<DOC> [109 Senate Hearings] [From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access] [DOCID: f:28188.wais] S. Hrg. 109-572 TRIBAL PARITY ACT; AND THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE EQUITABLE COMPENSATION AMENDMENTS ACT ======================================================================= HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS UNITED STATES SENATE ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION ON S. 374 TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION TO THE LOWER BRULE AND CROW CREEK SIOUX TRIBES OF SOUTH DAKOTA FOR DAMAGE TO TRIBAL LAND CAUSED BY PICK-SLOAN PROJECTS ALONG THE MISSOURI RIVER S. 1535 TO AMEND THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE EQUITABLE COMPENSATION ACT TO PROVIDE COMPENSATION TO MEMBERS OF THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE FOR DAMAGE RESULTING FROM THE OAHE DAM AND RESERVOIR PROJECT __________ JUNE 14, 2006 WASHINGTON, DC U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 28-188 WASHINGTON : 2006 _____________________________________________________________________________ For Sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512-1800; (202) 512ÿ091800 Fax: (202) 512ÿ092250 Mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402ÿ090001 COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS JOHN McCAIN, Arizona, Chairman BYRON L. DORGAN, North Dakota, Vice Chairman PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico DANIEL K. INOUYE, Hawaii CRAIG THOMAS, Wyoming KENT CONRAD, North Dakota GORDON SMITH, Oregon DANIEL K. AKAKA, Hawaii LISA MURKOWSKI, Alaska TIM JOHNSON, South Dakota MICHAEL D. CRAPO, Idaho MARIA CANTWELL, Washington RICHARD BURR, North Carolina TOM COBURN, M.D., Oklahoma John Tahsuda, III, Majority Staff Director Sara G. Garland, Minority Staff Director (ii) C O N T E N T S ---------- Page S. 374 and S. 1535, text of...................................... 3 Statements: Dorgan, Hon. Byron L., U.S. Senator from North Dakota, vice chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs...................... 13 Frazier, Harold, chairman, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe........ 30 Jandreau, Michael, chairman, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe......... 22 Johnson, Hon. Tim, U.S. Senator from South Dakota............ 13 Lawson, Michael L., Morgan, Angel and Associates............. 24 Malcolm, Jeffery D., assistant director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office..... 14 McCain, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from Arizona, chairman, Committee on Indian Affairs................................ 1 Nazzaro, Robin M., director, Natural Resources and Environment, U.S. Government Accountability Office......... 14 Thompson, Lester, chairman, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe........... 23 Thune, Hon. John, U.S. Senator from South Dakota............. 21 Vogel, Sharon, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe.................... 32 Appendix Prepared statements: Frazier, Harold (with attachment)............................ 42 Jandreau, Michael............................................ 39 Lawson, Michael L. (with attachment)......................... 75 LeBeau, Freddy, vice chairman, Oahe Landowners Association... 86 Nazzaro, Robin M. (with attachments)......................... 87 Thompson, Lester............................................. 167 Vogel, Sharon................................................ 170 TRIBAL PARITY ACT; AND THE CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE EQUITABLE COMPENSATION AMENDMENTS ACT ---------- WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14, 2006 U.S. Senate, Committee on Indian Affairs, Washington, DC. The committee met, pursuant to notice, at 9:35 a.m. in room 485 Senate Russell Office Building, Hon. John McCain (chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs) presiding. Present: Senators McCain, Dorgan, Johnson, and Thune. STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN McCAIN, U.S. SENATOR FROM ARIZONA, CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS The Chairman. Good morning. The hearing this morning will address two measures that are currently before the committee: S. 374, known as the Tribal Parity Act, and S. 1535, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments Act of 2005. The first two panels of the hearing will be addressing S. 374, and the third panel will address S. 1535. The principal reason for the hearing on S. 374 is to address a recent report issued by the GAO at the committee's request. The committee marked up this bill back in late June 2005. After that, but before a committee report was filed, a representative of GAO contacted committee staff expressing some concern about language in the bill suggesting that the compensation levels of the bill were based on a methodology that had been determined inappropriate by the GAO. The GAO staff indicated that in certain respects, the methodology used to calculate the compensation levels in the bill deviated from the GAO methodology used in determining the additional compensation in legislation enacted for other Indian tribes impacted by Pick- Sloan projects on the Missouri River. Therefore, I asked the GAO to analyze the methodology used for S. 374 and to prepare the report which is the focus of the first part of the hearing today. The second matter of the hearing, S. 1535, would amend the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Act that was passed by Congress in the year 2000. The principal amendment to the 2000 act would accelerate the payment schedule and change the funding source from annual appropriations to revenues derived from the Pick-Sloan. [Text of S. 374 and S. 1535 follow:] <GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT> The Chairman. I would like to express my appreciation to Senator Johnson, Senator Thune, and Senator Dorgan for their persistence and focus and attention on this issue. It is a bit complex. It sounds a bit arcane to many people, but it is obviously very, very important to the tribes that reside in their States, and I am pleased to see that their commitment and dedication to resolving this issue may bring us much closer as a result of their hard work. Senator Dorgan. STATEMENT OF HON. BYRON L. DORGAN, U.S. SENATOR FROM NORTH DAKOTA, VICE CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS Senator Dorgan. Senator McCain, thank you very much. I want to thank my colleagues Senator Johnson and Senator Thune for their leadership on the bills that are important here to the tribes in South Dakota. We in North Dakota know a fair amount about the Pick-Sloan Missouri River Basin Program and the benefits that it was to provide to the residents of the Missouri River valley in the upstream States. But those benefits have come with very significant costs in many instances, particularly and especially for tribal people. I know from the tribes in North Dakota how detrimental that dam construction was and has been to their communities, changing the way of life and the subsistence for many tribes. Just for my colleague Senator Johnson's benefit, my father as a very young man lived in Elbow Woods, ND herding horses. Elbow Woods, ND no longer exists. It is now under water. It was inundated with Lake Sacajawea. It has been under water now for 50 years. That community no longer exist, and all those who lived there, including the hospital that existed there, they moved, except the hospital didn't reopen anyplace. That is another issue we are still working on today, 50 years later. The point is, they moved, significant things changed, the diets changed, opportunities changed. So I well understand the motive and the interest behind this legislation. I think Senator Johnson and Senator Thune are to be commended, and I am appreciative of the chairman for holding this hearing today. The Chairman. Senator Johnson. STATEMENT OF HON. TIM JOHNSON, U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA Senator Johnson. Thank you, Chairman McCain and Vice Chairman Dorgan, as well as the staff of the Committee on Indian Affairs, for agreeing to hold this hearing. The Tribal Parity Act and the Cheyenne River Equitable Compensation Amendments Act are of the utmost importance to the tribes involved and the attention the Committee on Indian Affairs has given to the Great Plains is appreciated by all the tribes in my State. I would also like to welcome our South Dakota witnesses to the committee. Chairman Jandreau of the Lower Brule Tribe is an institution in South Dakota, having served as tribal chairman for over 27 years now. His experience and his perspective have been both kindly provided and a great benefit to my office over the years. Chairman Frazier of the Cheyenne River Tribe has been a frequent guest of the committee and a tireless advocate for his tribe in Washington. Chairman Thompson of the Crow Creek Tribe is new to the job and comes in with the hopes of his community for building a better future. Sharon Vogel has been a great advocate for economic development on Cheyenne River. I also want to extend a big welcome to Freddy LeBeau and the others I have met with regard to the importance of these two bills to the tribes and the individual tribal members involved. The legislation to be discussed in this hearing deals with the Pick-Sloan project on the Missouri River and the impacts it continues to have on three tribes in South Dakota. The Lower Brule and the Crow Creek Tribes were both significantly impacted by the Fort Randall Dam and the Big Bend Dam, which flooded parts of both reservations in 1952 and then again in 1963, forcing many families to relocate twice. Likewise, the Oahe Dam near Pierre, SD was completed in 1958 and resulted in the loss of 104,420 acres of land to the Cheyenne River Tribe. No amount of compensation could ever fully account for everything that these tribes lost. However, Congress has twice acted to provide some compensation to mitigate the loss of each of these tribes. There still is more that needs to be done. While we can never erase the damage that has been done to the tribes and tribal members of the Missouri River, these bills go a long way toward helping the Lower Brule, the Crow Creek, and the Cheyenne River recover from the harm inflicted more than 40 years ago. I want to especially thank Senator Thune for introducing the Tribal Parity Act and for cosponsoring the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments Act of 2005. Their leadership on these issues and presence here today are greatly appreciated. Again, I want to thank the Indian Affairs Committee for allowing this hearing, and I look forward to hearing from the witnesses. The Chairman. Thank you, sir. Our first panel is Robin M. Nazzaro who is the director of the Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office. She is accompanied by Jeffery Malcolm, assistant director. Welcome, Ms. Nazzaro. Welcome, Mr. Malcolm. STATEMENT OF ROBIN M. NAZZARO, DIRECTOR, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT, GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE, ACCOMPANIED BY JEFFERY MALCOLM, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Ms. Nazzaro. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. I am pleased to be here today to discuss the compensation claims of the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Tribes. As you know, from 1946 to 1966,the Federal Government constructed the Fort Randall and Big Bend Dams as flood control projects on the Missouri River in South Dakota. Installation of the dams caused the permanent flooding of approximately 38,000 acres of the tribes' reservations. During construction, the tribes entered into negotiations with the Federal Government for compensation for that land. In both cases, they were unable to reach an negotiated settlement and Congress imposed legislative settlements that were less than the amounts that the tribes had requested. In the 1990's, the tribes sought and received additional compensation. Tribes at five other reservations also lost land to flood control projects, received compensation for damages, and requested and received additional compensation. Prior to the Congress authorizing additional compensation to the tribes at three other reservations, the GAO was asked to review their claims. For these tribes, we found the economic analysis used to justify their claims to be unreliable and we suggested that the Congress not rely on them as a basis for providing additional compensation. As an alternative, we suggested that if the Congress determined that additional compensation was warranted, it could determine the amount of compensation by calculating the difference between the tribes's final settlement proposal, which we refer to as the tribes's final asking price, and the amount of compensation the Congress originally authorized. We used the inflation rate and an interest rate to adjust the difference to reflect a range of current values, using the inflation rate for the lower end of the range and the interest rate for the higher end. In 2003, the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Tribes hired a consultant, Dr. Lawson, to determine if they were due further additional compensation based on the method we proposed. As a result of his analyses, the tribes are currently seeking a third round of compensation totaling about $230 million. The tribes assert that their calculations for additional compensation will bring them into parity with the additional compensation provided to the other tribes on the Missouri River. After assessing Dr. Lawson's methods and analysis for determining additional compensation, we found his approach differed from the approach we used in two ways. First, Dr. Lawson did not use the tribes's final asking price as the starting point. During settlement negotiations for the Fort Randall and Big Bend Dams, as was the case with the negotiations for the other dams that we reviewed, the tribes made a number of settlement proposals. In calculating additional compensation amounts, we used the tribes's final asking prices because we believed they represented the most complete and realistic amounts. In contrast, Dr. Lawson used selected numbers from a variety of tribal settlement proposals, several that were not from the tribes's final asking prices. Second, Dr. Lawson calculated only the highest additional compensation dollar value, rather than a range of possible additional compensation based on different adjustment factors. He used the corporate bond rate to develop a single figure for each tribe. His justification was that the use of the high end of our range would ensure parity with the amounts the tribes at Fort Berthold and the Cheyenne River Tribe received. However, as our chart shows, the Congress has not always chosen to use the highest value in the ranges we estimated. In the case of the Standing Rock Tribe, the Congress chose to provide additional compensation closer to the lower end of the range we estimated. Although the additional compensation amounts provided in the 1990's were not calculated using our approach, the amounts were generally within the ranges we would have proposed. Moreover, the additional compensation already authorized for the tribes in the 1990's is consistent with the additional compensation authorized for the other tribes on the Missouri River. The chart I brought with me today shows the ranges we have calculated for the five tribes on the Missouri River and the additional compensation authorized by the Congress. Rather than bringing the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Tribes into parity with the additional compensation provided to the other tribes, we believe that the compensation under consideration would catapult them ahead of the other tribes and set a precedent for the other tribes to seek a third round of compensation. Notwithstanding the results of our analysis, the Congress will ultimately need to decide whether additional compensation should be provided and, if so, how much it should be. We recognize that the issues can be sensitive, complex and controversial. Our analysis is intended to assist the Congress in this regard. