Letter to The Honorable Ken Salazar, U.S. Secretary of the Interior

Letter

In Personal Letter to Secretary of the Interior, Schumer Forwards Constituents' Objections to Taking Land into Trust in Seneca & Cayuga Counties, Stands with Local Leaders in Opposition to Pending Application

Schumer Cites Local Resolutions, Letters As Evidence Of Staunch Local Opposition To Taking 125 Acres In Seneca & Cayuga Counties Into Trust

Schumer: We Need To Stop This Land Into Trust Application Right In Its Tracks

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer sent a personal letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, expressing his opposition, along with many of his constituents, to the Cayuga Indian Nation's application to take approximately 125 acres of land into trust in Seneca and Cayuga Counties. This letter to Secretary Salazar builds upon Schumer's past opposition to the application -- he has previously expressed opposition to the land into trust application in comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, in letters and phone calls to Assistant Secretary Larry Echo Hawk, and repeated lobbying of DOI officials. Schumer also forwarded a letter signed by Cayuga and Seneca county residents, and a resolution passed by the local board of supervisors to demonstrate the strong local opposition to the application.

"The people of Cayuga and Seneca counties deserve for their voice to be heard in Washington," said Schumer. "That's why I'm standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them and putting their concerns front and center with the Department of the Interior. The message from Cayuga and Seneca is absolutely clear -- the DOI must reject this land into trust application. I will keep pushing Secretary Salazar as hard as I can regarding this application."

Schumer said his position on the land-into-trust process has long been clear. He is deeply skeptical of its suitability for large parcels of land in the more populated eastern areas of the country, as opposed to the less populated western parts of the nation, where this policy originated. In the letter Schumer states: "I share concerns that this land trust application poses serious environmental, economic, and jurisdictional risks for Cayuga and Seneca counties, and I believe it should be rejected."

The text of Senator Schumer's letter to Secretary Salazar appears below:

Dear Secretary Salazar,

I write today to reiterate my opposition -- and that of a great number of my constituents -- to the Cayuga Indian Nation's pending application to take land into trust in Cayuga and Seneca Counties. I have attached a letter from a number of my constituents, as well as a resolution passed by the local board of supervisors. I would appreciate if you would look over these documents and address the issues they raise. I share their concerns that this land trust application poses serious environmental, economic, and jurisdictional risks for Cayuga and Seneca counties, and I believe it should be rejected.

As you know, I have voiced my own concerns about this application on a number of occasions. On June 17th, 2009, I submitted comments opposing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement at a public hearing. In July of that year, I wrote a letter to Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk reiterating my concerns, and followed up with a phone call to him as well. I also filed formal written comments objecting to the DEIS, and I called you personally to voice my concerns about the application.

In 2010, I published a Letter to the Editor articulating my opposition to the land-trust application, and also wrote another letter to Assistant Secretary Echo Hawk explaining why I believed that the application posed grave problems for the residents of Cayuga and Seneca counties. When the Final Environmental Impact Statement was published in November of 2010, I filed formal written comments opposing the FEIS and strongly urging you not to take the land into trust. I am happy to provide you with copies of any of these letters or comments if you would like.

I appreciate your prompt consideration of the issues my constituents and I have raised, and look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

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