[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 196 (Wednesday, December 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1650]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               PRAIRIE ISLAND INDIAN COMMUNITY LAND STUDY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JASON LEWIS

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 12, 2018

  Mr. LEWIS of Minnesota. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight a 
longstanding issue facing the Prairie Island Indian Community, a tribe 
in my district. The Prairie Island Indian Community has long lived in 
the lower half of Minnesota and along the banks of the Mississippi 
River, and currently occupies a Reservation that is located on an 
island along the Mississippi River in Goodhue County, Minnesota.
   In 1938, less than three miles downstream from the Prairie Island 
Reservation, the Army Corps of Engineers placed Lock and Dam No. 3 on 
the Upper Mississippi River. The operation of Lock and Dam No. 3 
regularly overflows and floods portions of the Prairie Island 
Reservation, much of which lies within the Mississippi River 100-year 
flood plain. Moreover, concerns have been raised that the flooding of a 
significant portion of Prairie Island Reservation land may have 
occurred without express Congressional authorization.
   In 1973, The Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant went into 
operation on the same island about 600 yards from the Prairie Island 
Reservation. The Plant is now home to over forty dry casks of spent 
nuclear fuel, in close proximity to tribal homes, churches, schools, 
the Tribe's Community Center, and tribal businesses. What's more, 
additional casks of spent nuclear fuel are expected to be added in the 
coming years.
   Complicating matters further, there is only one reliable road 
leading on and off the island shared by the Prairie Island Reservation 
and the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant. This road is often 
blocked by railroad traffic carrying a variety of freight.
   The operation of Lock and Dam No. 3, in combination with the close 
proximity of the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant and spent 
nuclear fuel to the Prairie Island Reservation, is rightfully a concern 
of the Community.
   In order to protect the Tribe and its members and to support the 
Tribe's long-term health and self-sufficiency, I believe that it is 
necessary to work towards identifying additional reservation land for 
the Tribe that is located at a safe distance from Lock and Dam No. 3 
and the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant.
   I call upon the next Congress to work with the Community to address 
these issues to ensure a safe and secure future for the Community and 
its members.

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