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This concludes my prepared statement. I would be happy to respond to any questions that you or members of the committee may have at this time. [Prepared statement of Ms. Nazzaro appears in apendix.] The Chairman. Do you have a number that you think is reasonable, or is that out of the scope of your studies here? Ms. Nazzaro. Well, what we were asked to do, sir, was to look at the compensation proposal. What we did is looked at the additional compensation the two tribes previously received, and while we didn't calculate that prior to Congress authorizing those trust funds, it would have been in the range. So what they had already received put them on parity with the other five tribes on the Missouri River. The Chairman. Which is, roughly? Ms. Nazzaro. Which tribes? The Chairman. You said, ``to put them on parity.'' How much would that be? Ms. Nazzaro. We estimated for Crow Creek the range would have been between $6.5 million and $21.4 million. Crow Creek received $27.5 million, so they were actually a little bit above our range. For the Lower Brule, the range would have been $12.2 million to $40.9 million, and they received additional compensation of $39.3 million, so they were already within our range. So we feel both of them are near the high end of what we would have proposed had we reviewed it prior to the additional compensation. So that is why we are saying the additional compensation currently being proposed would actually catapult them above what the other tribes received. The Chairman. And this bill, as I understand it, as proposed would raise it from $39 million to $186 million? Mr. Malcolm. That is correct. The Chairman. That is a pretty big difference in numbers here. How do you account for that? Ms. Nazzaro. The additional compensation that they are asking for? As I mentioned, the baseline that they used was different than the baseline that we used. When we started using our methodology, we looked at the final asking price that the tribes had asked during the negotiation process. We then compared that to the difference in what they had received initially. That difference we then applied an interest rate which would have then given a reflection of what their spending power would have been, as well as a corporate bond rate which would have been a high end had they invested the funds. That gave the range of what we were proposing would have been appropriate for the additional compensation. The Chairman. I don't know a lot about this issue, Ms. Nazzaro. It is I think appropriate for members of this committee to rely on the views of people, the members who reside in the States and the various inputs that we receive. But it seems to me there is a very large disparity in amounts of money. Is it based on acres that were inundated? What was the basic formula for this compensation? Ms. Nazzaro. The original compensation, there were a number of studies that were done. The Corps of Engineers did a study. The Department of the Interior did studies. They actually did a pretty good job of inventorying all of the assets that the tribes had at the time and what was going to be compensated. They also looked at what potential earning power the tribes would have had from some of these assets such as timber that were no longer going to be available to them. That was the basis for the original compensation. As I said, that was not what the tribes were asking for. Initially, the Federal Government gave all the tribes less than what they were asking. The five tribes have come back and asked for a second round of compensation which was awarded to each one of them, and those five would have fallen along the range of what we had proposed using our methodology, starting with this final asking price, and them somewhere within the range reflecting the current value of that money, the difference of the money. The Chairman. Well, I guess I would ask the next panel and my colleague from South Dakota, is this the last time we are going to come back and ask for more money? It looks to me like this is the third or fourth trip to the trough here. I would be interested in that. Senator Dorgan. Senator Dorgan. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just briefly, it is the case both I think in North Dakota, because we have been through this, and also with respect to South Dakota and other circumstances along the Missouri, when the Pick-Sloan project was built and the main-stem dams were created and the reservoirs flooded lands that were on Indian reservations, the Indians were under-compensated for that. You believe as well that the Indians were not compensated adequately originally by the Federal Government. Is that correct? Ms. Nazzaro. We have not assessed whether the original authorization was adequate or not. We have looked at the studies that were done. We know what the basis was for the Government's negotiated price, and we know somewhat about the basis for what the tribes were asking. We know the tribes did not get compensation that they felt was equitable at that time. Senator Dorgan. I think we have been back through this with respect to some North Dakota tribes. It is pretty clear that back then, one-half century ago when these lands were taken, that the compensation was not adequate to respond to the needs of the tribes that were going to exist after all of that land was taken and flooded and so on. And their lives were changed dramatically. I was just trying to understand what you are saying with this report, and I think I now do understand it. Ms. Nazzaro. We never objected to the second round of compensation. We just tried to provide a method that should Congress determine if a second round was due, what methodology they could use to try to put some equity to that, given that the tribes did not feel they had parity at that point. Senator Dorgan. I understand. The fact is, the chairman's question is a legitimate question as well. I mean, there needs to be settlement with respect to these issues, and you need to establish what is a fair level of compensation, and then all the parties need to move on. You can't come again and again and again. I go back to the point I asked originally. I think it is clear, at least it was with respect to our having gone through this with the North Dakota tribes, that the original compensation was inadequate, and that required the Congress to readdress that. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much. The Chairman. Senator Johnson. Senator Johnson. Thank you. I think it is important to note that the two tribes we are talking about here are relatively modest-sized tribes. The Crow Creek is in Buffalo County, SD, which is the poorest county in America. And I think it is important than when we base a fair price based on the last asking price of tribes, that presumes a fair negotiating balance between the tribes and the Federal Government at the time. The fact is, at the time the land was already flooded. These people were desperately poor. Their negotiating capability is not very sophisticated. So to this day, they are paying the price for their last offer, when in fact I think the last offer may not have been as equitable as it needed to be. In any event, I want to thank the GAO for its testimony today. I want to make it clear that we as members of the committee are not seeking to simply augment the trust fund for the sake of augmenting the trust fund. What we are attempting to do here is to arrive at a systematic, equitable and fair way of determining what a fair trust fund compensation ought to be, and we want to come to that conclusion with great finality, so that as the chairman notes, this isn't going to be some perennial issue where we come back and seek additional trust fund compensation, but that we come to a final conclusion and that will be that. The GAO report states that the drawn out negotiations and the amounts of the tribes's final asking price do not support the conclusion that the tribes simply capitulated and accepted whatever the Government offered. The tables this statement refers to on pages 18, 19, and 20 do not include initial settlement proposals and instead have a settlement figure used by the tribes's consultant. I see that the additional table on table two that you have provided as part of your testimony includes initial settlement proposals. What accounts for the differences between the initial proposals and the proposals used by the tribes's consultant? Mr. Malcolm. In a couple of cases, there was actually, he did use the tribes's initial settlement offer. For Fort Randall Dam and for Lower Brule, in fact, he used the initial offer in a couple of instances, I believe for direct and indirect damages, which was two of the components. That was from 1954. Conversely, for Crow Creek for the same dam, he used numbers from 1957. So again, he used selected numbers from a variety of offers over points in time. But yes, over the course of the negotiations, the offers for individual components fluctuated and went up and down. So there was a lot of variability. Again, it was just part of the negotiations. Either the tribes received additional information through negotiations with the Government. They may have been willing to accept less for one component as a tradeoff for receiving more in another component. Ms. Nazzaro. If I could add, though, Mr. Johnson, in total, if you look at what the tribes asked in their initial price versus their final asking price, the final asking price in total was higher. Actually in 12 of the 15 components, the indirect, the direct, the rehabilitation et cetera, 12 of the 15 are either higher in the final asking price or equal to the initial proposal. We went through extensive records at the archives, as well as Department of the Interior's library to get an understanding, to make sure that we weren't applying just an arbitrary decision to use the final asking price, but to make sure that the tribes hadn't capitulated, hadn't been worn down through the negotiations, and that the numbers just kept falling. Senator Johnson. The numbers suggested in this bill are within the range of what the negotiations were. Is that fair to say? Ms. Nazzaro. The number that the tribe is requesting in this bill would exceed what we are---- Senator Johnson. It exceeds what you think is right, but it falls within the range of what the negotiations were at the time. Mr. Malcolm. In one sense. It does in the sense that those individual components that were selected were offered as part of the tribal settlements at various points in time. However, the tribes as a cohesive settlement proposal never had a proposal that consisted of those dollar values at a point in time. So for example in 1954, if you want to use an original settlement, rather than consistently using all the numbers from 1954, he instead chose to use numbers picking various components at different points in time. So historically from that point, no, the tribes never made a settlement proposal that consisted of the numbers he used as his starting point. Senator Johnson. I understand that the GAO's basis for using final asking price is the assumption that better information will emerge throughout negotiations leading to a closer approximation of the amounts asked for, with the value of actual loss to the parties. Inconsistency of the amounts asked for by the tribes between initial asking price, Dr. Lawson's figures, and the final asking price shows considerable inconsistency at what was asked for at different points in time. How do you justify this inconsistency with the notion that better information is the prime factor influencing the tribe's settlement proposals or their asking process? Ms. Nazzaro. I don't think we said it was just better information, but better information and more realistic. As I said, in the number of cases, though, we do see where the final asking price was higher than the original proposal, so in there, we do feel that more information came to light as to the value of the assets, particularly where you are talking direct damages. For example, in the case of Crow Creek, direct damages originally they were asking $566,000, and in the final asking price they asked for $641,000. Mr. Malcolm. One of the other main components here that is the main difference in all this is called ``rehabilitation.'' That, again, was to enhance the economic standing of all the tribe and all of its members. So a lot of the