[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 107 (Thursday, July 10, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4394-S4395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NEVADA TRIBAL LANDS TRANSFER

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, this week the Senate Committee on Indian 
Affairs held a hearing to address five important pieces of legislation. 
Two of these bills, the Moapa Band of Paiutes Land Conveyance Act--S. 
2479--and the Nevada Native Nations Land Act--S. 2480--will transfer 
land into trust for a total of eight Indian tribes in Nevada for 
heritage preservation and economic development.
  Nevada's Great Basin has always been home to the Washoe, Paiute and 
Western Shoshone Peoples. The First Nevadans have long been a voice for 
protecting our wild landscapes and enriching our State through their 
language and cultural heritage. I take the many obligations that the 
United States has to tribal nations seriously. Land is lifeblood to 
Native Americans and these bills provide space for housing, economic 
development, traditional uses and cultural protection. I would like to 
commend the tribes, whose immense work and collaboration made these 
bills possible, and I look forward to continuing to work with our First 
Nevadans on protecting homelands.
  The Moapa Band of Paiute Indians have been in Nevada and the West 
since time immemorial and suffered great land losses through Federal 
Indian policy. When the Moapa River Reservation was established in the 
late 1800s, it consisted of over 2 million acres. In its lust to settle 
the West, Congress drastically reduced the reservation to just 1,000 
acres in 1875. It wasn't until 1980 that Congress restored 70,500 acres 
to the reservation. Today the reservation is approximately 71,954 
acres.
  The Moapa Band of Paiutes Land Conveyance Act, S. 2479, would direct 
the Secretary of the Interior to take more than 26,000 acres of land 
currently managed by the Bureau of Land Management--BLM--and the Bureau 
of Reclamation into trust for the Moapa People who live outside of Las 
Vegas, NV. This legislation would provide much needed land for the 
tribe's housing, economic development and cultural preservation.
  Located on I-15, the tribe runs the Moapa Paiute Travel Plaza. The 
tribe is the first in Indian Country to develop utility-scale solar 
projects on tribal lands. Since southern Nevada has critical habitat 
for the desert tortoise, a species listed as threatened under the 
Endangered Species Act, the tribe works closely with Federal, State, 
and local partners, members of the conservation community and 
interested stakeholders to develop their community in an 
environmentally responsible manner.
  The Nevada Native Nations Land Act, S. 2480, would transfer land into 
trust for seven northern Nevada tribes--the Elko Band of the Te-Moak 
Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians, the Fort McDermitt Paiute and 
Shoshone Tribe, the Duck Valley Shoshone Paiute Tribes, the Summit Lake 
Paiute Tribe, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, the Pyramid Lake Paiute 
Tribe and the South Fork Band of the Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone 
Indians. As does S. 2479, the Nevada Native Nations Land Act would 
allow these seven tribes to build housing for their members, preserve 
their cultural heritage and traditions, and provide opportunities for 
economic development.
  Since time immemorial, the Western Shoshone have been living in what 
is now known as southern Idaho, central Nevada, northwestern Utah, and 
the Death Valley region of southern California. The Elko and South Fork 
Bands are two of four bands that comprise the Te-Moak Tribe of Western 
Shoshone Indians.
  The Elko Band's reservation, or colony, is landlocked by the growing 
City of Elko, where band members have been coming for mining and 
railroad jobs for decades. The colony needs additional lands for 
housing and economic development. My legislation would expand the Elko 
Band's reservation by transferring 373 acres of BLM-managed land into 
trust for the tribe.
  S. 2480 would also convey 275 acres, just west of the City of Elko, 
to Elko County to provide space for a BMX, motocross, off-highway 
vehicle, and stock car racing area.
  The South Fork Reservation, home to the South Fork Band, is comprised 
of 13,050 acres. The Band was one of the groups of Western Shoshone 
that refused to move to the Duck Valley Reservation and stayed at the 
headwaters of the Reese River, near the present Battle Mountain Colony. 
Established by Executive order in 1941, the colony was originally 9,500 
acres of land purchased under the Indian Reorganization Act. In 
addition to rugged high desert terrain near the foothills of the Ruby 
Mountains, the reservation has open range which is used for open cattle 
grazing and agricultural uses. The Nevada Native Nations Land Act would 
place 28,162 acres of BLM land into trust for the tribes and release 
the Red Spring Wilderness Study Area--WSA--from further study.
  The Northern Paiutes made their homes throughout what is now known as 
Idaho, California, Utah and Nevada. Due to westward expansion, our 
government pushed some Western Shoshones and Northern Paiutes into the 
same tribe and onto the same reservation where their descendants 
remain.
  The Fort McDermitt Paiute and Shoshone Tribe now make their home 
along the Nevada-Oregon border. Starting as a military fort in 1865, 
the military reservation was turned into an Indian Agency in 1889 then 
established as an Indian reservation in 1936. The reservation is 
currently made up of 16,354

[[Page S4395]]

acres in Nevada and 19,000 acres in Oregon. The Nevada Native Nations 
Land Act would add 19,094 acres now managed by the BLM in Nevada to the 
lands already held in trust for the tribe.
  The Duck Valley Indian Reservation is the home of the Shoshone-Paiute 
Tribes who live along the State line between Nevada and Idaho. The 
reservation is 289,819 acres, including 22,231 acres of wetlands. The 
tribes have limited economic opportunities and tribal members have made 
their way farming and ranching. This bill would place 82 acres of U.S. 
Forest Service land into trust for the tribes. The tribes plan to 
rehabilitate structures that were used by Forest Service employees into 
much-needed housing on the parcel.
  The Summit Lake Reservation is one of the most rural and remote 
reservations in Nevada along the Oregon and California borders. 
Established in 1913 for the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, the reservation 
today is 12,573 acres. The tribe seeks land to maintain the integrity 
of its reservation, protect Summit Lake and restore the Lahontan 
Cutthroat Trout. S. 2480 would transfer 941 acres of BLM-managed land 
into trust for the tribe.
  The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony has a very small 28-acre reservation in 
Reno, NV. The colony has 1,100 Paiute, Shoshone and Washoe members some 
of whom live on a 1,920 acre reservation in Hungry Valley, which is 19 
miles north of Reno. The Hungry Valley Reservation is surrounded by 
shooting and ATV activities and tribal members have requested a buffer 
zone to ensure the safety of their community. The legislation would 
transfer 13,434 acres of BLM land into trust for the tribe.
  The Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe have made their homelands around 
Pyramid Lake, a unique desert terminal lake. Pyramid Lake is one of the 
most valuable assets of the tribe and is entirely enclosed within the 
boundaries of the reservation. S. 2480 would expand the reservation 
with an additional 30,669 acres of BLM-managed land.
  This legislation is so important to me and the Indian tribes in 
Nevada. Throughout the history of our country, Native Americans have 
been removed and disenfranchised from their homelands. They have been 
treated so poorly. One of the first pieces of legislation I worked on 
when I came to Congress was the historic Pyramid Lake/Truckee-Carson 
Water Rights Settlement. This involved two States, several cities, a 
lake, a river, endangered species, and two Indian tribes. These Indian 
water rights needed to be protected, just as tribal lands need to be 
restored especially in Nevada where tribal landbases are smaller and 
more rural and remote than any other parts of Indian Country. During my 
time in the Senate, I will continue to do what I can to right some of 
the many wrongs and help tribes restore their homelands.

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