TRIBE FILES LAWSUIT TO STOP BOEM’S WIND ENERGY LEASE SALE AND REQUIRE MORE EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS OF WIND ENERGY IMPACTS
September 16, 2024, For Immediate Release
COOS BAY, OREGON – On Friday, the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians (“Tribe”) filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (“BOEM”) in Oregon Federal District Court. The lawsuit challenges BOEM’s cursory environmental review for the development of private offshore wind energy facilities in two areas off the Oregon Coast near Coos Bay and Brookings.
Earlier this month, BOEM authorized the sale of leases in approximately 195,012 acres for wind energy development, in areas that are within the Tribe’s ancestral territory, and which contain critical fish and marine wildlife habitat, viewsheds of significant cultural and historic significance to the Tribe, and are important for Tribal and commercial fishing. That sale is scheduled to occur on October 15th.
“The Tribe has consistently urged that BOEM delay moving forward with wind energy development until a better understanding is made of the impacts to fish, wildlife, the marine environment, and cultural resources important to the Tribe,” said Tribal Council Chair Brad Kneaper. “No one, including BOEM has an understanding on how wind development will impact the fragile marine environment. BOEM developed an environmental assessment document that narrowly focused on the impacts of the lease sale and completely turned a blind eye to the inevitable impacts that construction and operation of these private energy facilities will have on Coastal resources, the Tribe, and other residents.”
“The intent of this lawsuit is to stop the October lease sale and force BOEM to do a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement that honestly looks at the impact that wind energy will have on Coastal resources,” said Chair Kneaper. “Coastal Tribes have repeatedly met with BOEM urging BOEM to take its time to develop wind energy in a way that does not adversely impact Tribes and the resources which they depend upon. BOEM has repeatedly disregarded these requests telling the Tribes that wind energy development is being driven by the White House.”
“The timeframe for wind development appears to be driven by politics, rather than what is best for Coastal residents and the environmental,” said Chair Kneaper.
The lawsuit specifically alleges that BOEM violated the federal National Environmental Policy Act (“NEPA”), including that it narrowly drafted an environmental assessment that failed to consider: (1) the impacts of future wind energy development; (2) the cumulative impacts of this project along with other West Coast wind energy development; and (3) alternatives to its proposal, including examining alternatives that exclude important habitat areas from leasing and wind energy development. The lawsuit also alleges that BOEM issued its decision before complying with its legal obligations to protect cultural resources as required by the National Historic Preservation Act.
“The decision to file this legal action was not taken lightly,” said Chair Kneaper. “We would much rather work collaboratively with BOEM to determine where the best places are to develop wind energy, minimizing the impacts to the Coast and our people. Unfortunately, BOEM left us no other options. Prior to filing the lawsuit on Friday, we notified both BOEM and the Governor’s office that the Tribe is willing to withdraw its lawsuit if the October lease sale is delayed and BOEM commits to assessing impacts of wind energy development on the Coast.”
A copy of the Tribe’s complaint filed on Friday is included with this release.
For questions about this lawsuit, please contact attorney Rick Eichstaedt at 509-251-1424.
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal News
Budget Hearing Notice
Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians
BUDGET HEARING
In preparation for the 2025 Tribal Government Budget for Tribal Membership & Staff
Date: September 8, 2024
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Location: Community Center -338 Wallace Ave. Coos Bay, Oregon 97420
Or you may attend via Zoom Meeting Link by logging in to the Citizen Portal
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal News
Back to School Supplies
The CTCLUSI Education Department is now offering a $100 Amazon voucher per child in your household K through 12th grade. You will be able to choose school supplies from a selected list of products.
This program is open until September 25th, 2024.
Any unused funds from each voucher will be returned to the Tribe, and any expenses over $100 will be the responsibility of the household.
In an effort to reach all of our tribal children and provide assistance with the necessary school supplies, we have developed a program that will give you the flexibility of receiving these items directly to your home.