funding, over 50 percent in most cases for both tribes, were really as a result of a kind of a termination era policy in the 1950's and 1960's. So the variability you see is really largely in the rehabilitation figure, so it is just in one component, and that component was not directly related. It was intertwined with the negotiations, but it wasn't directly related to damages from the dam. Senator Johnson. Finally, I know the tribes have serious concerns with the conclusion in your report that states: While our analysis does not support the additional compensation amounts contained in the parity bill, the Congress will ultimately decide whether additional compensation should be provided, and if so, how much it should be. I understand the GAO does not take positions on pending legislation, so could you please clarify the role of the GAO in this analysis and discuss whether or not this conclusion was a policy statement of the GAO? Ms. Nazzaro. I would say this was not a policy statement because as we said, it is not our decision to decide whether the tribes are due additional compensation. What we were asked to look at was what was the difference between, or whether the numbers put forward by the consultant were consistent with the methodology that we had used when we had reviewed prior tribal requests. In this case, we found there were some differences in the methodology that he applied. Ultimately, we looked at what the tribes had requested initially, what they received in additional compensation, and tried to apply our formula, and that is where we came to the conclusion that what they had received in the second round of compensation was consistent with what we would have proposed had we looked at it prior. We do realize that there are other factors that may need to come into the discussion over and above the kind of analysis we did that would certainly lend itself to your ultimate decisionmaking. So we did not intend to usurp that power. Senator Johnson. Right. Well, thank you. Obviously, this is legislation that has passed the Senate on three occasions and it is my hope that we can arrive at a number. It is my understanding that the consultants to the tribe concede that there was some mathematical error in arriving at the figures in the original bill and that they would be inclined to adjust that somewhat downward, but it is my hope that we can bring a final closure to the disasters that were visited upon these tribes, and as the Chairman noted, make this an issue that will not need to be revisited and to bring it to final closure. So thank you again to the GAO. Mr. Malcolm. Thank you. The Chairman. Senator Thune, do you have any questions? Senator Thune. No; thank you, Mr. Chairman. The Chairman. Thank you very much. Thanks for your help on this issue. We appreciate it very much. Our next panel is Michael Jandreau, who is the chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe; Lester Thompson, who is the chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe; and Michael Lawson of Morgan, Angel and Associates, Washington, DC. I believe that Senator Thune wanted to make an opening comment. STATEMENT OF HON. JOHN THUNE, U.S. SENATOR FROM SOUTH DAKOTA Senator Thune. Mr. Chairman, I thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in the hearing today, although I am not a member of this committee. I do want to recognize, I know that there are a large number of elders in the room who have come here from South Dakota because they care passionately about this issue. I want to welcome them and thank them for being here today. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, Senator Johnson, my colleague from South Dakota, I am delighted to be able to introduce three of our distinguished tribal chairmen from South Dakota and the great Sioux Nation. Chairman Mike Jandreau of Lower Brule is the senior chairman in South Dakota and the Great Plains region. He has been chairman for 27 years and has been on the council for 34 years, which is an extraordinary accomplishment for any elected official, particularly in Indian country. I would also like to commend to the committee's attention a recent article by Chairman Jandreau entitled ``Flattening the Reservations,'' which outlines a comprehensive economic program for Indian country. Picking up on the book ``The World is Flat'' by Thomas Friedman, it suggests how the reservations might fully participate in our economy. We would do well to consider his thoughts. Chairman Lester Thompson from Crow Creek is our most junior chairman, elected just a few months ago. Buffalo County, SD, where the Crow Creek Indian Reservation is located, is now ranked the poorest county in America. Obviously, Chairman Thompson faces many difficult challenges, but I believe he is the right man for the job. His uncle was chair at Crow Creek, as was his grandmother. In fact, his grandmother was the first woman to serve as tribal chair. Both chairmen appear today here in support of the Tribal Parity Act. Mr. Chairman, as you know, this legislation passed the Senate on three occasions in the 108th Congress, but died at the end of the Congress in the House as there was not enough time to consider it. Although he will be testifying as a member of the next panel on the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments bill that I cosponsored with Senator Johnson, I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Chairman Frazier is currently serving his first term as tribal chairman of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. He was elected by popular vote in 2002, and since 2003 has also served as chairman of the Great Plains Tribal Chairmans Association, representing 16 tribes from South Dakota, North Dakota, and Nebraska. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate your holding this hearing so the committee might determine what is fair compensation for the Lower Brule and Crow Creek Tribes. As the GAO pointed out in its report, this is a sensitive and complex issue. The Pick- Sloan project resulted in thousands of acres being flooded, and the population being relocated not once, but twice. It is important to resolve this matter to allow these chairmen to successfully prepare their reservation for the future. So Mr. Chairman, I thank you for this opportunity to welcome the chairmen here to join us at the hearing today. The Chairman. Thank you very much, Senator Thune, and thank you for your active participation in this issue that I know is very important to all the people of your State. I thank you for your partnership with Senator Johnson as we try to move this legislation forward. I welcome the witnesses, and we will begin with our youngest witness, Michael Jandreau. [Laughter.] STATEMENT OF MICHAEL JANDREAU, CHAIRMAN, LOWER BRULE SIOUX TRIBE Mr. Jandreau. First, let me say thank you very much for allowing this opportunity to testify before you today. While the irony of this hearing brings into my mind 50 some years ago, my mother was a council member and was involved in the negotiations regarding the issue of settlement for the takings. At that time, the idea that was put forward was that the Government knew better than the tribes what their values were and what they should be compensated for. That was not entirely true. Our people knew what they were asking for and wholly and fully expected to receive it. Mr. Chairman, beyond the numbers and the methodology, and what methodology to use, and how to compound interest correctly, there is a policy question and only Congress can decide. The GAO says the tribes differ from the approach used in its prior reports by not using the tribes's final asking price. The clear implication is that there is only one standard, only one correct method of evaluation. We do not believe that this is correct. Congress has never taken the position that there is only one way to determine what fair and reasonable compensation is for the Missouri River tribes. To the best of my knowledge, until this report, the GAO has never said that in their opinion there is only one appropriate method to calculate compensation. When our lands were flooded, we asked for in current dollars $432 million. That is what I believe would be fair compensation. We did not ask a high figure with the idea of negotiating a true or fair low price. Our tribe thought $432 million was the correct amount in today's dollars. The GAO looks to the final asking price as if that was our real bottomline. That may be how a negotiation is conducted on Wall Street, but this is not a negotiation. The land was flooded. Our people were already displaced. The final asking price was a very poor indication of the real and fair value of the damage caused to my tribe by the dams on the Missouri River. If the Congress were to provide Lower Brule with an additional $129 million, supplementing our existing trust fund of $39.3 million, it is still far below $432 million, but it comes closer to fair compensation. I ask this committee on behalf of the United States to use its discretion and to make a policy decision that provides an additional $121 million for Lower Brule and $69 million for the Crow Creek Tribe. I ask that not because we want to be a burden on this country, but I ask that we may use the values to create a real, enduring and long-lasting life for the members of our tribe and our reservation. The question was asked earlier: Is this going to be our final time to come before Congress and ask for, on this issue, additional dollars. It is my word to you that I will recommend to my tribal council and to the people of our tribe that this would be out last our last time at this issue. However, being a real democracy, they have a right to state their own opinions in this matter. Thank you. [Prepared statement of Mr. Jandreau appears in appendix.] The Chairman. Well, sir, I think they have the right to express their opinion, but if we keep revisiting this issue, you will not find a great deal of sympathy from the chairman of this committee. Mr. Jandreau. Thank you very much for your directness. The Chairman. Chairman Thompson. STATEMENT OF LESTER THOMPSON, CHAIRMAN, CROW CREEK SIOUX TRIBE Mr. Thompson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank Mr. Thune and Mr. Johnson for their valiant efforts behind this act. I know they put a lot of time and committed to a lot of hours into pushing this forward to benefit our tribes. Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, the statements you have heard from Chairman Jandreau are very true and I agree with him on the subjects that he had touched on. There was no negotiation at the time that the people of both tribes were uprooted and displaced. It came down to move or else. The detrimental impact that this event had on both tribes, socially and economically, has rippled down through time and hit my generation with the force of a tidal wave. You really can't put a price on this. Mr. Chairman, if there is one thing I agree with the GAO on is that compensation issues can be sensitive, complex and controversial. The GAO also said Congress will decide whether additional compensation should be provided. The Parity Act presents a policy issue for Congress. The amount that has already been awarded to the tribes is minimal, and very minute. These awards are only a paper transaction. We only draw a small amount of interest off these dollars. This is not enough to sustain a true economic base. As stated by Mr. Johnson and Mr. Thune, Crow Creek Reservation resides in Buffalo County, which is the poorest in the country. This, to me, is a national shame. My fellow council members and I, as newly elected leaders, have taken major steps in dealing with our financial situation. We are currently laying a new foundation and focusing on safeguarding funding received by our tribe by establishing internal processes for accountability and have sought outside advisers to assist in financial direction and investments. The Parity Act would help greatly with my tribe and immensely. I urge the committee to stay the course. The Parity Act has passed the Senate three times and this committee twice. Please allow the legislation to move forward. The compensation would be a building block toward a better future for my tribe. With this said, Mr. Chairman, I will lay a challenge down to you and to all the other Senators that you serve with, to come to South Dakota and to see and to visit the people of Crow Creek and Lower Brule. For this way, you see how beneficial the Parity Act would be toward our area. Thank you. [Prepared statement of Mr. Thompson appears in appendix.] The Chairman. Thank you very much. Dr. Lawson. STATEMENT OF MICHAEL L. LAWSON, MORGAN, ANGEL AND ASSOCIATES Mr. Lawson. Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, I am grateful to have the opportunity to provide testimony today. With your permission, I would like to submit my written statement for the hearing record. The Chairman. Without objection. Mr. Lawson. Then I will summarize my findings. My name is Michael Lawson and I am a historical consultant with Morgan, Angel and Associates. In 2003, I authored a report that provided the factual basis for the legislation that was reintroduced in the 109th Congress as S. 374. The General Accountability Office [GAO] report issued on May 19 was highly critical of my study. It concluded that my report did not follow the approach recommended by the GAO in two prior reports involving Missouri River tribes. This is because it did not base the difference on the tribes's final asking price or last best offers. I did not use the tribes's final asking prices as the basis for the difference for three reasons. The first reason was because the GAO's previous two reports did not clarify that its references to tribal prices ``at the time of the taking'' was to be understood as meaning the final asking price. The second reason is because I do not believe that these so-called ``last best offers'' provide a fair standard on which to base additional compensation. It is my view that settlements based on final asking prices award the tribes not for the fair market value of their losses, but rather for the ability or inability of their tribal leaders to negotiate. My third reason was because my historical research indicated that those final tribal offers were made under conditions of duress. The chronology I have developed to supplement my statement illustrates the context of the tribes's situation at the time their final offers were made. The GAO report was also critical that I used only the high range of their approach, and did not project the low range based on the annual inflation rate, but Congress has established no precedent for basing additional compensation to the Missouri River tribes at that rate, and calculation at that rate has no value. The GAO report stated that my calculations of the total amounts requested in the current bill incorrectly adjusted for the additional compensation received by the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in 1996, and by the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in 1997. I acknowledge these miscalculations and I have adjusted the amounts accordingly. As a result, the amount for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe in section 3 of S. 374 should be $169,122,085 instead of $186,822,140. The amount for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in section 4 of the bill should be $96,722,084 rather than $105,917,853. These new amounts reflect both my adjustments in the calculations and the current 2006 value in the differences. It is my view that the tribal asking prices that I used in my report more accurately reflect what the tribes considered to be the fair market value of their losses. They also fall within the mid-range of the tribes's total request during the course of negotiations. The amounts requested in this bill also fall within the mid-range of possible alternative approaches as I have outlined in the second table of my written statement. While the GAO and I have differed over approaches and statistics, this bill is really about the policy of trying to establish tribal parity. The additional compensation that Congress has provided to seven of the Missouri River tribes between 1992 and 2002 appears to be all over the map. Congress has applied four different approaches and the perception of the tribes is that these settlements have not been equitable. After listening to the remarks of the tribal chairmen here today, there should be no doubt that the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Tribes suffered irreparable damages and sacrificed much of their way of life for the greater progress of this Nation. In 1982, the late Sioux author and historian Vine Deloria, Jr., wrote: Their reservations were so drastically impacted that they have never been able to establish viable communities since their lands were lost. In conclusion, it is my view that S. 374 offers an equitable and reasonable approach to providing additional compensation to these two tribes. Therefore, I urge the committee to support this bill as amended by the adjusted calculations. In my considered opinion, this legislation represents a fair and final compensation package. It also provides a just conclusion to an extremely difficult chapter in the history of the relationship between the United States and the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Tribes. This concludes my remarks. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. [Prepared statement of Mr. Lawson appears in appendix.] The Chairman. Thank you very much. Senator Johnson. Senator Johnson. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank Chairman Jandreau and Chairman Thompson for their excellent testimony here today. I want to thank you for traveling to Washington to appear before this committee. Let me ask the two chairmen, what do you think would be accomplished with the proceeds of the parity bill? And do you believe that the parity bill does in fact represent final compensation, at least as far as you are concerned as leaders of your tribes? Mr. Jandreau. First, Mr. Chairman, I also had a written statement for the record and I ask that it be made a part of the record. The Chairman. Without objection. Mr. Jandreau. As far as the results of what would happen with the trust fund and the dollars that we look to be extracted from that, we have done a plan that was submitted to Congress and was submitted to Interior. It was submitted to every Federal agency with whom we are involved. Under that plan, we have identified how we are truly trying to reconstruct the total infrastructure of our tribe. We have been successful in a large portion of that. We still have a long, long way to go. The dollars that we are able to utilize, we expend nearly $1 million a year to hire 270 people to work in our community, providing them jobs that otherwise would not be able to be had. We are in the process of completing a new detention facility that was funded nearly 40 percent by the tribe, and the other 60 percent with the Department of Justice. It was a detention facility, a courthouse, and a police station. Our police station had been condemned for the last 20 some odd years. We finally are able to get that completed. We have completed a community facility. We have completed an administration building that houses both the tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs offices. We have utilized our dollars to assist housing, to assist our wildlife program, to assist with the development of an opportunity to utilize some of the products grown on our corporate farm, to reach a new level of employment on our reservation by manufacturing and packaging popcorn. So the dollars that we do receive will be used further to assist with our education, which we also assist with; with those opportunities necessary for elders and assisted living facilities. The list goes on and on. I did not bring a copy of our plan with me today, but I will submit that to the committee for your use. The dollars that are necessary also allow us to delve deeper into economic development in its truest sense, utilizing the resources of the tribe to have sustainable and long-range employment and economic opportunities. Those are the types of things that we would do. Thank you. Senator Johnson. Chairman Thompson, any observations? Mr. Thompson. Yes; with the infrastructure money that has been sent down and we have received in the past, we currently had purchased a small school in our most outer districts. It houses classes one through six, and for this community out there which lies about 30 miles south of Pierre and another 30 miles from Harrold, SD, this was viable for that community to help educate our youth and it kept them closer to home. Also, we established community centers in two of our districts, which play a vital role. These community centers serve almost every purpose there is from weddings to funerals and other community functions. Also, we have established a higher ed program to assist with the education of our people. These have been successful so far. With further funding, we have established long-range plans for reestablishing our farm and also we have looked into forming our own construction companies. There is a lot of thought that has gone into how and what direction that we want to see our tribe to go in. Right now, due to the financial situation that Crow Creek is in, it kind of stops this immediately. With this extra funding, we would be able to come close to being in parity with the local town of Chamberlain. Chamberlain unemployment rate is probably 5 percent, which is pretty close to the State's average. Am I right, Mr. Thune? Okay. Crow Creek is about 85 percent unemployment. I think that is the highest in the State of South Dakota, if I am right. We would be looking forward to establishing new jobs to actually start a true economic base for our communities. If you look at this in that for years Government has always looked at the tribes as a burden. With this Act going through, this would help both Lower Brule and Crow Creek come into the modern world and be parallel to the economic base of South Dakota and other States. With that, thank you, and thank you for your time. I will close. Senator Johnson. All right. For Mr. Lawson, the amount called for in your testimony today is lower than the parity bill as introduced. I appreciate your explanation of that. Finally, the theory behind the GAO's use of final asking price in determining the range of compensation is that more negotiations lead to better information. However, I think it is apparent that this could also be substantially affected by the relative bargaining power of the parties. Could you please discuss the historical context of the negotiations process and how it may have affected that asking price? Mr. Lawson. Yes, sir; I tried to use asking prices that I thought reflected what the tribe considered its fair market values. Each one of the tribes when confronted with their lands already being flooded by 1952 in some cases, formed tribal negotiating committees who over an 18-month period made an estimate of what their valuation was for the damages that they would receive, and also an estimate of what the cost might be to rehabilitate the entire reservation, because a precedent had been established for extending those kinds of moneys for rehabilitation when Cheyenne River received its compensation for the Oahe Dam in 1954. So I tried to use the figures that tracked back to those numbers that were developed. Now, they were tweaked a little bit. After Cheyenne River, for example, got its settlement, there is a factor in there for the tribe's expenses in having to go through the negotiations, and they were compensated $100,000 for that. So those are the bases of the prices that I tried to use, is what the tribes before they entered a varied amount of negotiations, what they considered fair market values to be. Now, sometimes those were negotiated, and there was a series of negotiations. I mean, some of these values were developed in 1954 and negotiations continued until legislation was issued in 1958. Some of those asking prices turned out to be the final asking prices that the tribe had. Others were negotiated down and none of them were negotiated any higher. But that was the process and that is the basis of what I used for the amount of differences. I didn't consistently use the final asking prices. Senator Johnson. Mr. Chairman, I yield back. The Chairman. Senator Thune, do you have any questions? Senator Thune. Mr. Chairman, I would just, if I might, follow up on the question Senator Johnson asked a little bit earlier. I appreciate where you are coming from in terms of concern about whether or not this is the end, and whether or not there would be additional requests in the future, and making sure that there is finality associated with this request in the level that it is at. As you have both noted, these are very difficult economic circumstances on the reservations. Buffalo County is the poorest county in the country. Many of our reservation counties share a similar economic condition. I guess my question is this, assume we do this now and the infrastructure that you have both addressed in terms of things that you want to do to improve the quality of life and the opportunity on the reservation, and I want to tie a little bit, Chairman Jandreau, to flattening the reservations that you authored here. In terms of creating a private sector economy, it seems to me at least ultimately the only hope that we have long-term on the reservations is to create the kind of economic opportunity for young people there to enable them to derive a living that isn't dependent upon or based upon Government assistance. The parity acts, if the right investments are made and infrastructure, provides a basis of a foundation for that. I am just curious if you could elaborate a little bit, both of you, on what steps you could take to help create a private sector economy. It seems to me at least part of the problem in attracting economic development to Indian Country is lack of legal certainty, need for reform in the judiciary system so that businesses that come there know with some predictability where they are going to be dealing with disputes and conflicts and that sort of thing. Can you just elaborate a little bit on that? Because I think it gives us some direction in terms of if we do this now and to make sure that we are not coming back again and asking Congress, that the permanent, good paying, private sector jobs that we need to bring to the reservations, what steps you all might be taking or that could be taken. Mr. Jandreau. Thank you. We have probably the lowest unemployment rate in Indian Country, and it is because we have taken our resources, both those resources we raised from land leases from our corporate farm, from other activities. We have taken those incomes and tried to create to the greatest extent possible employment opportunities there on the reservation. We just recently moved into the establishment of a popcorn packaging and popping plant. We are in the final stages of completing the building to start that activity. That is as a result of utilizing those assets and those products that are renewable on the reservation. As far as private sector involvement, we are tied into a number of different companies in regard to doing our own construction on the reservation, utilizing, leveraging the dollars that we receive to do these kinds of things. The more that we are able to do that and to create an economy there on the reservation, the more self-sufficient we are going to become. We are dealing with a company out of Oklahoma on our cattle operation. We are doing some things that have to do with the type of beef that is produced, and so we have an arrangement with an organization called DuckSmith Farms of Enid, OK. It is going to be at least a 3- to 5-year arrangement and we are doing that today. With our popcorn process, we are dealing with a former singer, well, I guess he is still a singer, Chubby Checker and some of his ventures. It all seems to make the process work, to develop those opportunities with individuals who have the capability to move products, and that kind of activity. We are not about just wanting the dollars to have the dollars. The dollars, if they do not work for us, are not at all justified in receiving. It is more than just for damages. It is about allowing us to create lifestyle with the remnants of land that are left, and trying to, a part of the process is we have replanted probably 1.5 million trees on the reservation, trying to create reforestation