Commentary: Cole Bill is Bad for Small Tribes, Bad for Oklahoma’s Diverse Citizenry, and Bad for America

Patrick B. McGuigan 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Now comes from Washington, the newest system for dysfunctional authorities, irrational financial coverage and abuse of Oklahoma’s Small Tribes, small enterprise and mid-size states.

All this, from the thoughts of no much less a Republican than U.S. Consultant Tom Cole.

Based mostly on a draft model of the laws, as distilled by reporters for NonDoc.com at present (Tuesday, Could 11), I imagine that Cole’s newest effort at a “land repair” for the 2 strongest Oklahoma tribes (the Chickasaw and the Cherokee) is unhealthy for small tribes, unhealthy for Oklahoma’s various citizenry, and unhealthy for America. 

The proposed laws would worsen essentially the most destructive results of ‘McGirt v. Oklahoma,’ a very powerful authorized determination in state historical past. 

The sensible impact of Cole’s measure could be to:

* Maintain all property issues like environmental taxation and oil and fuel within the palms of the 2 Massive Tribes.

* Crush the chance of smaller tribes just like the UKB (United Keetowah Band of Cherokee Indians) and Comanche – who had been granted rights to acquisitions inside Cherokee territory (within the case of the UKB) and On line casino-development rights in Love County in separate compacts with the state.

Cole’s proposed legislation would give veto energy to the massive tribes over all land-into-trust acquisitions.

* Permit Massive Tribes to purchase the whole lot of their reservations again and declare they’re restricted beneath 25 U.S.C. 177 which beforehand didn’t convert them to “Indian Nation” however which now would by way of the “Indian” Lands definition within the Cole invoice.

* Permit dozens of doubtful on line casino acquisitions for the massive tribes to be additional legitimized by ratifying them as Indian Lands.

* Maintain all property issues like environmental taxation and oil and fuel within the palms of those Massive Tribes.

Notice: McGuigan is editor of The Metropolis Sentinel newspaper, and founding father of CapitolBeatOK.com.