...State legislators had approved a system for capping carbon emissions from the state’s largest polluters, as Inslee had sought for years.Sales of pollution permits under the new law are expected to raise hundreds of millions of dollars annually for projects to fight and adapt to a rapidly changing climate.The governor vetoed a section requiring tribal consultation for those projects and tribal consent for any projects that would harm tribes’ cultural, archeological or sacred sites....
..."To plainly speak the truth, Governor Inslee used, exploited, and betrayed Tribal Nations in order to pass his climate change bill,” said Robert de los Angeles, Chairman of the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. “Tribes across the Pacific Northwest negotiated and came to a deal with the Governor's Office and the House and Senate leadership to protect our civil rights and our sacred sites, archeological sites, and burial grounds, and less than a month later the Governor is unilaterally breaking his side of the deal. The fact that this betrayal is occurring regarding protections for something as important as burial grounds and sacred sites is offensive beyond description. This will be a permanent stain on his record."Tribal leaders are joined by legislative leaders of Inslee’s own party in their opposition to Inslee’s actions.“I definitely would not have voted for the Climate Commitment Act without the consultation language that the Tribes negotiated and the impassioned advocacy of President Guy Capoeman and Vice President Fawn Sharp of the Quinault Nation,” said Representative Mike Chapman (D-24th LD) and Chairman of the House Rural Development, Agriculture, & Natural Resources Committee. “After Washington's Tribes were instrumental in passing the CCA, I was shocked and embarrassed both by Governor Inslee's decision not to invite Quinault and Snoqualmie leaders to the bill signing and his surprise veto of protections for Tribal sovereignty, sacred sites, and burial grounds. Those actions do not reflect Washington's values.”“It is absolutely pivotal that tribal leaders and the State of Washington can collaborate together on a basis of trust,” said Senator Kevin Van De Wege (D-24th), Chairman of the Senate Agriculture, Water, Natural Resources & Parks. “Governor Inslee broke trust with Washington's Tribes in a way that complicates and damages dialogue with tribes statewide. I empathize with my constituents and friends at the Quinault Indian Nation who fought so hard for those policies only to be betrayed.”In response to Governor Inslee’s claim that he will unilaterally convene Tribal leaders to negotiate new bill language to replace the provision vetoed, President Fawn Sharp, “As the President of the National Congress of American Indians, which represents over 500 sovereign Tribal Nations, I will not participate in any process that validates Inslee’s delusional belief that he has authority over sovereign Tribes or speaks for the Washington State Legislature or Washington State voters.”
The history of state and tribal relations is kind of complex and might have to be a topic for blogging in the future. Native American tribes in the Pacific Northwest lawyered up in the 1970s to fight the state on issues such as tribal members getting arrested or fined for fishing without state licensing despite promises in treaties that traditional hunting and fishing grounds would be respected. It's one of a sprawling array of topics I've been trying to get to in my reading so I don't have a ton to write about the topic at the moment.
The main take-away at the moment is that Inslee has been Inslee about climate change in ways that have led him to aggravate the tribes. Now Fawn Sharp agrees with precisely one statement President Trump made about Inslee when referring to Inslee as a snake.
We live in curious times.
UPDATE 5-26-2021
A more detailed statement of what was going on from Fawn Sharp and a co-author is accessible here.
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