Greetings Relatives/Frens,
Council returned to Legislation 0192-13: Supporting the Native American Energy Act, HR 3973, a US Congressional Bill to facilitate the development of energy on Indian lands by reducing federal regulations that impede tribal development of Indian lands.

It sounds like that since HR 3973 is dead that the Council may wait to make Supporting Statement for new HR 1548.

In any event, I have some family matters that must be taken care of and so I must sign off but I will follow up on Council action on Legislatoin 0192-13. And thanks for tuning in! By the way, if any of my readers would like to thank me, please do so by making a donation – any size of donation much needed & much appreciated.
=====================================================

ATTORNEY GENERAL HARRISON TSOSIE
Introduced last Congress and HR 3973 died in Congress but new bill HR 1548, similar but changed one provision that established Indian Energy Office, which was deleted. It’s a very young bill before Congress and hasn’t gone thru committee hearings.
QUESTIONS: will Navajo be able to do mineral leases? For surface leases but not for subsurface leases which is under Indian Mineral Leasing Act 1982, which how BIA leases subsurface minerals. So that federal law wud have to be amended for Navajo to do minearal leases.
HR 1548 APPLY TO ALLOTTMENTS? No. Federal govt lease trust lands under one set of laws and for allotments different set of laws.
So table and get text of HR 1548, review and then make recommendations to Congress. Also this Council asked Congress for Navajo to issue own minerals leases and extend from lease terms from 25 years to 100 years.

DELEGATE WITHERSPOON
Support amendment, we want to mineral leasing over lands but shud we attach it to this bill.