Bill aims to add 1200 acres of land to Prairie Island Indian Community
(FOX 9) - A new bill in Congress, introduced by Minnesota Representatives Angie Craig and Jim Hagerdorn and co-sponsered by Representative Betty McCollum, aims to add land to the Prairie Island Indian Community and compensate them for yeas of flooding caused by a dam in the Mississippi River.
If approved, the Prairie Island Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act would add 1200 acres to the tribe’s land southwest of Hastings.
The tribe says the new land is a safer distance from the Prairie Island Nuclear Generating Plant than much of the tribe’s current land, which is near a nuclear waste storage site.
The tribe would also receive compensation for what they claim was illegal flooding associated with a federally constructed dam.
“This bill is an overdue effort to right the federal government’s past wrongs against our people, and we are deeply grateful to Representatives Craig, Hagedorn and McCollum for supporting us,” said Tribal Council President Shelley Buck in a press release. “We have been trying for years to solve the issues that are the direct result of federal actions: the flooding of our lands and the storage of hazardous nuclear waste next to our homes. This legislation addresses our health and safety concerns and offers us a safer future free from these dangerous threats.”
The land was purchased by the tribe at no cost to the taxpayers.
According to the tribal council most of the newly acquired land will be used to build housing for tribal members.