projects and trying to deal with the ecological problems that occur when areas of the country are denuded of timber. So our desire to receive this last shot at getting our trust fund expanded is about the whole future of our tribe and what happens as far as our own individual sustainability and capability to become economically independent, economically self-sufficient. You know, our people don't like to always come back to the trough either. It is wanting to get compensated for these losses with adequate justification that we can move forward with these dollars without always having to knock at the door. I don't know how to say it. Senator Thune. That is great. Chairman Thompson, if you want to add just what steps can be taken or are being taken that would help create permanent jobs on the reservations. Mr. Thompson. Well, both you and Mr. Johnson have been to Fort Thompson. We have two major highways that cross right in the middle. To me, this is the crossroads of South Dakota. The vision that I see, I don't see despair there. I see opportunity. I see a lot of it. There is private sectors in Fort Thompson. We have a small grocery store, which is privately owned; a convenience store. We have a lot of gentlemen who do independent contracting, carpentry businesses and so on. As far as the plan goes, I really thought about that, and I thought about how I would be able to benefit our people the most. A lot of it is going to come down to reeducating them into proper business practices, to make them where they are understandable of how business is conducted on the outside of our reservations, and apply that back to our communities and work on developing programs to help with them, to establish their businesses that will end up being around and being major players into our communities again. Senator Thune. Okay. Good. Tim? Senator Johnson. [Presiding.] Thank you, Senator Thune. I want to thank the panel. Senator McCain has asked that I chair this hearing for the remainder of the hearing, and so I will be doing that. I do appreciate both Chairmen Jandreau and Thompson indicating that the goal of the tribe is to create a much stronger, more robust private sector economy on the reservations in some instances through tribally owned enterprises, but in other instances through individual entrepreneurship of tribal members. I think that has to be so important as we work in a public-private way to find ways out of this what has been an unending cycle of poverty on both of these reservations. I applaud your leadership and your vision for the future. It is my hope that we at the Federal side can live up to our treaty and trust responsibilities, to work with you to create a greater climate of hope and opportunity and fairness in Indian Country. So thank you very much for your testimony today. Dr. Lawson, thank you for your work as we struggle to find the most logical and equitable level of trust fund funding here on this legislation. So thank you very much. We will have the next panel come forward. Again, welcome to Chairman Harold Frazier of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and to Sharon Vogel, who is the manager for Tribal Ventures project. This portion of the hearing is given over to a discussion of S. 1535, the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Equitable Compensation Amendments Act of 2005. That legislation would allow the tribe to use money deposited in their settlement trust fund to compensate individual landowners and their heirs, and also to use receipts of the Western Area Power Administration, or WAPA, to make the interest on the fund available to the tribe at the start of the next fiscal year, rather than 2011, as is required under existing legislation. Third, it would provide a methodology based on the Lehman Government bond index for calculating the total amount at which the trust fund is to be capitalized. I want to again thank you for your leadership for the many things that you have already done providing leadership on the Cheyenne River Tribe for your people in that area. We welcome you here today. We will begin first with Chairman Frazier. STATEMENT OF HAROLD FRAZIER, CHAIRMAN, CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE Mr. Frazier. Thank you, Senator Johnson. I would like to begin by thanking you and Senator Thune for cosponsoring our legislation and also Senators McCain and Dorgan for holding this hearing. I also want to recognize and acknowledge Freddie LeBeau, who is one of our elders and one of the original Oahe landowners whose land was taken back in the 1950's. In 1948, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began construction of Oahe Dam and Reservoir project, a part of the Pick-Sloan Program. The program caused massive relocation of our tribal members, including relocating our tribal headquarters. We lost over 104,000 acres of land and many of these lands were tribal and allotted lands within our reservation. This dam also devastated the tribe's economy and our way of life. More than 181 tribal families, or about 30 percent of the tribal population, were forced to move. We lost our most valuable and fertile lands, and our traditional hunting- gathering ceremonial grounds. In 1954, Congress authorized payment of $10.6 million to the tribe for compensation, less than half of the $23.5 million sought by the tribe. In later years, various reports confirmed that the tribe had not been fairly compensated for its losses. In 2000, Congress enacted the Cheyenne River Sioux Equitable Compensation Act as Title I of Public Law 106-511. The act created the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Tribal Recovery Trust Fund to further compensate the tribe. Under current law, the fund will not be capitalized until October 1, 2011. S. 1535 would make three amendments to Public Law 106-511. The first amendment is to take care of our landowners who lost land. It would allow the tribe to use the interest from the trust fund to pay additional compensation to tribal members or their heirs who lost over 46,000 acres due to the construction of the Oahe Dam. Those landowners have never been provided fair or adequate compensation for their losses. Public Law 106-511 does not allow the tribe to use any of the proceeds from the trust fund to provide compensation to them. In order to respond to the needs and wishes of our citizens and consistent with tribal sovereignty and the compensatory purpose of Public Law 106-511, the tribal council wishes to devote some of the portion of the interest from the trust fund to provide additional equitable compensation to the tribal member landowners and their heirs. This proposed amendment is revenue neutral for the Federal Government. As such, compensation would be provided out of the trust fund interest and would not require any additional appropriation for the landowners. The second purpose of S. 1535 is to make earnings from the trust fund available sooner. Public Law 106-511 as enacted essentially gives the tribe an IOU from the United States payable on October 1, 2011 for losses it suffered in the 1950's and that it continues to suffer from today. The bill would capitalize the trust fund sooner using receipts of the Western Area Power Administration, instead of a one-time appropriation in 2011. This method was used to capitalize trust funds in the other tribal equitable compensation acts enacted prior to Public Law 106-511. Receipt of the money sooner would allow the tribe to address significant unmet needs in the areas of economic development, infrastructure, education, health and social welfare programs. Capitalizing the fund sooner would also reduce the interest to be paid by the United States to the tribe on the $290 million now due in 2011. The third and final purpose of the bill is to make a technical amendment to provide a methodology for calculating the total amount of which the trust fund is to be capitalized. Under current law, Treasury is to deposit into the trust fund some $290 million plus the interest that would have been accrued had the fund been fully invested in October 2001, but the law provides no methodology to calculate those earnings. However, S. 1535 provides a methodology using a Government bond index. For the reasons I have stated, I respectfully ask on behalf of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe that this committee approve of S. 1535 and send it to the Senate for consideration by that body as soon as possible. Thank you, and I would be glad to answer any questions you may have. [Prepared statement of Mr. Frazier appears in appendix.] Senator Johnson. Thank you, Chairman Frazier. Ms. Vogel. STATEMENT OF SHARON VOGEL, CHEYENNE RIVER SIOUX TRIBE Ms. Vogel. Thank you. Good morning, Senator Johnson and Senator Thune, I too would like to thank you for the opportunity to provide supportive testimony for the tribe's efforts to obtain immediate access to its funds under Public Law 106-511, which I will refer to as JTAC funds, to implement the tribe's JTAC plan. My name is Sharon Vogel. I am an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the administrative manager of the Tribal Ventures Project. Tribal Ventures is a planning project between the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and the Northwest Area Foundation out of St. Paul and Minneapolis, MN. The process was to develop a 10-year plan to reduce poverty and increase prosperity for the families residing on our reservation. My submitted testimony has a description of the process that we undertook on the reservation to look at poverty, collect the thoughts of our people, and decide how we would proceed with reducing poverty. I would be happy to take questions on that aspect of my testimony, but I will use my time this morning to focus on the ways our tribe is ready to proceed with economic development. We have just completed an 18-month strategic planning process that resulted in a 10-year commitment to reduce poverty. The Northwest Area Foundation has invested $9.5 million in our effort to reduce poverty. That is a big investment from a major foundation. As a result, we have a concrete plan to strategically move forward to reduce poverty conditions on our reservation. The only thing holding us back from true economic development from investment and job creation is the lack of capital. I want to be clear: We truly are ready to move economic development projects forward. We have development plans for infrastructure and economic development that are ready to go. We need capital to start our economic engines. Let me go over an example of projects or programs we are ready to undertake. We have identified two priorities. One is the infrastructure development and the second is education. When we were holding our planning sessions, we also undertook a project called Young Voices. We interviewed over 600 young adults from 18 to age 30 on our reservation. We found that while they wanted to live on the reservation, there were no opportunities. Job prospects and educational opportunities are much too limiting. As a result, we would like to use our JTAC funds to train our young people, provide them with scholarships for education, as an incentive to stay on our reservation and carry on the culture of our people. Our population is overwhelmingly young. Almost one-half of these are under 25 years of age. We must act as soon as possible to ensure that we don't lose a generation because of the lack of opportunity. We have identified that economic development requires infrastructure. While the Federal Government has an obligation to the tribe to provide roads, drinking water, water treatment, and other infrastructure, the tribe has a role, too. The JTAC funds would be used to leverage infrastructure improvements. For example, the tribe has initiated discussions with Merrill Lynch to use JTAC funds to finance an advanced- funded road construction effort similar to the advanced-funded road project that Standing Rock Sioux Tribe did using some its JTAC funds. The more infrastructure we have, the better our standing will be. We will no longer start with a deficit when negotiating development for our tribe. With a developed infrastructure, we will be able to use that as a bargaining chip when pursuing investments. Of course, this is just an example of several plans that we have ready to implement. We also plan to create a cultural center, to enter the energy industry with wind turbines, to start a credit union, to expand our hotel, and to develop tourism. Additionally, we want to create partnerships with private entrepreneurs who realize the opportunity Cheyenne River presents. We can no longer wait to develop our economy, communities and families in a piece-meal fashion. We must have multiple strategies that are linked to establishing a stable economy, reducing poverty and improving the quality of life for our reservation families. We truly need access to the resources promised under JTAC. In summary, I would like to stress that JTAC funds will result in, one, increased assets of the tribal communities and our families. It will develop economic opportunities for our families, provide educational opportunities for our tribal members. We will have development of comprehensive social and health programs and we will increase the capacity of our tribal government to develop long-term strategies that will result in sustainable economic, community and social development. I would also like to note that payments to individual landowners such as Mr. LeBeau, our elder that is accompanying us, that the tribe is seeking, will also do a lot to reduce poverty on the reservation. Obviously, the payments will directly counteract the loss of assets aspect of the Oahe project. Combined with financial literacy, education and other advising, it will eliminate long-term poverty for many reservation families. Tribal landowners and heirs who receive these payments will have the capital to invest in both their families and their communities. Some may choose to become business owners that employ other tribal members, and some may choose to use their funds for their or their families' education. I would like to address one final issue. One question you may have is why should we be able to access these funds now, rather than five years from now. There are several good reasons for opening up the interest