February 4, 2010
 
Debbie McBride, Acting Regional Director
BIA Western Regional Office
2600 N. Central Avenue, 4th Floor
Phoenix AZ 85004-3050
 
Subject: Western Shoshone Claims Disbursement
 
Dear Ms. McBride:
 
I am writing this letter on behalf of the hundreds of Western Shoshone members of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe.  Concerns have been expressed regarding the absence of partial payment language in the Western Shoshone eligibility letters being sent to individuals.  The letters state that “a distribution of funds will occur after the judgment roll is completed and final decisions are made on any appeals that are filed.”
 
A meeting …

 The Fallon Business Council believes that it would be beneficial for Tribal members to sign the two petitions being circulated in the Fallon community by the Newlands Water Protection Association (NWPA).  The first petition requests “all branches of the federal government to delete all provisions of the Proposed Truckee River Operating Agreement (TROA) that alter the historical distribution of the waters of the Truckee River into the Newlands Project…”  The second petition requests “the Federal District Court to order and direct the U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, and …

Honorable Harry Reid
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Reid:
As the recognized leaders –both elected Tribal Council Chairmen and recognized standing Committee Chairs of the Western Shoshones –come to you as a long standing respected supporter of our people’s issues regarding our effort to bring closure to our U.S. Court of Claims settlement (1951-1977). Your advocacy and assistance in the Senate’s passage of a “Plan” for distribution in 2004 (P.L. 108-270) and your help to secure financing to implement the BIA’s “application process” was sincerely appreciated. Since the passage of the …

Five years after signing Public Law 108-270 into law, the Western Shoshone continue to wait for payment because of the stagnant inaction of the Department of Interior and Bureau of Indian Affairs in Washington, DC. Approximately 7,500 applications have been submitted since April 2006 – yet five years after becoming law not one single Western Shoshone beneficiary has been certified.
 
“The Western Shoshone Judgment Fund Distribution Act, Public Law 108-270, 118 Stat. 805 (Act), dated July 7, 2004 requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish a judgment fund per capita …

 
There are many issues that are very important to every member of our Tribe. In some cases there are some that are more serious than others. The issue that I would like to address in this report is the Health crisis that we are realizing as a result of unconscionable mandates that result in our Native American population being denied equal access to quality as well as specialized health care. It is my opinion that this situation that we are in, is crucial and cannot continue. As most of you …

CROW RESERVATION, Mont. - Ta’shon Rain Little Light, a happy little girl who loved to dance and dress up in traditional American Indian clothes, had stopped eating and walking. She complained constantly to her mother that her stomach hurt.
 
When Stephanie Little Light took her daughter to the Indian Health Service clinic in this wind-swept and remote corner of Montana, they told her the 5-year-old was depressed.
 
Ta’Shon’s pain rapidly worsened and she visited the clinic about 10 more times over several months before her lung collapsed and she was airlifted to …

The Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe, Nevada Intertribal Council, Nevada Microenterprise Initiative, U.S. Small Business Administration and the Nevada Indian Commission hosted the Tribal Energy Summit on June 11, 2009. Nevada Tribes interested in developing alternative energy sources were invited to attend and participate in discussions with private companies and agencies responsible for technical assistance, initial funding and management.
 
Roger Taylor, Group Manager, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Department of Energy, Golden, Colorado presented “Renewable Energy Development on Tribal Lands Program, and Grants, Opportunities and Stimulus.” Roger Knight, Office of Economic and Energy …

As Chairman it is my duty to oversee the issues that impact the Paiute Shoshone Tribe today and in future generations. It is my responsibility to lead our people into the 21st Century; and important to track the changes within the local governments as well as the federal government that benefit the people – our most important asset.
In reference to the preceding statement I also have the responsibility to examine and analyze issues daily and I don’t hesitate to inform the Fallon Business Council of an issue we need to …