New federal legislation was introduced earlier this month in an attempt to uphold the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ (BIA) Jan. 19 decision to place Camp 4—a hotly debated 1,400-acre parcel of land owned by the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians—into federal trust, effectively annexing the parcel as part of the tribe’s Indian reservation.
Santa Barbara County filed a federal lawsuit against the BIA on Jan. 28 for its decision, claiming the bureau failed to follow regulatory guidelines concerning fee-to-trust land acquisitions. Specifically, the county alleges the BIA skirted requirements for an environmental impact statement.
U.S. Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) from California responded with HR 1491, which would confirm the bureau’s decision to place Camp 4 into federal trust, according to a press release from the Chumash.
Tribal Chairman Kenneth Kahn did not return calls from the Sun before press time, and 3rd District Supervisor Joan Hartmann—who serves on the county’s ad hoc subcommittee responsible for negotiating agreements concerning Camp 4—declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
The Chumash and the county’s ad hoc subcommittee have engaged in off-and-on negotiations over Camp 4 since September 2015, after Congress directed the county to work with the tribe to come up with agreements regarding property tax reimbursement and environmental impact mitigation for the land should it move into federal trust as part of the Chumash reservation. The tribe’s plan for the land, according to Kahn, is to use it for tribal member housing and a cultural center.
“Tribal housing on tribal land is an important component of strengthening the cultural connections of the tribe,” Kahn told the Sun in a previous interview, “and being able to provide the opportunity to celebrate our customs, language, and tradition.”
HR 1491—called the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Land Affirmation Act of 2017—was introduced and referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources on March 10. A summary of the bill was not available as of press time.
This article appears in Mar 23-30, 2017.