PIT RIVER TRIBE OF CALIFORNIA UNANIMOUSLY
RESOLVES TO PROTECT MEDICINE LAKE HIGHLANDS
FROM INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
By Morning Star Gali
Pit River Tribe
Censored News
BURNEY, Calif. – On February 15, 2013, The Pit River Tribe unanimously affirmed a
resolution opposing geothermal and other industrial developments in the sacred
Medicine Lake Highlands.
The resolution affirms
that geothermal development would threaten the underlying aquifer and would
result in the injection of toxins into the atmosphere and waters. Further the
Tribe maintains that the construction and development of even a single
geothermal power generation plant would result in irreversible impacts to the
sensitive cultural resources of the highlands and devastate the habitats of
plants and animals. The Tribal
resolution calls upon the Bureau of Land Management and the United States
Forest Service to reject all proposed geothermal development in the sacred
Medicine Lake Highlands.
The Pit River Tribe has
been in court since 2002 over proposed development of geothermal energy in
Medicine Lake Highlands. The Tribe has
successfully challenged the extension of leasing of their sacred areas in
decisions in the 9th Circuit Court in 2006 and 2010. The lease holder, Calpine Energy, must
reapply for extensions of the leases that the Tribe maintains were illegally
issued by the BLM in 1988. Such
applications for lease extensions are expected to trigger an environmental
impact statement under the National Environmental Policy Act. In the mean time, the applicant has scrapped
the original plan to build a 48 megawatt power plant and is reported to be
leaning towards building several 100 megawatt plants in the sacred highlands.
The Pit River Tribal resolution
indicates that the new proposals are incompatible with the use of the Medicine
Lake Highlands as a sacred area. Geothermal development in such a sensitive
hallowed place will despoil the environment and harm the Pit River Tribe. The resolution invokes the responsibilities
of the federal agencies under federal law, regulations, agreements, executive
orders and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
to remind the decision makers of their responsibilities to protect sacred
places and the people.
“Medicine Lake is our
church. It is there we heal our bodies
and our spirits. Would you want a power
plant in your church?”- Cecelia Silvas,
Ilmawi Band Elder
______________________
______________________
Morning Star Gali Assistant Tribal Historic Preservation Officer, Pit River Tribe, 36970 Park Avenue
Burney, CA 96013 Office: 530.335.5421 Ext.1205 Fax 530. 335. 3140 Web Site: www.pitrivertribe.org
morningstar@pitrivertribe.org
morningstar@pitrivertribe.org
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