Trump advisors aim to privatize oil-rich Indian reservations

[enough]

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tribes-insight-idUSKBN13U1B1

By Valerie Volcovici | WASHINGTON Reuters

Native American reservations cover just 2 percent of the United States, but they may contain about a fifth of the nation’s oil and gas, along with vast coal reserves. Now, a group of advisors to President-elect Donald Trump on Native American issues wants to free those resources from what they call a suffocating federal bureaucracy that holds title to 56 million acres of tribal lands, two chairmen of the coalition told Reuters in exclusive interviews.

The group proposes to put those lands into private ownership - a politically explosive idea that could upend more than century of policy designed to preserve Indian tribes on U.S.-owned reservations, which are governed by tribal leaders as sovereign nations.

The tribes have rights to use the land, but they do not own it. They can drill it and reap the profits, but only under regulations that are far more burdensome than those applied to private property.

"We should take tribal land away from public treatment," said Markwayne Mullin, a Republican U.S. Representative from Oklahoma and a Cherokee tribe member who is co-chairing Trump’s Native American Affairs Coalition. "As long as we can do it without unintended consequences, I think we will have broad support around Indian country."

Trump’s transition team did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

SNIP> Much more at link. This a long detailed article that covers a lot of the legal and political complexities.

[madaboutharry]

1. More horrible ideas from horrible people.

The greed of republicans knows no bounds.

[marybourg]

2. "As long as we can do it without unintended consequences"

Sure, that sounds doable. Do I need to add:

[pbmus]

4. Kleptocracy

[AgadorSparticus]

5. Greedy thieves. Deplorable doesn't do them justice.

[duffyduff]

6. Not gonna happen. n/t