Rep. Richard Pombo (R-California), the chairman of the House Resources Committee, is drafting a bill to settle New York tribal land claims.

Pombo directed subcommittee staff to begin writing the bill. He said state officials in New York haven't done enough to settle the Oneida claim over 250,000 acres and the Cayuga claim over 64,000 acres.

The two tribes won favorable rulings but the landscape changed with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in a non-land claim case. The justices, by an 8-1 vote, appeared to say that tribes can't reclaim their lands if it proves "disruptive" to local governance.

The decision has been used to strike down the Cayuga claim and has stalled land claim settlements with tribes that are currently based outside of New York.

Get the Story:
Congress could step into land dispute (The Syracuse Post-Standard 10/11)

Relevant Links:
Oneida Nation, New York - http://www.oneida-nation.net

Oneida Nation Decision:
Syllabus | Opinion [Ginsburg] | Concurrence [Souter] | Dissent [Stevens]

Cayuga Decision:
Cayuga Nation v. New York (June 28, 2005)

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