Rep. Hanna urges BIA to kill Cayuga Nation land-into-trust bid

Tuesday, February 22, 2011  

Rep. Richard Hanna (R-New York), a new member of Congress, is asking the Bureau of Indian Affairs to reject the Cayuga Nation land-into-trust application.

Hanna says the final environmental impact statement doesn't address local concerns about taxation. He Two counties could lose up to 2.61 percent of their base if the tribe's 125 acres are placed in trust.

“As a federal representative for Cayuga and Seneca counties, I believe that the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) released late last year by your agency did not appropriately include the legitimate and serious concerns of local leaders, residents, community groups, and businesses in the counties,” Hanna wrote in a letter to Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk, The Auburn Citizen reported. “I further maintain that the FEIS was insignificantly changed from the draft version released in 2009.”

The tribe's land is located in Cayuga County and Seneca County.

Get the Story:
Eye on Albany: Hanna opposes Cayuga’s land in trust request (The Auburn Citizen 2/20)

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