Post by blackcrowheart on Mar 4, 2006 11:15:11 GMT -5
Congress urged to pick a figure for settling Indian lawsuit
WASHINGTON The two sides involved in a lawsuit over federal royalties Native Americans claim they are owed want Congress to pick a number to settle the case.
Negotiators and tribal leaders say estimates of the money owed for royalties on oil, gas, timber and other resources from Indian lands range from half a (b) billion dollars to 27-and-a-half (b) billion.
Many people with a stake in the class-action lawsuit against the Interior Department are convinced only Congress can settle it fairly, and that an arbitrary decision could be fairer than a technical, data-driven fix.
A mediator says that some money is owed is not in dispute. An accounting of Indian royalties was ordered in 1994. Two years later Native Americans filed suit when the accounting still wasn't done.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ww2.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=4572429
WASHINGTON The two sides involved in a lawsuit over federal royalties Native Americans claim they are owed want Congress to pick a number to settle the case.
Negotiators and tribal leaders say estimates of the money owed for royalties on oil, gas, timber and other resources from Indian lands range from half a (b) billion dollars to 27-and-a-half (b) billion.
Many people with a stake in the class-action lawsuit against the Interior Department are convinced only Congress can settle it fairly, and that an arbitrary decision could be fairer than a technical, data-driven fix.
A mediator says that some money is owed is not in dispute. An accounting of Indian royalties was ordered in 1994. Two years later Native Americans filed suit when the accounting still wasn't done.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
ww2.wpri.com/Global/story.asp?S=4572429