Bridge Magazine: “Michigan tribes losing police, health budgets as coronavirus shuts casinos”

Here.

Michigan Tribes and Gov. Granholm Sign Greenhouse Gas Compact

A press release from Clean Energy Now:

Sault Ste. Marie – Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and 12 Sovereign Tribes of Michigan signed an accord to fight Global Warming by reducing greenhouse gasses. Governor Granholm and Tribal Leaders have been leading their respective nations in addressing Global Warming and re-energizing what Michigan does best, manufacture a new century’s transition to a green economy that is the fastest job creator in the state.

Governor Granholm announced a 45% reduction in fossil fuels in her State of the State address, February 3, 2009.  On March 5, 2009 Governor Granholm signed an agreement with the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy.

Chief Fred Cantu, of the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe and the Tribal Council have taken leadership global warming on impacts of coal fired power plants to Michigan’s economy slowing the rapid grown of green jobs and the health and welfare of all Michigan citizens.

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MSU Working Paper 2009-03 — Carcieri’s Impact on Michigan Tribes

Novaline Wilson (MSU Law ’08) has written a nice paper on the impact of Carcieri v. Salazar on Michigan tribes, many of whom (8 out of 12) were not federally recognized in 1934. It is here. Note that she wrote this before Carcieri was decided. An excerpt:

The Supreme Court must consider unique historical circumstances of Michigan Indian tribes before effectively barring these administratively aggrieved tribes from the federal land-to-trust process. Michigan Indian tribes have a distinct political history as treaty tribes that were illegally administratively terminated in a “situation [that] is not simply an injustice of major proportions, it is a travesty of logic that boggles the rational mind.” Carcieri was correctly decided at the administrative appeals level, by the District Court, and by the First Circuit Court of Appeals. This case is not only without merit, it directly contravenes the BIA’s authority to fulfill their federally mandated trust obligations to tribes. The BIA has to administer the same general federal fiduciary obligations to all tribes, regardless of the year the federal government finally got around to “formally recognizing” tribes. As demonstrated through Michigan Indian tribal history, an outright bar on land-to-trust for those tribes not recognized in 1934 would not only eviscerate fundamental Indian law and administrative law principles, it would demonstrate deliberate ignorance of hundreds of years of American history between Indian tribes and the federal government.

Commentary: Now Is the Time for Michigan Tribes to Renew Their Gaming Compacts

The success — shocking and aweing (surely to the MichGO plaintiffs — :)) — of the Gun Lake Band in getting their Class III gaming compact through the Michigan Senate (controlled by Republicans) and House (controlled by Dems, and a few years back had previously approved the compact) should be a serious sign to the rest of the Michigan tribes — NOW is the time to renew or renegotiate gaming compacts.

Here are the facts:

  1. Michigan, and the rest of the US, is in a serious, serious economic downturn.
  2. The State of Michigan, losing tax revenue each and every day, and suffering through year after year of declining governmental revenues.
  3. Michigan tribes, also, are suffering through declining revenue. It turns out that gaming may be recession-proof, but it surely isn’t depression-proof. Now is the time to prove to the State’s negotiators that tribes will be hurt — perhaps even killed — by increased revenue sharing.
  4. Gov. Granholm isn’t going to be the State’s governor forever. The next governor may be someone far less likely to (a) negotiate an Indian gaming compact with reasonable terms, or (b) negotiate a gaming compact at all.
  5. Tribes like Burt Lake will be knocking at the State’s door offering something more than 10 percent, all the way up to the Detroit casino’s 36 percent (did I get that percentage right?).

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