On April 20, Dakota Resource Council affiliate Fort Berthold P.O.W.E.R. scored a major victory when they convinced the Fort Berthold Tribal Government to unanimously pass a resolution in opposition to rolling back the BLM Methane Waste Rule. The win culminated more than four months of work to get the tribe to oppose publicly the repeal of the rule.
Heitkamp town hall
The day following their victory, members drove to Bismarck to deliver the tribal resolution at a town hall hosted by Senator Heidi Heitkamp to get the Senator’s support. Three members asked the Senator questions related to the rule and they hand delivered a copy of the tribal resolution. Heitkamp did not indicate on how she would vote. She said the resolution is helpful to make the case for the rule and that the rule is an important issue. Heitkamp said she will strongly consider the tribal benefits of the rule if and when she votes on the rule.
What’s next on BLM Methane Waste Rule
Fort Berthold P.O.W.E.R. members are campaigning to secure additional tribal support from other reservations in North Dakota. On April 27, they will attend the Standing Rock tribal council meeting to urge the council to pass a resolution supporting the BLM methane rule. Additionally, they are working with members of the Turtle Mountain Reservation to introduce and pass a similar resolution.
The more tribal support for the rule, the better. That’s because tribal members made up a major voter demographics that helped elect Heitkamp in 2012. The goal of this great work is to get Heitkamp to vote to keep the rule intact. With tribal support from reservations across North Dakota, Heitkamp will find it difficult to vote to repeal the rule.
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Read more:
WORC Groups Take the Trump Administration to Court Over Gutting BLM Methane Rule
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