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#NativeVote16
It’s time for the Republican Party and its soon-to-be nominee Donald J. Trump making their best case for winning the White House and Congress.
This is Trahant Reports.
This will not be an election where the color gray will be debated. The differences on issues between Republicans and Democrats are stark.
The Republican Party platform will be a good place to start in exploring the choice ahead. The party says the bible should be a guide when legislating and laws “must be consistent with God-given, natural rights.”
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, who is chair of the platform committee, said the document is conservative, “reflecting the views, and the values, and the vision of the Republican Party.”
What does that mean for Indian Country?
Much of the party’s focus right now is on energy policy. Trump has said several times that he would remove barriers to oil and coal production to create more jobs.
Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Montana, is one of the convention speakers. He recently said: “In communities like Colstrip and other small communities, coal and other natural resources are the only answer. For the great coal nation of the Crow, there’s treaties. The treaties specifically state the United States shall not interfere with their destiny if they choose to mine their coal. As a sovereign nation they have every right to export their coal as they choose. But when the government gets in the way, as we have done, we have violated a treaty.”
I am not sure where that line in the Crow Treaty of 1868 is “specifically” found.
In this election cycle, Republicans are carrying the banner for more coal development, what the party calls, “an abundant, clean, affordable, reliable domestic energy resource.”
The problem, however, is that a Republican victory will not bring coal markets back to life. Natural gas is cheaper. Shipping coal to China is problematic (and Chinese consumption is declining anyway) plus every day more renewable sources come on line. The future is doing something else instead of coal as the “only answer.” And, if a kicker is needed, it’s this: Northwest tribes have also asserted their treaty rights to fish for salmon. And salmon require waters that are not polluted by coal dust.
Another draft plank in the Republican platform impacts treaty rights and that’s the call for Congress to “immediately pass universal legislation providing the timely and orderly mechanism requiring the federal government to convey certain federally controlled public lands to the states.”
Tribal rights to hunt and fish on public lands are often included, yes, even, specifically in treaty language. So any transfer of those lands ought to go to the tribes whose land it was first.
So there you have it: There is no climate change, only coal. This reflects the GOP’s best case.
I am Mark Trahant reporting.
Trahant Reports is brought to you by Kauffman & Associates, Inc., a Native American owned, woman-owned small business that has delivered innovative solutions for government and commercial clients since 1990. KAI’s expertise spans diverse specialty areas, including public health, education, and economic development.
