{"id":9979,"date":"2021-04-08T15:57:24","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T19:57:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=9979"},"modified":"2021-04-08T16:14:22","modified_gmt":"2021-04-08T20:14:22","slug":"bill-to-permanently-protect-sacred-apache-site-up-for-first-hearing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/04\/08\/bill-to-permanently-protect-sacred-apache-site-up-for-first-hearing\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill to permanently protect sacred Apache site up for first hearing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n<span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/07lQnARcxZU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States: <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/07lQnARcxZU>Legislative Hearing &#8211; H.R.1844 &#8211; April 13, 2021<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Bill to permanently protect sacred Apache site up for first hearing<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Thursday, April 8, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nA bill to permanently protect  a sacred Apache site in Arizona from development  is up for its first hearing on Capitol Hill.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe <a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/subcommittees\/subcommittee-for-indigenous-peoples-of-the-united-states\">House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States<\/a> will take testimony on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/1884\">H.R.1884<\/a>, the Save Oak Flat Act, next Tuesday. Witnesses include tribal leaders who want to protect the site from a massive copper mine.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n&#8220;Oak Flat, or <em>Chi\u2019chil Bildagoteel<\/em>, is of significant cultural importance and considered sacred by many tribal communities in Arizona, including the San Carlos Apache Tribe, which has resisted a years-long effort by Resolution Copper \u2013 owned by international mining conglomerates BHP and Rio Tinto \u2013 to mine the region,&#8221; the <a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/\">House Committee on Natural Resources<\/a> said in announcing the hearing.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"9982\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/04\/08\/bill-to-permanently-protect-sacred-apache-site-up-for-first-hearing\/nizhonipike\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/08\/nizhonipike-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 11 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1583952352&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;6&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0011764705882353&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"nizhonipike\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Photo by Indianz.Com &lt;a href=&quot;https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/&quot;&gt;(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/08\/nizhonipike-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/08\/nizhonipike-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"nizhonipike\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-9982\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Nizhoni Pike of the Apache Stronghold addresses a Save Oak Flat  rally at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2021. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nCongress paved the way for the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2014\/12\/15\/congress-passes-bill-with-mine.asp>controversial project more than six years ago with<\/a> the  Carl Levin and Howard P. &#8220;Buck&#8221; McKeon National Defense Authorization Act.  <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2014\/12\/22\/section3003.pdf\">Section 3003 of the law<\/a> created a process in which  federal forest land &#8212; including Oak Flat &#8212;  would be transferred to the foreign mining corporations.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThough the <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/01\/san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine\/>Biden administration has since put a hold<\/a> on the project, citing a lack of tribal consultation, the land transfer remains on the table. The Save Oak Flat Act, should it become law, resolves the situation once and for all by repealing <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2014\/12\/22\/section3003.pdf\">Section 3003<\/a>.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cMining corporations from other countries want to destroy our holy land, destroy our religious beliefs and destroy our religious freedom,\u201d  Naelyn Pike, a young leader from the  <a href=\"http:\/\/apache-stronghold.com\/\">Apache Stronghold<\/a>  group, said earlier this year. \u201cOak Flat, or <em>Chi&#8217;chil Bildagoteel<\/em>, is a God-given gift that our creator has given to us for sacred purposes and it must be protected for that reason.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nThough the federal review process began years ago, the process picked up speed after Republican Donald Trump lost the presidential election last November. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/\">U.S. Forest Service<\/a> issued the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutionmineeis.us\/\">final environmental statement<\/a> (FEIS)  and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutionmineeis.us\/documents\/draft-rod\">draft record of decision<\/a>   on January 15, barely five days before Joe Biden came on board.