“The New Buffalo or the Old Swindle? Oil & Gas & Mineral Revenues under today’s American Indian Lands and Waters”
April 11, Thursday, 6 pm
Presenter: James Oberly, László Országh Chair in American Studies, Fulbright Lecturer
Economic development represents one of the main challenges for American Indian tribal governments. A few tribes struck it rich in the 1990s with casino projects, but for most tribes, casino revenues have fallen during the prolonged economic downturn. Rising commodity prices, especially for oil, gas, and minerals have led some US tribes to welcome drilling and mining as a means of economic development. Others have decided to fight new drilling and mining endeavors as a perceived environmental threat to the quality of tribal land and water. This presentation considers the mix of economics, law, history, and culture from the viewpoint of tribes practicing limited sovereignty within a federal political system.
