A top official at the Department of Agriculture isn't giving any hints on the Obama administration's stance on a sacred site case before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan said she is "aware" of Navajo
Nation v. U.S. Forest Service. But she told Indian Country Today she was too new on the job to comment.
Tribes filed a petition with the Supreme Court in January. They say the U.S. Forest Service violated their religious rights by allowing the use of reclaimed sewage to make snow in the San Francisco Peaks in
Arizona.
The Obama administration has been given two extensions to file a response to the petition. The response is due by May 8.
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