Citizens STAND-UP! Committee
Yakama Nation Reservation, WA
Phone: 509-865-2229
            509-865-6225
email:     Toppin@aol.com

The communities of Toppenish, Wapato, Harrah, and surrounding unincorporated farm areas, are facing a major jurisdictional issues between local, State and Tribal governments that is already taking an economic toll. The Yakama Indian Reservation comprises 45.2% of all land in Yakima County. We believe the Confederated Band of 14 Tribes of the Yakama Nation should not have governance and regulatory control over non-Indian persons, businesses and properties on the Yakama Reservation.

Current Tribal efforts to acquire electrical utilities and ban alcohol are about Tribal Power. The issue is an unfortunate and unnecessary conflict of governments. The Tribal government is clearly over-reaching its authority and jurisdiction to impose its regulations upon U.S. citizens who are not members of that government.

We are United States citizens and residents of Washington State. We are not members of a sovereign, tribal government and should not be governed by such. Our families should not be forced to give up their homes, businesses and lands, devalued by sovereign tribal governance and tribal control of utilities.

Our recently formed "Citizens STAND-UP! Committee" has organized to stand up for the rights of citizens on the reservation, and includes a strong cultural mix of Hispanic, Anglo citizens and several enrolled Yakama members who disagree with their tribal governance.

The Citizens STAND-UP! Committee has one overriding platform: We have gathered together to study issues, communicate with each other, and elected officials, and media about our one primary purpose: We absolutely oppose tribal jurisdiction over non-Indian persons, businesses and properties on the Yakama Reservation. 

Our specific action goals are:

1. We maintain utmost respect and close ties with our Native American friends. 

2. We oppose proposed Tribal acquisition and control of electrical power on the Yakama Reservation, with no public input or accountability to the voice of non-tribal citizens.

3. We oppose implementation of a proposed Tribal Alcohol Ban, presumably effective on September 17, 2000, upon non-Indian persons, businesses and properties.

4. We oppose the granting of "state" status to the tribal government for EPA regulation enforcement. If successful- our farmers on the reservation would be subject to more restrictive regulations than those farmers outside the reservation, putting them at a distinct disadvantage.

5. We have confirmed the Yakama Nation's plan to purchase two dams on the Columbia River - the Wanapum and Priest Rapids Dams. We are concerned that the Yakama Nation is attempting to obtain control over electric power services in our area. These dams are currently owned by Grant County PUD and provide irrigation waters to agricultural land in Benton, Grant and Yakima counties in Central Washington.

The following is correspondence received by CERA from a member of the "Citizens STAND-UP! Committee" which reinforces CERA's mission to provide a place for people, facing the unwelcome intrusion of federal Indian policy into the lives, to network and share information.

"The circumstances occurring here in Yakama Nation area were such that folks here were caught unprepared, worried and just wringing their hands, hoping for the best , feeling very overwhelmed and alone-out-there. As some of us started exploring these issues on the internet - we found CERA, UCE, UPOW and discovered that we were NOT alone at all, and that there IS something we can do at the local level. We owe a great debt to all of your organizations for providing us with the needed "Wake-up call." We're wide awake now, ready to hold the line in THIS local area, and willing to lend our voice and support to all other grassroots groups struggling with this "sovereign" cancer overwhelming democracy wherever it can.

The Snee-Oosh Land Company
President - Terry McNeil  mcneitr@cnw.com  
Mel Dunbar is the Secretary/Treasurer - mmdunbar@cnw.com.

The Snee-Oosh Land Company is a corporation whose stockholders are lot owners in our small development. (~60 homes). The Swinomish Tribe has pushed for control of all of the lands and people within the confines of the original reservation, even though it is ~ 70% owned by non-tribal persons and ~ 70% of the people residing are non-tribal.  They have claimed and tried to take over all water rights within the confines of the original reservation, have tried to take over the County Sewer District, have gained control over water distribution of local off-reservation supplies of water, tried to charge a "bulkhead" permit for all waterfront protective bulkheads, have entered into a "memoradum of understanding" with our previous Skagit County Commissioners, claim jurisdiction of everything including logging permits, building permits, etc.

The Swinomish Tribe is currently charging a 3% "Utility Tax" to all perveyors of unilities, and the utilities are passing the charges through the costs to the ratepayers.  Some of our people do not pay the utility tax, and so far we have not heard of anyone losing their utilities.  We have tried to interest all of the various county, and federal politicians to take and interst in our plight and provide some relief, but no help yet from any of them.