1981-02-01 Char-Koosta News

              PABLO, MONTANA 59855 ISSN: 0528-8592
Big SKY Country
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VOLUME 10 NUMBER X/9
NEW MOON OF BANDS SPREAD ALL OVER
FEBRUARY 1,1981
Thumbs up' for pristine air, the crowd seemed to say
Well over 100 people showed up to take part in, or just watch the Tribes' air quality re-designation public hearing on Thursday, January 15, making it one of the best attended tribal meetings ever.
Of the several dozen who gave testimony, only a handful opposed Class I; the majority were in favor of adopting the tougher standards.
Tribal attorney Evelyn Stevenson acted as hearing officer. Only four councilmen served with her on the panel: Bearhead Swaney, who also happens to be the air quality office director, Joe McDonald, John McClure and Vic Stinger. The rest of the Council was in Billings. Phil Tourangeau from the University of Montana also served on the panel at the air quality department's invitation.
The hearing was called so the public could contribute to the Class I re-designation process - either for or against — by written or spoken testimony, to help the Tribal Council decide whether or not to "go for it". Testimony came from several Montana counties and all facets of the public and private sectors — elected public officials, EPA representatives, federal land managers and other federal officers, governmental representatives (tribal, state and local) and just plain folks.
Fred Kupke comes home
More than a year ago, we ran a brief item about one Frederick Lee Kupke, a 32-year-old Kiowa Indian, who was one of 52 Americans being illegally detained in Teheran, Iran, since November 4, 1979.
Despite a telegram campaign and the offer of 100 Native Americans as substitute hostages for the 52 embassy employees, Kupke and his fellows remained in the custody of militant Iranian students for the next 12 Vi months.
A year and two-weeks after that item appeared, we're glad
Continued on    3
In this last category was the manager of the Plum Creek lumber mill, who wanted to know how the new classification — when and if it goes through — will affect any future plans he might have for expansion; a member of M.O.D., who wasn't against clean air so much as he questioned the right of a 17% minority to decide what the 83% majority will breathe; an Arlee landowner who feared unspecified economic loss from pristine air and wanted to know who would compensate him; a bookkeeper ; a trout farmer; a U of M professor; and a world champion boxer.
Complete details of the day's business are available at the Pablo Complex. Written testimony was accepted until January 23rd; this, too, will be on file.
As we go to press, it's unknown whether or not the Tribal Council will institute Class I air standards of their January 30 regular business meeting. If they do pass a resolution to redesignate, the air on the reservation automatically can't get any more polluted. All that will remain of the re-designation process is review by the Environmental Protection Agency and possibly another public hearing. Unless EPA uncovers an error in the past almost two years' work, the reclassification becomes reality.
Air Quality coverage continues on page four
Inside this issue
IHS may start serving non-Indian relatives..........Page 2
Pat Lefthand to serve as cultural liaison officer......Page 2
Buffalo Primer - part two........................Page 6
"Letters to the Editor".........................Page 7
Taxes and Saving Energy........................Page 9
February Calendar............................Page 15
Council Meeting Minutes. . .begin on.............Page 20