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A new Environmental Protection Agency rule requires states to consider Tribal hunting, fishing, and gathering rights when crafting water regulations. The rule is a revision of how the Clean Water Act is implemented and requires states to consider Tribal treaty rights when crafting water quality regulations. The rule could protect resources such as wild rice, sturgeon, salmon, and shellfish.
The federal rule covers off-reservation lands on which Native people exercise their rights to hunt, fish, and gather. Such areas cover millions of acres mapped out in dozens of treaties. For example, in Washington state, Tribes successfully petitioned state regulators to increase water quality standards to account for the fact that Tribal members eat much more wild-caught salmon that non-Native residents.
While some states have accepted the rule, others are resisting it. A dozen states have filed a joint lawsuit against the rule, arguing that states should not be responsible for upholding federal treaty rights. The states challenging the rule are Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming.
Great Salt Lake emitting tons of CO2
As it dries up, the Great Salt Lake is becoming a significant contributor to global warming, according to a new study. The lake has shrunk by half in recent years due mainly to water diversions. Scientists spent seven months sampling emissions coming off the dry lake bed and found it emitted 4.1 million tons of carbon dioxide, roughly equivalent to the total annual emissions of 140 commercial planes.
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Our effort protects America’s beautiful public lands, honors our trust and treaty obligations to tribes, addresses staffing shortages at our national parks and helps combat the ever-growing threat of wildfires, including by giving permanent raises for wildland firefighters.”