We are introducing the “Amazon Business Giving” program in which we submit the parent ’s email to Amazon and the parent will receive a digital voucher of $100 per child. You will then be able to use your own amazon account and select the offered items to be sent directly to your home.
How does this work?
The Education Department will ask that you provide your email address and your express permission to share this with the Amazon Back to School campaign.
We will supply this information to Amazon which will then send an email with a $100 digital voucher for each child in a lump sum.
This voucher can be added to your account and is good for the specific school supply offerings.
FAQs
What if I do not use email or do not want you to share my email with Amazon?
Speak to Education staff and they will provide you with a list of items being offered and assist with placing the order to be shipped to your home or the tribal offices.
What if I choose more than the $100 will cover?
The $100 (per child) will be credited to the offered items and you may enter another payment method for the remainder.
What is being offered?
Several items are being offered from backpacks to general supplies and even some graphing
calculators. There are many items to choose from in each category. Below are representative items, however a complete listing is available from the Education Department both in print and via email.
What happens if I spend under the $100 voucher amount?
All unused funds will be returned to the Education program for use in other events.
What if I do not have an Amazon account?
The email will instruct you on how to open an account, even if it is just for this purpose.
What if items are out of stock?
We will be monitoring the out of stock items and updating with similar offerings.
Does Amazon sell my information?
Amazon’s Privacy Notice indicates that the information provided by you will only be used for the purpose of this program. You can view the privacy notice at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=468496
Thank you for letting us be a part of the growth and success of your children.
Education Department
338 Wallace Ave
Coos Bay, OR 97420
Phone: 541-888-1318
E-mail: education@ctclusi.org
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal Event, Tribal News
CTCLUSI Forest Management Plan
Notice to CTCLUSI Tribal Citizens: The CTCLUSI Forest Management Plan is available to view on the Forestry page in the Citizen Portal of the website.
Please login to view the pdf document. https://ctclusi.org/forestry-management-private/
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal News
Regular July 2024 Council Meeting Location Moved to Three Rivers Casino – Florence, Oregon
The Regular Tribal Council meeting scheduled for this Sunday, July 14, 2024 has changed location. The meeting will now be held at the Three Rivers Casino Resort in Florence, Oregon in the private meeting room (“Section D Private Room”) located in the back of the Cafe.
Membership is invited to attend in person or online via Zoom. Please login to the Citizen Portal for the Zoom meeting link. https://ctclusi.org/citizen-portal/
The Regular Council Meeting will begin at 10:00 a.m. pst
Thank you for your understanding and we look forward to seeing you there!
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal Event, Tribal News
Draft Amendment of LRTP
A 10-day public comment period for review of the draft of the amendment of the Long-Range Transportation Plan for The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians will open beginning 6/24/2024
Your input during the public comment period will help guide decision-makers as they finalize the policies and strategies in the amendment to the Long-Range Transportation Plan before taking action in 2024.
The Amendment can be viewed online here or a copy can be picked up at our Florence Outreach office located at 1576 12th St, Florence, OR 97439. The Deadline for comment submission is 07/05/2024. Comments can be submitted in-person or online by emailing Project Manager Tyler Slyer at TSlyter@ctclusi.org or contacting 541-888-7311
- Published in Public Notices
Notice of Proposed Code Amendment Chapter 3-4: Approved during June 26, 2024 Business Council Meeting
June 27, 2024
RE; “Hunting, Fishing, Trapping, and Shellfish Gathering Harvest Program”
Tribal Membership,
This message is going to every Tribal Household (735) to provide an update on the Tribe’s newly developing “Hunting, Fishing, Trapping, and Shellfish Gathering Harvest Program”.
Tribal Council’s ultimate goal is to have this program available for Tribal Members to participate by Aug 1, 2024.
