Once-ignored promises to tribes could change the environmental landscape
Federal and state officials signed nearly 400 treaties with tribal nations in the 18th and 19th centuries….In recent years, some courts, political leaders and regulators have decided it’s time to start honoring those treaty obligations….“The notion that tribal treaty rights should be factored into government decision-making is gaining increasing currency,” [said Riyaz Kanji, a leading Indian law attorney.] The strength of that argument was on display again last month, when leaders in Oregon and California announced plans to remove four dams on the Klamath River.