News from Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449
Chip Weiskotten, 202-226-8553

U.S. HOUSE PASSES CHEYENNE RIVER COMPENSATION LEGISLATION

Herseth Sandlin Bill Would Expedite Long Overdue Compensation for Oahe Dam Flooding

May 7, 2007, Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 487, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments Act of 2007. The legislation was introduced by U.S. Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin and passed the House unanimously by a voice vote this afternoon.

The bill seeks to correct an injustice created more than 50 years ago when tribal lands of the Cheyenne River Sioux were flooded during the construction of the Oahe Dam and Reservoir on the Missouri River. The flooding affected approximately100,000 acres on the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation and included some of the tribe’s most important cropland, wildlife habitat, and spiritually significant places.

Rep. Herseth Sandlin said, “Members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe have waited long enough to receive fair compensation for the unfairness that occurred decades ago. This bill will help to right an historic wrong by ensuring a fairer and more immediate compensation process.”

Though the tribe did receive some initial compensation for their loss at the time of the flooding, the amount was woefully inadequate and did not reflect the magnitude of the loss imposed on the tribe. In 2000, Congress recognized this inequity when it passed legislation to provide additional compensation for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and created a trust fund for additional tribal development. Unfortunately, the 2000 law was incomplete and flawed, requiring a number of amendments to the underlying law that are included in Herseth Sandlin’s bill.

In addition to several technical changes advocated by the Department of the Treasury, H.R 487 will allow for the immediate capitalization of the trust fund and, therefore, implementation of the tribe’s poverty reduction program. The bill will also give the tribe the authority to redirect a limited amount of the fund towards private tribal landowners. Many of the 100,000 plus acres that were inundated due to the dam were actually privately owned by tribal members.

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Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives. She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs and Resources. In the 110th Congress, Herseth Sandlin was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.