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Why does Gov. Janet Mills oppose LD 2007, a bill to restore the inherent right of the Wabanaki Nations in Maine to self-govern within their respective territories in accordance with the same federal laws that generally govern tribal lands elsewhere in the United States? Her spokesperson, Scott Ogden, explains she fears the bill has “problematic provisions” that would lead to legal issues and significant jurisdictional changes while “making it nearly impossible for Maine people and businesses to determine what laws apply where and under what circumstances.”
But those legal issues have been very successfully solved by the members of the 570 tribes across the country in collaboration with the people and legislatures in dozens of states. Those tribes and their neighbors have benefited dramatically in economic growth in ways that systematically acknowledged and respected tribal self-determination.
Does Mills assume that Mainers lack the intelligence and capacity to do what others throughout the rest of this country have already done?
We should all urge our legislators to pass LD 2007, and vote to override any veto of it the governor might attempt.
Gray Cox
Bar Harbor