You may recall the special election to allow us to collaborate with the state for a Co-Management agreement, which would allow us to hunt and fish under our own regulation. That special election had the largest voter response that I have seen in the 20 years I have been with the tribe. The results of that election were 338 yes and 1 no vote. I keep that in mind during this process, knowing how important this is to Tribal Members.
The Tribe entered into a historic Memorandum of Understanding with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife on September 20, 2023. The Tribe was required to develop a Tribal Code and Regulation BEFORE our Harvest Program could be made available to its Members.
After several months of collaboration to meet the requirements in this agreement, on April 14, 2024, a draft of Chapters 3-4 Hunting Fishing Trapping and Gathering Code was approved for first reading and was posted on the website and published in the May 2024 Newsletter. After hearing Membership concerns it was reposted on June 10, 2024, and per Council direction, the home page of the Tribe’s website was redesigned to allow a special designated area for “Notice of Proposed Code Amendments” only, for Membership to easily locate. A text message was sent to every Tribal Member with a number on file on Friday, June 14, 2024, to inform them of the posting and direct them to the website’s new location.
No written comments from any Member have been received. Council in their review made minor edits to the first draft for clarification to areas related to “Gather” and “Harvest”.
Due to the wishes of the Membership, we have the goal to implement this benefit in THIS year’s hunting and fishing season. We are pleased to report that Oregon Fish and Wildlife negotiations have been completed and at the recent Business Council Meeting on June 26, 2024, BOTH the Tribal Code, Chapter 3-4 and Hunting, Fishing, Trapping and Shellfish Gathering AND the Hunting and Fishing Regulations have been approved and adopted. We know this is just the beginning and as we move forward, edits may need to be made.
Finally, mailed to all membership are all the approved documents related to this program for Membership to review, understanding that we want to hear from and value Membership input. The Code adopted can be amended and we welcome any comments in writing so the Council can meet and discuss any suggestions made. You may submit written comments via email to jmiller@ctclusi.org or directly to Council via memberstocouncil@ctclusi.org
Once all the steps are in place for you to apply to participate and report as you use this new “Hunting, Fishing, Trapping, and Shellfish Gathering Harvest Program”, you will be contacted with detailed instructions.
We are working on developing licenses, tags, and a regulation guidebook. We are also developing a means of reporting back at the end of each season so that we can track harvest numbers for data collection. You will be required to report back if you have a tag issued whether or not you were successful during the season. Our goal is to protect our wildlife and maintain healthy populations for the future. We will make this process as easy as possible.
Lastly, there are no residency requirements for Tribal Members. If you are a Tribal Member and live on the East Coast and want to hunt in your ancestral territory, you can come and as long as you receive a tribal hunting license and appropriate tags, you are welcome to hunt under Tribal regulations. There are no costs for licenses and tags, and no non-residents fees or costs to do so.
Thank you for your patience and understanding in this process that has taken a lot of work by staff to put in place. Look for more information coming soon.
Sincerely, and Happy Hunting, Fishing, and Gathering!
Brad Kneaper, Tribal Council Chair
Confederate Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians.
Visit the new Harvest Program: Hunting, Fishing, Trapping and Gathering Program page for Regulations and Applications to come soon!
- Published in Public Notices
Fresh Air Day Camp Registration Open Now
Two weeks of fun for Tribal youth from 5 years-18 years. There will be 2 tracks, one for older youth and one for youngers. CTCLUSI Tribal children, staff children, children from other Tribes, children in a Tribal Home.
July 8th – 19th, 8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Tribal Hall/ Community Center
Contact CTCLUSI Education Department to RSVP.
Brandy Lauby, Education Specialist – Children’s Programs, 541-888-1314, blauby@ctclusi.org
Please complete this form to secure your child’s spot.
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal Event, Tribal News
Oiling on Oregon and Washington Beaches
Oily, tar-like substances washed ashore in late May along sections of north and central Oregon and
southern Washington beaches.
