1986-12-19 Char-Koosta News

              VOLUME 15, NUMBER 19
THE TRAPPING MONTH
DECEMBER 19,1986
Tribes, Interior Dept. agree to delay MVP implementation
The Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes and the U.S. Department of Interior have agreed to temporarily postpone implementation of the contract which authorizes the Tribes to manage the power system of the Flathead Indian Irrigation Project (FIIP).
This action was announced after the Tribes and Department of Interior filed a joint motion earlier this week with
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the federal district court in Helena in regard to the Joint Board of Control's litigation to prevent the contract from moving forward. The Tribes and the United States filed the motion requesting that the one-day injunction hearing date that was scheduled for December 18 be vacated until all parties are afforded an opportunity for full exposition of the relevant facts and law pertaining to the case.
"It is obvious to anyone involved in the case that the issues before the court are of great importance and complexity. The Tribes want this case decided on the merits. This cannot be done in a one-day hearing. The court's ruling on these issues will impact Reservation life for decades to come," Tribal Chairman Ron Therriault said.
Quarterly reminder
You're cordially invited to attend the first quarterly Tribal meeting of 1987 on Friday, Jan. 2, beginning at 9 am. in the Council's chambers at Tribal headquarters in Pablo. On the unofficial agenda will be a discussion of the BIA's ten-year forest management plan, and perhaps a brief ceremony during which Ron Therriault and Mickey Pablo will switch places, with the latter assuming the Council chairman's job. Lunch will be served.
"The Tribes look forward to the advancement and resolution of this litigation. We are not backing off. We're in this to the end."
According to Therriault, there are essentially two issues in the lawsuit: The Tribes' authority to enter into the power system management contract pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination Act, and the meaning of the so-called "turnover" provision found in the 1908 amendment to the Flathead Allotment Act.
The Joint Board of Control has alleged that the 1908 turnover provision requires the control of both the FIIP power division and the irrigation division to be turned over to them.
"The Joint Board is going for it all in these lawsuits," Therriault said. "They have even alleged that the water users have paid for the construction cost associated with both systems." According to Therriault, it is a well-(Concludes on page 2)
Two-day closure for Tribes, BIA and IHS
Tribal and federal offices on the Flathead Reservation will be closed Dec. 25 and 26 in observance of Christmas. Thursday, Jan. 1, will also be a day off. It's anticipated that all the offices will be open on Jan. 2, however.