Thomas Daschle: “on behalf of the South Dakota congressional delegation and Gov. Bill Janklow, I am today introducing the Cheyenne River…”

“on behalf of the South Dakota congressional delegation and Gov. Bill Janklow, I am today introducing the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, and the State of South Dakota Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Mitigation Act. This proposal, which is the culmination of more than 2 years of discussion with Governor Janklow and his staff, South Dakota tribal leaders, representatives of South Dakota sportsmen groups and affected citizens, lays out a plan for resolving some of the environmental and jurisdictional problems created by the construction of the main stem dams nearly 40 years ago. Land transfers and their attendant jurisdictional implications are serious issues with real world ramifications, and it has been the Governor's and my goal throughout this process to achieve consensus on how to proceed. The introduction of this legislation is one more step on the path to that consensus. More than a half century ago, Congress set in motion a series of events that resulted in an extraordinary loss of land and wildlife habitat by the State of South Dakota, tribes, and individual landowners along the Missouri River.”