on our compensation fund. First and foremost, it is just a clear issue of time. We have 29 original landowners, all of whom are well into their eighties. Frankly, some of them may not be around in 5 years to benefit from the funds. These lands were taken in 1948, 56 years ago. They have been waiting long enough. Second, our tribe has urgent needs to address now. We can't afford 5 more years of missed opportunity. We will have missed the opportunity to put 500 people or more through our workforce development programs. We have people who need homes to live in today. We have hundreds of young adults who want to attend college, but don't have the financial resources to do so. We have the need to create a viable infrastructure today. These are burning needs and will only be more costly to meet further down the road. More importantly, over the next 5 years, we will have 1,000 children born on the reservation, and 780 of these babies will be born into poverty. Every year gone is a year of missed chances, and we can't afford it. Senator Johnson, members of the committee, thank you for scheduling this hearing to learn about how we plan to improve our tribe with our much-needed JTAC funds. I will be happy to take any questions you may have. Thank you. [Prepared statement of Ms. Vogel appears in appendix.] Senator Johnson. Thank you for your testimony. Senator Thune has another obligation, another committee hearing to attend to, and he has had to excuse himself. I do express my appreciation to Senator Thune for his work on these issues. It is my understanding, Chairman Frazier, that at the time that the trust settlement was reached, the legislation was passed, all of the interest income from the trust fund after 2011 would be directed to the benefit of the tribe. The tribe now believes that it ought to have the discretion to redirect some of that revenue to compensate individual landowners, given the fact that as I understand it, about 45 percent of the land that was flooded did indeed belong to individual landowners, as opposed to being tribally owned. Is that a fair and correct observation? Mr. Frazier. Yes; that is correct. Senator Johnson. I appreciate, Chairman Frazier, that you have been a tireless advocate for your tribe, and I appreciate your commitment to rectifying damages incurred by your people almost 50 years and which continue on today. What, if any, compensation was provided to those individual landowners when the initial cash settlement was reached in 1954? Mr. Frazier. On behalf of the landowners, I know when I visit with many of them, a lot of them were not happy with the amount of money that they received. I think there are reports showing that they received around $20 or $21 an acre, when right across the river the non-Indian population received over $43 to $45 an acre. Many of them just are not satisfied. I don't blame them. I personally have experienced the loss of a home, some land, and that is why I am here advocating on their behalf. I think that in my opinion, as well as theirs, that they were not fairly compensated at the end of the 1950's. Senator Johnson. It is clear that this legislation is a major priority for you and for the tribe. I think one of the questions that might occur on the part of some of my colleagues on the Committee is that only 6 years ago when the tribe agreed to the Equitable Compensation Act, and I appreciate that you can't speak for others who made decisions at previous times, but 6 years ago that legislation prohibited any per capita payments to members of the tribe. So why do you think that decision was made by the tribe at that time, versus the interest now that the tribe has in allowing at least some of this revenue to be redirected toward private landowners? Mr. Frazier. I can't speak and I don't know what the discussion was back then. I do know that the way I understand the per capita is that every member of the tribe would be getting paid. We look at this as not a per capita payment because not every member is going to get paid, just the ones who have lost land in this taking. They would be the only ones that would be compensated for their losses. Senator Johnson. How many landowners remain to this day, roughly? Mr. Frazier. I believe there were originally 420; now there are 29. Senator Johnson. And it would be the 29 plus the heirs of anybody who did own original land, is what the tribe envisions? Mr. Frazier. Yes. Senator Johnson. I appreciated your participation in the tribal listening session that I held on economic development this past April in South Dakota. I think we both share a strong vision for the future of your tribe and all our South Dakota tribes. I wondered if you could discuss briefly the importance of this trust fund to the tribe and the process the tribe will pursue to ensure that the trust fund effectively serves the development of the tribe. How are you going about that? Mr. Frazier. One of the things, as Sharon, Ms. Vogel, she has been out to the community several times, to every community on our reservation, and gotten the comments of our members. Two of the things that really stick out in my mind that are much needed on our reservation is capital and infrastructure. I believe that if we are ever going to get anywhere in dealing with economic development, that is what is needed. That is something that is always top. I just want to make a quick point. Right now, we are in the process of refinancing our buffalo program to the amount of $8 million. The bank is requiring our tribe, and it is pretty much collateralized 300 percent, and yet it is not enough. So I know that we have a huge need for capital, so we don't have to deal with banks and just pretty much give up the whole farm for a loan. So that is something. We know what our needs are. We have to plan. If we get the money, we can implement the plan. Senator Johnson. Finally, Chairman Frazier, I understand this legislation is supported by a resolution of the tribal council. Could you please speak to the support of this legislation among the tribe and if it is supported by the tribal elders? Mr. Frazier. Several times last year as well as this year, I have discussed this with our members throughout our reservation, and every year I have been giving a tribal state of the tribe address. Each time, these initiatives are brought up on what the tribal council and the tribal government is doing. Each time, I have not really heard any negative comments from the members of our tribe. Senator Johnson. Ms. Vogel, thank you for your testimony. I am struck by your observation that of the 1,000 children to be born on the reservation in the coming years, that 785, roughly, will be born into poverty. Ms. Vogel. Yes. Senator Johnson. And with all the complications and the disadvantages that go with that. So the need to address these issues is truly urgent. I appreciate the point you made in your written testimony about the potential payments counteracting the loss of assets aspect of poverty. In terms of the causes of poverty, could you please speak to the cultural and psychological effects related to the loss of individual lands? Ms. Vogel. Well, when our tribal council held the local hearing for our tribal government officials to hear from original landowners and other individuals that were interested or had recommendations about this legislation, I recall the testimony of two of our elders that talked about the loss that they had, and the loss they had on their children and their grandchildren. They owned a piece of land. They were self- sufficient on that piece of land. And when they lost that, they couldn't replicate that wealth that they had developed on that land. They had a home. They had a garden. They had livestock. And they made improvement to that land that they owned, that they had planned on handing down to their children. When they lost that, they were then relocated and they could not, that wealth was gone. And there wasn't enough compensation to rebuild that wealth. So they ended up being in poverty, and their children and their grandchildren lived in poverty because of that loss. That, I think, is one cultural wrong. We are a proud people. We have a history of self-sufficiency. The poverty conditions were harsh. It was hard to get out when you live in a place of poverty, when there is no opportunity. So that was the reality. That was the aftermath of the loss. Senator Johnson. Sharon, what sort of financial literacy programs are being implemented within the tribe and tribal membership to help landowners or their heirs invest and build the economy of the Cheyenne River? Obviously, we want financial resources to be available to people, but we want to be confident those resources are being put to good use. So what is your group doing to help ensure that that would be the case? Ms. Vogel. There are several entities that provide financial literacy and consumer education on Cheyenne River. One is the Four Bands Community Fund. In addition to providing the business training for entrepreneurs, they also provide an IDA, individual development account, and that comes with a curriculum of education. We with the Tribal Ventures Poverty Reduction Plan will partner with the Four Bands Community Fund to where we, too, will offer reservation-wide financial literacy training, using a curriculum that was developed for Native American families that was funded in part by Fannie Mae. We also propose that we will have a youth IDA so that our young people can start saving for scholarships. But in addition, there are other reasons why it is important for us to have financial literacy on Cheyenne River. One is predatory lending. We want to make sure that our people are protected from predatory lending and that they are better consumers, they make more informed decisions. So the value of financial literacy is not just limited to just making sure that these individuals that when they receive the compensation that they spend that wisely. It is for all of our members across the reservation. Senator Johnson. Well, thank you, Ms. Vogel, and I thank both of you for your testimony. It obviously was very important that we make your testimony on the record here for all the members of the committee. We have bipartisan staff here. I think we all feel that we have gained from your testimony as well. It was important that we go through this process in our effort to move this legislation along. So I want to thank you. I also want to thank others, including elders and members of the tribes who have traveled long distances and have gone out of their way to be here today. We want to welcome you as well. So with that, we are going to wrap up this hearing, but we will redouble our effort to work in a bipartisan fashion with Senator Thune, with Chairman McCain, Vice Chairman Dorgan, to see what we can do to take into consideration your testimony here today and to use that as support for this legislation. So thank you very much. And with that, this hearing is adjourned. [Whereupon, at 11:12 a.m., the committee was adjourned.] ======================================================================= A P P E N D I X ---------- Additional Material Submitted for the Record ======================================================================= Prepared Statement of Michael B. Jandreau, Chairman, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Mr. Chainnan, members of the committee, thank you very much for the opportunity to testify on the Tribal Parity Act, S. 374. I am Michael Jandreau, the chairman of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe. I have been chairman of the tribe for 27 years, and served on the council for 7 years before being elected chairman. The legislation before you this morning is of great importance to our tribe and our people. I would like to thank Senator Thune introducing the legislation, and Senator Johnson for cosponsoring. I am joined today by members of our Council, other tribal members, and our counsel, Marshall Matz with the law firm of Olsson, Frank and Weeda. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe is a constituent band of the Great Sioux Nation and a signatory of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851 and the Fort Sully Treaty of 1865. The reservation is approximately 230,000 acres in central South Dakota. The Missouri River establishes the eastern boundary of the reservation. Historically, the Missouri's bottomlands provided food, wood for shelter and fuel, forage for cattle and wildlife, and plants utilized for medical purposes. In 1944, Congress enacted the Flood Control Act, which authorized implementation of the Missouri River Basin Pick-Sloan Plan for water development in the Missouri River Basin. Two of its main-stem dams, Fort Randall and Big Ben, flooded over 22,000 acres--approximately 10 percent of the entire reservation and our best bottomland. In addition, it required the resettlement of nearly 70 percent of the resident population. For the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, the human and economic costs have far outweighed any benefits from the Pick-Sloan project. The Congress responded in 1997 with the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe Infrastructure Development Trust Fund Act, Public Law 105-132. This legislation has been of enormous benefit to our people. It established a Trust Fund of $39,300,000 for the benefit of the tribe. With this Fund, and using leverage, we invested over $27 million in our entire infrastructure. We have built: <bullet> \\\\\\A new community center, <bullet> \\\\\\A tribal administration building, <bullet> \\\\\\A detention center with a courthouse and police department, and a <bullet> \\\\\\Wildlife building. We have also used the fund to improve tribal housing and employ 250-270 individuals [both youth and adults] in the summer months. In short, the trust fund is allowing us to improve our economy and the quality of life on the reservation in many ways. The legislation before you today, S. 374, is intended to supplement our existing trust fund. It passed the Senate three times in the 108th Congress, once as an independent bill and twice as an amendment to other bills. All three died in the House. The Parity Act was again reported by this committee on June 30, 2005, but has yet to come before the entire Senate for consideration. Mr. Chairman, in