The Oneida Nation hailed a land-into-trust agreement with a Oneida County, New York, but it's up to the state to take final action by June 30.

The deal requires the state to grant a liquor license to the tribe, to drop a lawsuit over the tribe's land-into-trust application and to negotiate a compact over sales taxes. But state officials don't appear to have been involved in negotiating the agreement.

"While it is encouraging to see this agreement between Oneida County and the Oneida Indian Nation, there are still unresolved issues that need to be negotiated between the state and OIN," Gov. David Paterson (D) said in a statement.

The tribe has an application to place up to 17,000 acres in trust. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is recommending about 13,000 acres be acquired.

Get the Story:
State has final say on Nation deal (The Oneida Dispatch 5/12)
Oneida Nation, budget big topics at VVS board meeting (The Oneida Dispatch 5/12)

Some Opinions:
Gary Dunne: Agreement seriously flawed (The Oneida Dispatch 5/12)
Dawn Wyant-Smith: Agreement will help local economy (The Oneida Dispatch 5/12)

Related Stories:
Deal proposed over Oneida Nation land-into-trust (5/11)
Oneida Nation and county near land-into-trust deal (5/8)