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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 11, 2003

Representative Nick Rahall (D-West Virginia) will introduce the Native American Sacred Lands Act today at a press conference in Washington, D.C.

The bill seeks to give tribes greater say over development that occurs on federal lands, including the possibility of stopping drilling and other activities. It would give force to an executive order signed by then-President Bill Clinton in 1996.

Rahall, the ranking member of the House Resources Committee, and several Democrats introduced a version of the bill last summer but it didn't make it to the floor.

Sacred sites will be a focus throughout the month of June, with the Senate Indian Affairs Committee holding a hearing next Wednesday on sacred sites. On June 20, the Sacred Places Protection Coalition, a group of tribal and non-tribal organizations, will sponsor the National Day of Prayer for the Protection of Sacred Places in Washington, D.C., Oklahoma, California, Arizona and Wisconsin.

Relevant Documents:
Executive Order No. 13007: Indian Sacred Sites (May 24, 1996)

Relevant Links:
Rep. Nick Rahall - http://www.house.gov/rahall

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