One step closer
Could the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers be poised to hand off some parcels of project land along and around Lake Sakakawea to the Three Affiliated Tribes?
On Monday, the assistant secretary of the Army for Civil Works directed funding be made available as part of the Fiscal Year 2016 budget to implement a Memorandum of Agreement.
The MOA would transfer jurisdiction of some Garrison project lands no longer needed for construction, maintenance and operation, to the Department of the Interior. That land would be held in trust for the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation).
In May 2015, the assistant secretary of the Corps’ Civil Works and the assistant secretary for Indian Affairs signed an MOA outlining the process for transferring jurisdiction, but at the time of signature, funds were not available. Funding is expected in mid-April.