all honesty, I am completely baffled by the recent GAO report entitled ``Analysis of the Crow Creek Sioux and Lower Brule Sioux Tribes' Additional Compensation Claims''. It is the most frustrating Government document I have read in all of my years as chairman. Essentially, the GAO makes two criticisms of the Tribal Parity Act and the approach used by our consultant, Dr. Mike Lawson. First, the GAO criticizes us [and it is, in fact, the tribes that the GAO is criticizing] for not using ``the final asking price''. Second, the GAO is indignant that Dr. Lawson suggests one level of compensation, and not a range. I would like to make several points in response: No. 1. The Congress never established the final asking price as the standard that must be used for determining what is fair compensation under the Flood Control Act. In a business transaction when two parties are negotiating with equal standing, I can understand how the last asking price would indicate the true feelings of the parties. That is clearly not the case here. There was no ``negotiation''. Our land had been flooded and we were trying to do the best we could. The Congress should look at all of the facts when trying to evaluate the appropriate level of compensation and not be blinded by the last offer. No. 2. GAO criticizes Dr. Lawson for not providing a range of reasonable compensation levels based upon different policy assumptions, but then the GAO does the same thing and fails to give you, the Congress, a range of possibilities. No. 3. Beyond the numbers, there is a tone to the GAO report that is deeply disturbing. Dr. Mike Lawson is a nationally recognized expert on the Flood Control Act and the tribes affected by that legislation. Yet, the GAO does not even mention his name anywhere in the document. Dr. Lawson is a consultant to two sovereign Indian tribes. The GAO has every right to disagree with him, or with me, or with anyone else. But I would hope they also recognize that a mechanical application of a standard formula may not apply in all cases. The tribes are not one size fits all. Our best land was taken to benefit America. Our tribe is not seeking charity; we are seeking justice and parity with other Missouri River tribes that have been adversely affected by the Flood Control Act. There has been no one, clear policy decision by the Congress on how to determine what is just and fair compensation for Missouri River tribes. The Tribal Parity Act is not based upon the ``highest asking price''. And we are not seeking parity with the Santee Sioux, who has received the highest amount on a per acre basis. We are seeking what Dr. Lawson, the recognized national expert, believes to be fair and owing from the United States to the people of Lower Brule. The Congress has the power and the obligation to make a fair policy decision. You are not bound by any one formula or test, as, I believe, the GAO would have you believe. This legislation would, if enacted, add to our trust fund and allow us to aggressively attack the many human challenges we face on the reservation. Further, we could more adequately build our infrastructure to the point that it would be possible to attract a private sector economy. As you know, sovereignly is key to tribal existence. But, in the long run, for sovereignty to survive, there must be some type of economic sovereignty as well. We must develop private sector economy and jobs for our people. The legislation before you will allow us to do all of that. We will be able to improve education, health care, housing, transportation, the justice system, and so many other services. As much as we need this legislation, let me stress that we are not asking for a handout. This legislation is intended to provide more complete compensation for the loss of our best land and other costs suffered by the tribe. The Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that the Pick-Sloan project's overall contribution to the U.S. economy averages $1.27 billion per year. The Tribal Parity Act must be seen in that context. The Lower Brule Sioux Tribe is making great progress. Our unemployment rate is the lowest of any reservation in South Dakota, but it is still much above the national average. My goal as chairman is to see Lower Brule fully participate in the U.S. economy while maintaining our heritage and identity. It is very painful for me to read The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman and realize that globalization is passing over Lower Brule and the Indian reservations of the United States. China and India, for example, are revolutionizing their economy while Indian reservations are essentially ignored. The reservations are a part of the United States, but we are not a part of the U.S. economy. Mr. Chairman, I am not here today to outline a comprehensive agenda for Lower Brule or for tribes, generally. I am here to say that the Tribal Parity Act is the essential next step to improving the quality of life at Lower Brule and it is completely justified. We urge you to finally file the committee report and bring it to the floor of the Senate as soon as possible. It has been exactly 2 years since I first testified on the Parity Act. Our tribe needs and deserves the benefits of the Tribal Parity Act, as adjusted to reflect a more accurate mathematical computation. We urge the committee to amend S. 374 to provide $129,822,085 of additional compensation to Lower Brule and $69,222,085 of additional compensation for Crow Creek. These figures are far lower that our highest asking price and are lower than the amount provided to the Santee. It is, in short, fair and just compensation for the complete disruption to our reservation life and the taking of our best bottom lands. Thank you. I would be pleased to answer any questions. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.001 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.002 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.003 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.004 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.005 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.006 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.007 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.008 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.009 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.010 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.011 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.012 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.013 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.014 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.015 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.016 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.017 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.018 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.019 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.020 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.021 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.022 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.023 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.024 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.025 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.026 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.027 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.028 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.029 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.030 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.031 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.032 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.033 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.034 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.035 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.036 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.037 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.038 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.039 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.040 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.041 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.042 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.043 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.044 Prepared Statement of Freddy LeBeau, Vice Chairman Oahe Landowners Association My name is Freddy LeBeau. I am an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, and a resident of the Cheyenne River Sioux Reservation. I am one of the tribal members who lost land due to the construction of the Oahe Dam and the acquisition of over 44,000 acres of tribal members' lands by the United States for the Dam. I am also the vice chairman of the Oahe Landowners Association, a group comprised of the tribal member landowners who lost lands on our reservation due to the Oahe Dam Project. So I am providing this statement not only for myself, but also for all of the surviving tribal member landowners who lost their lands due to the Dam, and for their heirs. Today there are only 29 surviving tribal members who lost their lands because of the dam. We have waited for almost 60 years to tell our story. When the corps took our lands in 1948, we had no choice. The lands weren't acquired through agreed upon sales. No one asked if we wanted to sell our lands, and we would not have agreed to any sale. The lands were simply taken from us to benefit other people. We didn't experience sever flooding on the reservation, and the project was of no use to us. But the powers that be decided they needed a flood control project, and so they authorized a project that required the acquisition of Indian lands and the relocation of Indian people. I fought for this country in World War II. I spent about 4 years in the U.S. Navy in the South Pacific. During the war, I learned that some fee lands on the reservation totaling 200 acres had been foreclosed on and could be bought. So I sent money to my father and he bought the land for me. After the war, I built the land up, raised livestock on it and supported my family off of it. I wanted to live there the rest of my life. But the Oahe Dam put a stop to that. The Government offered me $6,000 for the land. It wasn't enough, but I would have had to go to court to get fair compensation, so I accepted the check and signed it under protest. I fought for the U.S. Constitution and the American way of life, but then the Federal Government turned around and took my land and didn't provide fair compensation. We landowners know that we were not fairly compensated. We were paid less for our lands than the Government paid for comparable lands off of the reservation. But for the most part we took whatever the Government offered us, because we didn't want to hire lawyers and go to court and take our chances with a judge. In total, the U.S. Government acquired over 44,000 acres of reservation lands from tribal members. Many of us, like myself, had to move our families elsewhere and start again. Many of us never got over losing our lands. And many of us found that our new lands weren't as good as the lands we were forced to leave to provide flood control for other people. The tribe lost lands too, and it was not fairly compensated either. Congress recognized this when it enacted Public Law 106-511, the Cheyenne River Sioux Equitable Compensation Act, in 2000. I have a problem with that law, however. It says the Federal Government acquired some 104,000 acres of land of the tribe for the Oahe Project. But that number includes the 44,000 acres taken from tribal members. Only about 60,000 acres were tribal lands. Public Law 106-511 provides over $290 million to the tribe, plus interest, to compensate it for its losses, but it doesn't provide any compensation to the tribal member landowners for our losses. In fact, it says the tribe can only spend the earnings from the Trust Fund for certain things, and it doesn't allow the tribe to spend one dime to provide any additional compensation to tribal member landowners. The landowners don't think this is fair, and our tribal government agrees with us. So they have joined with us to ask Congress to change the law so that they can provide us just compensation. We are not asking for a windfall or a handout--but only for just compensation. We urge Congress to allow the tribe to use its earnings from its Trust Fund to provide us the compensation we deserve. One final thing. Right now, the tribe won't receive any of the Trust Funds until October 2011. The surviving landowners have waited almost 60 years for just compensation, and we don't want to wait until 2011. Some of us won't make it to then. We'd like to get our compensation now. Thank you for your consideration of this bill. