Oneida Nation, county meet for first time in years

Friday, March 28, 2008  

Leaders of the Oneida Nation and Madison County met for the first time in six years on Wednesday.

The tribe and the county said the meeting was positive. But both sides are at odds over the tribe's pending land-into-trust application.

"The nation is committed to continuing the discussion even after the Department of Interior issues its final decision in the very near future," the tribe said in a statement.

The Bureau of Indian Affairs is recommending that about 10,000 acres be placed in trust for the tribe. A final decision could come any time.

Get the Story:
Nation-county session seen as positive step (The Syracuse Post-Standard 3/28)
State opposes BIA recommendation (The Oneida Dispatch 3/28)

Relevant Documents:
Final EIS (March 2008) | Draft EIS (November 2006)

Federal Register Notice:
Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Transfer From Fee to Trust of Parcels Owned by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York in Oneida and Madison Counties, New York (February 22, 2008)

From the Indianz.Com Archive:
BIA official calls high court ruling 'quite depressing' (March 31, 2005)
Major defeat for Oneida Nation in Supreme Court case (March 30, 2005)

Relevant Links:
Oneida Nation Trust - http://www.oneidanationtrust.com
Oneida Nation, New York - http://www.oneida-nation.net
Indian Nation Fee-to-Trust Land Acquisition Applications in New York State - http://www.dec.ny.gov/public/888.html
Oneida Indian Nation's Land Into Trust Application, Madison County - http://www.madisoncounty.org/motf/OINTrustMain.html

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

Related Stories:
Oneida Nation asks BIA for all 17,000 acres in trust (3/25)
County discusses Oneida Nation land-into-trust (03/07)
Cason to follow through on Oneida land-into-trust (2/25)
BIA to rule on Oneida trust lands request (2/22)
Cason to brief counties on Oneida land-into-trust (2/22)