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nBoth documents have since been rescinded by the new Democratic administration. Chairman Terry Rambler of the  <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sancarlosaz\/>San Carlos Apache Tribe<\/a> called the decision a step in the right direction.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe look forward to continuing our work to permanently protect Oak Flat,\u201d     Rambler said after learning of the news last month.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n                        <iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5IGhpOa0ecY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n                    <\/div>\r\n                    <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\n\r\n                         Indianz.Com Video:  \r\n                        <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/Video\/2020\/03\/12\/save-oak-flat-naelyn-pike-us-c.asp>Save Oak Flat | Naelyn Pike | US Capitol<\/a>\r\n                    <\/figcaption>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe hearing on H.R.1884 takes place at 1pm Eastern on April 13. The witness so far includes:\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=mx-5>\r\nThe Honorable Shan Lewis<BR>\r\nPresident<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/itcaonline.com\/\">Inter Tribal Council of Arizona<\/a>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nThe Honorable Fawn Sharp<BR>\r\nPresident<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncai.org\/\">National Congress of American Indians<\/a>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nDr. James Wells, Phd<BR>\r\nChief Operating Officer<BR>\r\nL. Everett &#038; Associates\r\n<\/div>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe hearing will be <a href=https:\/\/youtu.be\/07lQnARcxZU>live-streamed on YouTube<\/a> and on <a href=https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/NRDems\/>Facebook<\/a>.<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"h4-responsive\">Related Stories<\/div>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/29\/advisory-council-on-historic-preservation-letter-on-oak-flat\/\" title=\"Advisory Council on Historic Preservation letter on sacred Apache site\">Advisory Council on Historic Preservation letter on sacred Apache site<\/a> (March 29, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/15\/bill-introduced-to-protect-sacred-apache-site-from-development\/\" title=\"Bill introduced to protect sacred Apache site from development\">Bill introduced to protect sacred Apache site from development<\/a> (March 15, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/04\/cronkite-news-biden-administration-puts-halt-to-mine-at-sacred-apache-site\/\" title=\"Cronkite News: Biden administration puts halt to mine at sacred Apache site\">Cronkite News: Biden administration puts halt to mine at sacred Apache site<\/a> (March 4, 2021)<BR>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/01\/san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine\/\" title=\"San Carlos Apache Tribe cheers \u2018right move\u2019 to protect sacred site from copper mine\">San Carlos Apache Tribe cheers \u2018right move\u2019 to protect sacred site from copper mine<\/a> (March 1, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/01\/cronkite-news\/\" title=\"Cronkite News: Deb Haaland shares her vision for Interior Department\">Cronkite News: Deb Haaland shares her vision for Interior Department<\/a> (March 1, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/15\/cronkite-news-judge-wont-stop-copper-mine-on-sacred-apache-site\/\" title=\"Cronkite News: Judge won\u2019t stop copper mine on sacred Apache site\">Cronkite News: Judge won\u2019t stop copper mine on sacred Apache site<\/a> (February 15, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/09\/cronkite-news-apache-stronghold-fights-to-protect-sacred-site-from-foreign-mine\/\" title=\"Cronkite News: Apache Stronghold fights to protect sacred site from foreign mine\">Cronkite News: Apache Stronghold fights to protect sacred site from foreign mine<\/a> (February 9, 2021)<BR><a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/01\/21\/cronkite-news-republican-pardoned-in-connection-with\/\" title=\"Cronkite News: Republican pardoned in connection with Oak Flat land deal\">Cronkite News: Republican pardoned in connection with Oak Flat land deal<\/a> (January 21, 2021)","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The House Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States will take testimony on the Save Oak Flat Act on April 13, 2021.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9982,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,11,20,13,1,14],"tags":[869,157,159,223,49,48,1385,178,892,1122,7,1072,43,597,51,1384,598,474,102],"class_list":["post-9979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-environment","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-117th","tag-consultation","tag-eis","tag-fawn-sharp","tag-hnrc","tag-house","tag-ita","tag-itca","tag-mining","tag-naelyn-pike","tag-ncai","tag-oak-flat","tag-sacred-sites","tag-san-carlos-apache","tag-scip","tag-shan-lewis","tag-terry-rambler","tag-usfs","tag-youth","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/08\/nizhonipike-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-2AX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9979"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9979\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9979"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}