a fair and honorable closure to these matters. We are pleased to see similar bipartisan legislation was introduced earlier this year in the U.S. House of Representatives.

    I look forward to working with the Indian Affairs Committee and my Senate colleagues as this legislation proceeds through the Congress.

    I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the RECORD.