|
(Continued from page 21)
Indian energy self-determination law.
• Experts said Tuesday that tribal lands make up about 5 percent of the land mass in the U.S. but contain as much as one-fifth of the nation's energy resources.
• In North Dakota, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation is in the middle of one of the biggest oil and gas booms in decades. More than 800 wells have been drilled on tribal land, 30 rigs are operating there, and more than 16,000 semi-trucks are keeping the roads busy as part of the development.
• Tribal Chairman Tex Hall said the tribe developed its own codes to balance development with environmental protections. He said those codes will continue to change as technology drives development.
• Keel said one of the other focuses is protecting tribal sovereignty.
• "Tribal governments have an important role in not only developing those resources but protecting the cultural resources, our sacred sites, all of those things that are important to Indian people and our way of life, not to mention raising the quality of life of our people," he said.
•
Noem seeking re-election to US House, not Senate
CHET BROKAW,Associated Press
• SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) -- Kristi Noem announced Tuesday she will seek re-election to South Dakota's lone U.S. House seat next year rather than challenge former Gov. Mike Rounds for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination.
• Noem, 41, had been mentioned as a possible Senate candidate by some Republicans who believe Rounds is not conservative enough on tax and budget issues, but she said she decided to seek a third term in the House after discussing the future with her husband and children over the weekend.
• Noem said she believes she can best serve South Dakota as a member of the House.
• "It is a privilege to serve South Dakota in the House, and while I'm proud of what we've been able to accomplish, there is a lot more we must do. At the top of that list is getting a full five-year Farm Bill passed to give our agriculture industry the certainty needed to plan for the future," Noem said in a written statement first posted on her Facebook page.
• Noem said she will work hard to elect a Republican to the Senate seat now held by Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson, who has announced he will not seek re-election next year. She said Republicans are needed in the Senate to rein in spending, reduce the federal debt and protect liberties.
(Continued on page 23)
|
|
