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JANUARY 9, 2001

Senator Pete Domenici (R-N.Mex) on Monday said he has asked President Bill Clinton to prevent the Department of Interior from issuing a decision on Sandia Pueblo's claim to the western face of the Sandia Mountains.

"President Clinton told me he will consider our concerns," Domenici said of issues raised by himself and Representative Heather Wilson (R-N.Mex). "I hope he will see that a last-minute effort will throw potential negotiations into turmoil and drag out this process."

But with a little over a week left before Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt leaves office, Domenici's 11th hour request might be seen as an attempt to delay resolution of the Pueblo's decades-old land claim until a Republican administration takes over. Domenici staffers, however, discarded that notion and said he only wants to ensure that everyone -- not just the County of Bernalillo and the Sandia Mountain Coalition, a group of private landowners -- is informed.

"It goes beyond those landowners," said Chris Gallegos, Domenici's spokesman. "The general public has to learn what's going on."

For many in New Mexico, Sandia Pueblo's claim to the Mountain is well known, as years of litigation and opposition to a settlement on the issue have put it in the spotlight. The Pueblo claims 10,000 acres of its land were accidentally excluded in an 1859 survey and want the Interior to correct the error.

The Interior on January 5 closed a 30-day comment period on whether or not it should conduct a resurvey of the Pueblo's boundaries. Domenici asked for 90 day extension to allow for more comments, but his request was turned down late last month.

Now, the issue rests in the final days of Babbitt's term of office. The Interior could decide there is no need for the resurvey, effectively addressing Domenici's concerns. But even a new survey is conducted, any changes wouldn't go into effect until 2002.

Still, Domenici says a potential decision could result in additional lawsuits and Congressional action against it. He and Wilson wrote a letter to Babbitt last week, asking him "not to rush to judgement" on the matter.

"We are concerned that your effort to expedite the resolution of this matter may, in fact, backfire and instead set the stage for protracted litigation and/or corrective legislation," wrote Domenici and Wilson.

Both Domenici and Wilson oppose a settlement the Pueblo, the Interior, and the Department of Agriculture, negotiated last year. Enactment of it needs Congressional but the Republican lawmakers don't support it because they say it leaves out the County and the landowners.

According to the Interior, the County and the landowners withdrew from negotiations in August 1999. They subsequently appealed a court decision favoring the Pueblo but in November 2000, it was thrown out by a federal court.

View a map of the Land Claim/Settlement Area:
Sandia Pueblo Claim Area (Sandia Pueblo)

Relevant Links:
Sandia Pueblo - www.sandiapueblo.nsn.us
Bernalillo County - www.bernco.gov
Senator Pete Domenici - www.senate.gov/~domenici
Rep. Heather Wilson -www.house.gov/wilson

Related Stories:
Pueblo continues Sandia Mountain fight (Tribal Law 12/13)
Domenici: Pueblo shouldn't own Mountain (Tribal Law 12/12)
Interior seeks comments on Pueblo resurvey (Tribal Law 12/12)
Landowners thrown out of Pueblo claim (Tribal Law 11/20)