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.045 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.046 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.047 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.048 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.049 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.050 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.051 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.052 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.053 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.054 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.055 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.056 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.057 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.058 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.059 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.060 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.061 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.062 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.063 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.064 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.065 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.066 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.067 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.068 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.069 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.070 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.071 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.072 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.073 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.074 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.075 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.076 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.077 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.078 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.079 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.080 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.081 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.082 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.083 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.084 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.085 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.086 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.087 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.088 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.089 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.090 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.091 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.092 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.093 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.094 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.095 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.096 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.097 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.098 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.099 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.100 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.101 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.102 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.103 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.104 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.105 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.106 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.107 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.108 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.109 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.110 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.111 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.112 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.113 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.114 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.115 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.116 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.117 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.118 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.119 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.120 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.121 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.122 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.123 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.124 Prepared Statement of Lester Thompson, Chairman, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Mr. Chairman, members of the committee, thank you very much for the opportunity to testify on the Tribal Parity Act, S. 374. I am Lester Thompson, the chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. It is an honor for me to be here with Chairman Mike Jandreau. Chairman Jandreau is the most senior chairman in our State and in the Great Sioux Nation. I am the most junior chairman in the Sioux Nation, having been elected chairman in April. I took office, along with a new tribal council, in May 2006. I also would like to thank Senator Thune for introducing the Tribal Parity Act and Senator Johnson for cosponsoring. This legislation before you is of extraordinary importance to our tribe. I am delighted that it is the subject of my first appearance before Congress. The members of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe were relocated after Little Crow's War in Minnesota. People were transported on barges from Minnesota stopping at Santee and then we moved on to Crow Creek. Many lives were lost along the way. We are members of the Isanti and lhanktowan divisions of the Great Sioux Nation. We speak Dakota and Nakota dialects. We have three districts on the reservation, and are a treaty tribe. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe consists of 225,000 acres located in Central South Dakota. Our Western boundary is the Missouri River. In 1944, when the Congress enacted the Flood Control Act and authorized implementation of the Missouri River Basin Pick Sloan Plan for water control, two of the dams, Fort Randall and Big Bend, flooded over 16,000 acres of our best and most productive bottom land. It was also the very land where a majority of our people lived. The cost to Crow Creek in human terms, and economically, was astronomical. We lost: <bullet> \\\\\\Our hospital; <bullet> \\\\\\Housing units; <bullet> \\\\\\Tribal Buildings and other structures; <bullet> \\\\\\Schools; <bullet> \\\\\\Businesses; <bullet> \\\\\\Roads; <bullet> \\\\\\Acres of waterbed and timberland, and domestic and ranch water systems; <bullet> \\\\\\Food sources, such as fishing, hunting, and subsistence farming; and <bullet> \\\\\\Ceremonial grounds and traditional medicines. Our way of life was altered irreparably. Before the dams, the lifestyle was simple. The people worked in a community garden. In the evenings, the people would gather to share that day's catch of fish and the food gathered. They would meet to visit, pray, sing, and dance where the Bureau officials could not observe. The children attended boarding school within walking distance of their homes and family. The way of life, the social interactions, the camaraderie and sense of being one people--one tribe, was destroyed by the environmental changes and forced relocation. The hospital and school were never replaced. The traditional medicine that grew solely in the waterbed and the Ceremonial Grounds are irreplaceable. When the relocation took place, some purchased homes with the $500 compensation received. Others received homes in low rent housing--a project constructed of 50 units in an area smaller than a city block. The elders observed that this is when the change occurred. People started to watch each other, argue with each other, begrudge each other, and become disgruntled. With the loss our school, the next option was the Immaculate Conception Boarding School, 13 miles away. The students were no longer able to walk to their homes and families on a daily basis, and those teaching were not people who believed in the heritage, culture, and customs of the students. Abuses that occurred in Catholic Boarding Schools are well documented historically, and I will not expand, except to say that the loss of our school negatively impacted our people on a much larger scale. This impact on the social development of our people has rippled down through generations. Our reservation is in Buffalo County, SD. Buffalo County is the POOREST COUNTY IN AMERICA, and also has the highest cancer rate in the Nation. Many Elders believe that the building of the dam and disturbing the earth and the water flow released death in the air. Chairman Jandreau has spoken eloquently regarding the desire to join the global market and seeking economic parity with the rest of America. I strongly agree and support those goals. But at Crow Creek, we must first achieve parity with Chamberlain, SD, just 25 miles away. A small town of just 3,000 people, Chamberlain's unemployment rate is approximately the State average--5 percent, while the rate at Crow Creek is over 80 percent. For us to move forward, we must improve our infrastructure and create an environment that is conducive to human and economic progress. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe Infrastructure Development Trust Fund Act enacted in 1996 [Public Law 104-223] awarded $27.5 million to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. Of the $27.5 million, the tribe is allowed to utilize the interest. The Tribal Parity Act would greatly enhance the trust fund, thus increasing our available moneys and allowing us to leverage with the private sector. The first year of the trust fund, we received slightly over 1 million dollars. Due to fluctuating interest rates, the yield has now dwindled to slightly over $700,000, and is not a set or guaranteed yearly amount. We have utilized the interest to do a number of things to improve the situation of our people, including the following: <bullet> \\\\\\Purchase a small school with a gymnasium in the Big Bend District--the furthest outlying district. We are able to provide Kindergarten through 6th grade education to students in that area, preventing the necessity of an hour-long bus ride each way to and from school; <bullet> \\\\\\Construct a Community Building in the Crow Creek District, providing a place to gather for socializing, celebrations, and funerals; <bullet> \\\\\\Construct a Community Building in the Fort Thompson District, utilized for community events, program presentations, wakes, weddings, dance, meetings, and as a polling place; <bullet> \\\\\\Set a higher education program to assist students in college; <bullet> \\\\\\Purchase land to increase the land base; and <bullet> \\\\\\Improve damaged roads and upgrade our water plant. These initiatives just begin to scratch the surface. The legislation we are discussing today, S. 374, is intended to supplement our existing trust fund. As you know, it passed the Senate three times in the 108th Congress, both as a stand-alone bill and as an amendment. All three times the measure died in the House. The Tribal Parity Act was again reported by this committee on June 29, 2006, but has yet to come before the Senate for consideration. The Army Corps of Engineers has estimated that the Pick-Sloan Project's overall contribution to the U.S. economy averages $1.27 billion annually. According to the Western Area Power Administration, the agency that administers the Pick-Sloan Project, receipts from the project in 2006 are likely to total $119 million and the same every year after. The $69 million dollar increase to the trust fund requested in S. 374 [as amended] would bring the trust fund balance to $96 million--less than 1 year's receipts the Government receives from the Pick-Sloan Project. The expanded trust fund would enable the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe to make not just significant, but magnificent strides in growth and development. Economic development and environmental improvements would change the lives of our people, our children, and all future generations of Crow Creek Sioux. It would assist in putting reservations on parallel ground, enabling us to compete economically, with Chamberlain and the rest of the United States, as opposed to remaining in our current state, operating below the standards of most Third World Countries. The recent GAO report entitled ``Analysis of the Crow Creek Sioux and Lower Brule Sioux Tribes' Additional Compensation Claims'' criticizes the tribes for not using ``a final asking price.'' Mr. Chairman, there is not a tribe or tribal member that could possibly place a monetary value on the loss and detrimental impact the Pick- Sloan Project has had on our people. ``Official'' documents use terms such as ``Lake Sharpe'' or ``Lake Francis Case'' to identify the land overtaken by the Pick-Sloan Project. In the every-day language of the tribal people, the land is called ``taken area'' or ``taken land.'' Because it was taken. The land taken was the richest portion of our reservation. There were no offers or deals made to sell the land, and no assessment done to determine the value of the land. Even if there had been an assessment, the medicinal plants grown on the land and the Ceremonial Grounds hold a higher, non-monetary value. The devastation this has wrought still remains today for all to see. The Crow Creek Sioux Tribe is consulting with experts such as Dr. Mike Lawson to estimate a monetary value, but his name or expertise is not mentioned in the GAO report. The compensation listed for Crow Creek Sioux Tribe in the Tribal Parity Act is not based on the highest asking price, or based on the price for the Santee Sioux, the Lower Brule Sioux, or any other tribe. Each tribe is unique, but what binds us together is our sovereignty. We are asking for the ability to maintain our sovereignty. A Christian group visited the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, stating that they had read about the poverty on the reservations and the fact that Crow Creek is in the poorest county in the America. After visiting, the group called the situation a National Shame. As chairman of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe, I want to see the deplorable statistics change. I do not want our situation to remain a national shame. We are not asking for charity, for a handout, or even for your pity. We are not even asking for a helping hand. We are simply asking for fair and just compensation. For the men, women, and children of the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Tribes, there is nothing more important right now than moving forward with the Tribal Parity Act. The new Tribal Council, including myself as chairman, understands the challenges that lie ahead. Our reason for running for office and our daily motivation is to improve the situation and make a positive difference for the people of the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe. The Tribal Parity Act is an essential step in our efforts to reverse the downward trend and move forward. We urge the committee to file the report and bring S. 374 to the Senate floor for consideration as soon as possible. Thank you for the opportunity to testify before your committee, and I will be happy to answer any questions you might have. [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.125 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.126 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.127 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.128 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.129 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.130 [GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] T8188.131 <all>