Happy Tuesday! Here’s a look at what’s happening today:
Alaska legislators consider state recognition of tribes
Tribes exist and have the right to make their own laws and live by them. So say the U.S. Constitution and countless laws, regulations, and programs that fund tribes to exercise self-governance and tribal sovereignty.
Getting the state of Alaska to acknowledge that is the intent of a bill moving through the state legislature.
The legislation would require state recognition of the long-standing legal status of Alaska’s 229 federally recognized tribes and wouldn’t affect how tribal governments work.
To read more, click here.
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Judge gives Corps 2nd chance on oil opinion
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A federal judge faced with a motion on whether the Dakota Access oil pipeline north of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation should be shut down during an environmental review is giving the Biden administration another chance to weigh in on the issue.
U.S. District Judge James Boasberg held a hearing earlier this month to give the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers an opportunity to say whether oil should continue to flow during its study, after an appeals panel upheld Boasberg’s ruling that the pipeline was operating without a key federal permit. The Corps told the judge it wasn’t sure if it should be shut down.
The decision not to intervene came as a bitter disappointment to Standing Rock, other tribes involved in the lawsuit and environmental groups. Even the judge appeared to be taken aback when the Corps opted to shrug its shoulders.
To read more, click here.
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CDC eases mask guidelines for outdoors
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its guidelines Tuesday on the wearing of masks outdoors, saying fully vaccinated Americans don’t need to cover their faces anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers.
And those who are unvaccinated can go outside without masks in some cases, too.
The change comes as more than half of U.S. adults have gotten at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, and more than a third have been fully vaccinated.
To read more, click here.
Takeaways from census data
The data released Monday was relatively basic — containing national and state-level population figures and details of how they affect states’ representation in Congress. Still, it contained some surprises and pointed to some consequential trends.
Five takeaways from the new census data here.
US ‘Real ID’ deadline extended again
The Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday extended the Real ID deadline until May 3, 2023. The deadline had been Oct. 1, 2021.
The updated cards will be required for airport check-in and to enter federal facilities.
To read more, click here.
From social media:
The latest:
- White House convened first Native affairs meeting:Under the Biden administration, the White House Council on Native American Affairs was reinstated in less than 100 days of office.
- Tribes draw name for legal representation:Supreme Court notebook: David faces Goliaths over pipeline.
- When water levels plummet:US West prepares for possible 1st water shortage declaration
- Census winners, losers: ‘Our tribes did everything that they could … to get counted’
- Watch: ‘UNITY is magical’:Mary Kim Titla talks about UNITY, INC’s 45 years of service to Native youth.
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