The Ute Tribe issued a news release on March 18th with an update on an ongoing issue between the Tribe and the Environmental Protection Agency. According to the Tribe’s news release: Without notifying the Tribe, the EPA unsuccessfully sought an ex parte administrative warrant under the cover of seal from the federal court in Utah to conduct Clean Air Act inspections on the Reservation, claiming the move was necessary for EPA agents to enter the Reservation without applying for an access permit, as required by Ute Indian Tribal law…The judge refused to go along with this attempt, concluding instead that the EPA was inappropriately seeking to resolve questions of application of Tribal law through the administrative warrant process…The Tribe is requiring the EPA to obtain an access permit before entry on to the Reservation. The EPA, like all other federal agencies, has a trust responsibility to the Tribe, and Tribe is simply requesting that the EPA respect the Tribe’s sovereign authority through compliance with its access permit laws. “EPA is once again ignoring its role as federal trustee and disrespecting our Tribe’s sovereign authority to regulate access to our homelands,” says Ute Tribal Business Committee Chairman Shaun Chapoose. “We commend the federal district court for seeing through EPA’s efforts to flout Tribal law. What we are asking for is simple – that the EPA consult with the Tribe on its enforcement activities on our homelands and to let us know when they plan to conduct these activities through obtaining an access permit.” To read the entire news release from the Ute Indian Tribe, visit the Ute Business Committee Facebook page.
