DAVENPORT – A proposal to compensate the Spokane Tribe of Indians for land flooded by Grand Coulee Dam has raised the ire of Lincoln County elected officials and property owners, who claim they were not consulted.
The plan, pushed by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris, R-Wash., would pay the tribe tens of millions of dollars and transfer management of land south of the Spokane River to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The bill recently passed the U.S. House without debate and awaits Senate action.
A similar agreement was reached with the Colville Confederated Tribes in 1994. Both tribes have reservations abutting Lake Roosevelt, the sprawling reservoir behind the dam.
In exchange for a change in management of the land, the Spokanes said they would accept about 29 percent of what the Colvilles were given in 1994 – $53 million up front and millions more each year.
“We want to be good neighbors,” Spokane tribal Chairman Greg Abrahamson said.
During a special meeting with members of McMorris’ staff on Monday, Lincoln County Commission Chairman Ted Hopkins said there are concerns that Congress needs to know about. “We want to be part of the process,” he said.
The 2,300-member tribe has been negotiating off and on for compensation since the dam was completed in 1940, flooding tribal lands.
Under the plan approved by the U.S. House, management of the tribal trust land would change. Day-to-day management would remain with the National Park Service, but the tribe, through the BIA, would have more say on the way it was managed.
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