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal Event, Tribal News
Three Rivers Foundation Boosts Oregon’s Economy with Over $720,000 Grants to 9 Local Nonprofits
Media Contact:
Rich Colton, Director of Marketing
rcolton@threeriverscasino.com
Florence, Ore. — Three Rivers Foundation, established by the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians as the charitable arm of the Three Rivers Casino Resort, proudly announced the award of over $720,000 to support the missions of 95 nonprofit organizations across Oregon.
Demonstrating its commitment to community enrichment, the Three Rivers Foundation distributed funds to a diverse range of nonprofits in sectors ranging from healthcare and education to combating food insecurities and enriching the lives of children.
“It makes my heart feel good. It’s just awesome that we can help these folks make an impact on
their organizations and their communities,” said Chief Doug Barrett, Confederated Tribes of
Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians Nonprofits in Coos, Curry, Douglas, Lane, Lincoln, Harney, and Multnomah counties were awarded funding. Each received between $5,000 and $40,000 to continue providing services for Oregonians.
“We provide peer support services for new, expectant and grieving families or anything that a family might need to heal and recover from postpartum depression, loss of their pregnancy or infant and infertility,” said Lyndsie Leech, WellMama Executive Director. “This grant is particularly meaningful for us because we are trying to expand these services into some of the more rural areas. We recognize that the more isolated you are, the more you need those in-person services.”
“We got a $10,000 check for our Natural Resource program at Siuslaw High School for drones,” said Amy Tregoning, Siuslaw High School teacher. We are teaching kids how to use them because they are being used increasingly in the natural resource field—think wildfires and population densities. We hope to train our students and get them to take their pilot’s license before they leave high school so that they can start a career a bit further ahead of everyone else.”
“It’s massive; the amount that Three Rivers Foundation can contribute to everyone in the local community is immense. We couldn’t get nearly as much done as we have without these types of contributions,” said Stephen Beale, Florence Food Share Operations Manager. The Florence Food Share was granted $10,000.
“One in two families can’t afford enough to keep their baby clean, dry, and healthy. There is no state or governmental assistance for diaper support, so $10,000 goes a long way in our small nonprofit,” said Teresa Baur, Lane County Diaper Bank Founder On Friday, May 10, all organizations gathered for a luncheon at Three Rivers Casino in Florence, where they were awarded their grants.
The North Bend Police Department was a first-time grant recipient. “We are purchasing individual first aid kits for any type of emergency, anywhere from a traumatic crash or active shooter. It’s going to get them prepared now that we have the money from the foundation,” said Captain Ed Perry, North Bend Police Department.
“On our project, we are trying to expand our technology in our electives and social-emotional learning classes,” said Cece Howell, Business Manager at Siuslaw School District. “This grant will go to our podcasting team.”
The foundation requests applications at the beginning of each year and will continue to award impactful grants each year.
Three Rivers Casino Resort
Owned and operated by the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians, Three Rivers Casino Resort has strong ties to the surrounding community along the Central Oregon Coast. As one of the largest employers in the area, Three Rivers provides resources and opportunities for both tribal and non-tribal members of the region. In addition to providing local jobs, Three Rivers sponsors local arts programs for professional and children’s theater and donates to dozens of local and regional nonprofit organizations. It has become a pillar of community support; the philanthropic spirit of Three Rivers Casino is felt deeply on the Central Oregon Coast and statewide. For more information, visit threeriverscasino.com.
About the Confederated Tribes of the Coos, Lower Umpqua, & Siuslaw Indians
The Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua and Siuslaw Indians are made up of 3 tribes (4 Bands): 2 bands of Coos Tribes: Hanis Coos (Coos Proper), Miluk Coos; Lower Umpqua Tribe; and Siuslaw Tribe. The tribes trace their ancestry back to the aboriginal inhabitants of the South-Central coast of Oregon. For more information, visit ctclusi.org.
- Published in Public Notices, Tribal Event, Tribal News