Nya:wëh Sgë:nö’,
What a spectacular stretch of beautiful weather we’ve had! I hope everyone has been enjoying the sunshine and outdoors during these days of late summer and early fall. Let’s hope they keep coming for a while longer.
I am happy to report some exciting progress on important issues to our Nation over the last few weeks. A federal Magistrate Judge issued a report and recommendation agreeing with the Nation’s position in our ongoing fight against New York State’s illegal operation of the New York State Thruway across a portion of our Cattaraugus Territory.
Judge Michael Roemer concluded that the State violated federal law when it attempted to obtain a right-of-way on our lands in 1954 without federal approval. He recommended that the United States District Court find that the State’s 1954 easement is void, and that the Court order the State of New York to immediately negotiate terms of a new easement with the Seneca Nation.
Judge Roemer’s makes clear what we have always known – that the State of New York continues to operate and profit from a thruway that it never had proper authorization to build on our territory. This is a significant victory and step forward for us. We have been forced to live with the impacts of this injustice for 70 years, and we have been pursuing a legal remedy through the courts for more than 30 years. While we do not know for certain what will happen next, we hope that the District Court accepts Judge Roemer’s recommendation and finally forces an end to New York State’s longstanding injustice against the Seneca Nation.
Meanwhile, we also saw a major victory on a priority issue impacting our Allegany Territory. The City of Olean and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation entered into an updated order to prevent chronic overflows of untreated wastewater from the City’s system to the Allegheny River. This new order requires that all upgrades to the City’s wastewater treatment infrastructure be completed by November 30, 2028. That’s 14 years sooner than if the City was allowed to continue under a prior order, which gave them until 2042 to complete the necessary system upgrades.
The Nation and our community, along with the Defend Ohi:yo’ advocacy group and many neighbors from Olean and surrounding communities, helped make this happen. We attended community meetings, protests and demonstrations, and Olean Common Council meetings demanding action. Our elected leaders took that same message to Albany in direct meetings with Governor Hochul and DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton.
We made it clear that We would not allow the health of Ohi:yo’ to be sacrificed, compromised and ignored for one day longer. Nya:wëh to everyone who has lent their voice, strength and passion to this critical issue. Thanks to our voices and persistence, current and future generations will no longer have to deal with the vile impacts the river has experienced for decades. The waters of Ohi:yo’ will be beautiful once again.
Of course, we continue to work on another critical issue with the State of New York – a new gaming Compact. Nya:wëh to everyone who attended our recent community updates on the People’s Compact. Our focus remains centered on negotiating and delivering a fair Compact that, unlike the original Compact, prioritizes and recognizes the needs and benefits of our Nation and our people. That has been the goal of our negotiation strategy from the outset of my time in office, and that will continue to be our driving force moving forward. We will continue to keep our community updated as negotiations on the People’s Compact continue.
Until next time,
J.C.
