Post by blackcrowheart on Mar 11, 2006 21:14:45 GMT -5
Nuclear Waste Storage Affects Indian Tribe
By Matt Hodge - 8 Mar 2006
When the Goshute tribe made the controversial decision to allow nuclear waste storage on its reservation in exchange for money, it was taken advantage of y the government. Utah State University professor David Lewis said during his speech at Utah Valley State College on Monday, March 6, 2006.
"This is a story that has no simple answers," said Lewis, a professor of American history.
Lewis added there was no moral or happy ending to the story of the Goshute tribe.
"Who in their right mind would want to store highly radioactive waste in their own backyard?" Lewis asked.
The reservation, located in Skull Valley, Utah, is surrounded by testing ranges, nuclear waste facilities and polluting plants. Thousands of tests for rockets and chemical weapons have gone on over the years.
Goshute tribal chairman Leon Bear complained years ago that the tribe was never consulted or asked how they felt about having these facilities near their reservation.
"For 160 years we have, at best, ignored the Goshute nation," Lewis said.
The tribe has struggled with unemployment and poverty, and agreed in May of 1997 to lease land on their reservation for the storage of nuclear waste above ground.
While the tribe has never disclosed how much money it received, Lewis said the deal was worth an estimated $48 million to $240 million. The tribe researched the issue before making a decision, deciding it would be safe and that they would be compensated.
The tribe's interest in storing waste on its reservation was met with opposition from Utah politicians. Gov. Michael Leavitt was initially highly against the plan.
"For a politician, to oppose this is a slam dunk," Lewis said, suggesting that coming out against nuclear waste in the state is always a popular move.
Leavitt later changed his position. He said the Goshute deal was acceptable because only a small group of people would have to deal with living near the waste, and that most of the state's 2 million residents were safe. Only 121 people currently live on the Goshute reservation.
Lewis criticized the government's treatment of the tribe, calling it stupid, tragic and similar to the harsh treatment of Native Americans at the hands of early settlers. He said if the Goshute tribe was a white organization it would have been treated much more fairly by the government.
Some tribe members have said the money is not worth losing their identities and what they hold sacred. Lewis said the issue has turned Native Americans against themselves. Some are opposed to the storage of any hazardous waste, while others argue they need to do whatever they can to help their tribe thrive.
"I will not defend tribal politics within that tribe," Lewis said.
Bear has been criticized for hurting the image of Native Americans as well as going against their traditional values. He has argued that Skull Valley, with its nearby environmental hazards, has no alternative.
"We can't do anything here that's green or environmental," Lewis quoted Bear as saying.
At the end of the lecture, Lewis answered his earlier question about who would want to store waste near their homes.
"In reality, no one does. Not Leon Bear, not the Goshute. Nobody does," Lewis said. "I think the point is to negotiate alternatives."
UVSC student Chris Thresher said he came to the lecture to learn about an issue he knew very little about.
"I thought [Lewis] gave a pretty good objective view of the thing," Thresher said.
Thresher said he thought the government should do more to support the Goshute tribe, but stay out of their political structure so as not to set a precedent for future states to interfere with other tribes.
(For comments, e-mail Matthew Hodge at matthewhodge@byu.net)
By Matt Hodge - 8 Mar 2006
When the Goshute tribe made the controversial decision to allow nuclear waste storage on its reservation in exchange for money, it was taken advantage of y the government. Utah State University professor David Lewis said during his speech at Utah Valley State College on Monday, March 6, 2006.
"This is a story that has no simple answers," said Lewis, a professor of American history.
Lewis added there was no moral or happy ending to the story of the Goshute tribe.
"Who in their right mind would want to store highly radioactive waste in their own backyard?" Lewis asked.
The reservation, located in Skull Valley, Utah, is surrounded by testing ranges, nuclear waste facilities and polluting plants. Thousands of tests for rockets and chemical weapons have gone on over the years.
Goshute tribal chairman Leon Bear complained years ago that the tribe was never consulted or asked how they felt about having these facilities near their reservation.
"For 160 years we have, at best, ignored the Goshute nation," Lewis said.
The tribe has struggled with unemployment and poverty, and agreed in May of 1997 to lease land on their reservation for the storage of nuclear waste above ground.
While the tribe has never disclosed how much money it received, Lewis said the deal was worth an estimated $48 million to $240 million. The tribe researched the issue before making a decision, deciding it would be safe and that they would be compensated.
The tribe's interest in storing waste on its reservation was met with opposition from Utah politicians. Gov. Michael Leavitt was initially highly against the plan.
"For a politician, to oppose this is a slam dunk," Lewis said, suggesting that coming out against nuclear waste in the state is always a popular move.
Leavitt later changed his position. He said the Goshute deal was acceptable because only a small group of people would have to deal with living near the waste, and that most of the state's 2 million residents were safe. Only 121 people currently live on the Goshute reservation.
Lewis criticized the government's treatment of the tribe, calling it stupid, tragic and similar to the harsh treatment of Native Americans at the hands of early settlers. He said if the Goshute tribe was a white organization it would have been treated much more fairly by the government.
Some tribe members have said the money is not worth losing their identities and what they hold sacred. Lewis said the issue has turned Native Americans against themselves. Some are opposed to the storage of any hazardous waste, while others argue they need to do whatever they can to help their tribe thrive.
"I will not defend tribal politics within that tribe," Lewis said.
Bear has been criticized for hurting the image of Native Americans as well as going against their traditional values. He has argued that Skull Valley, with its nearby environmental hazards, has no alternative.
"We can't do anything here that's green or environmental," Lewis quoted Bear as saying.
At the end of the lecture, Lewis answered his earlier question about who would want to store waste near their homes.
"In reality, no one does. Not Leon Bear, not the Goshute. Nobody does," Lewis said. "I think the point is to negotiate alternatives."
UVSC student Chris Thresher said he came to the lecture to learn about an issue he knew very little about.
"I thought [Lewis] gave a pretty good objective view of the thing," Thresher said.
Thresher said he thought the government should do more to support the Goshute tribe, but stay out of their political structure so as not to set a precedent for future states to interfere with other tribes.
(For comments, e-mail Matthew Hodge at matthewhodge@byu.net)