Cleveland County commissioners pass a resolution to oppose Bureau of Indian Affairs proposal that likely would cut road funding for Oklahoma tribes
BY JAMES S. TYREE Oklahoman, NewsOK
Published: October 5, 2010
NORMAN — Cleveland County commissioners Monday approved a resolution that opposes a proposal that would cut federal road funding for Oklahoma tribes.
Commissioner Rod Cleveland said the Bureau of Indian Affairs is proposing a rule change to the Federal Highway Administration that would allocate funding for roads and bridges to Indian tribes only for projects on their respective lands.
American Indian lands in Oklahoma are considered to be nations, and as such they often work with the state Transportation Department, county governments and other tribes on road projects that cross boundaries and benefit all users, Cleveland said.
He said if the rule change takes effect, Oklahoma tribes likely will take a big budget hit. Nontribal governments also would be affected, he said, because the federal money that Oklahoma tribes receive for road projects often is used to match the primary federal or state funding, which means counties don't have to foot the bill... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Tue, October 5, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski