<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><head><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml><o:OfficeDocumentSettings><o:AllowPNG/><o:PixelsPerInch>96</o:PixelsPerInch></o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--></head><body><div class="ydp5d3f00f2yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:garamond, new york, times, serif;font-size:16px;"><div><div class="ydp5d3f00f2signature" dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">The Hoopa Valley Tribe's press release is attached.</div><br><div class="ydp5d3f00f2signature"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><div><div><a class="ydpf625ba1LeadFeature ydpf625ba1Component-leadFeature-0-2-41 ydpf625ba1LeadFeature_gallery" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-california-fish-dams-9233118a4d038c09711dc01fa4dff458/gallery/670b25a231484e05a20c9364cd3cfce7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><div class="ydpf625ba1count-caption ydpf625ba1Component-countCaption-0-2-42"><a class="ydpf625ba1LeadFeature ydpf625ba1Component-leadFeature-0-2-41 ydpf625ba1LeadFeature_gallery" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-california-fish-dams-9233118a4d038c09711dc01fa4dff458/gallery/670b25a231484e05a20c9364cd3cfce7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-imageCaption-0-2-48"><a class="ydpf625ba1LeadFeature ydpf625ba1Component-leadFeature-0-2-41 ydpf625ba1LeadFeature_gallery" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-california-fish-dams-9233118a4d038c09711dc01fa4dff458/gallery/670b25a231484e05a20c9364cd3cfce7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><div class="ydpf625ba1embed-caption ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-54 ydpf625ba1Component-embedCaption-0-2-45" data-key="embed-caption" dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><a class="ydpf625ba1LeadFeature ydpf625ba1Component-leadFeature-0-2-41 ydpf625ba1LeadFeature_gallery" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-california-fish-dams-9233118a4d038c09711dc01fa4dff458/gallery/670b25a231484e05a20c9364cd3cfce7" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> </a><a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-california-fish-dams-9233118a4d038c09711dc01fa4dff458" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" class="enhancr_card_8013785554">Hoopa Valley Tribe sues US over California water contracts</a></div><div><br></div><div id="ydpc9533d49enhancr_card_8013785554" class="ydpc9533d49yahoo-link-enhancr-card ydpc9533d49ymail-preserve-class ydpc9533d49ymail-preserve-style" style="max-width:400px;font-family:YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" data-url="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-california-fish-dams-9233118a4d038c09711dc01fa4dff458" data-type="YENHANCER" data-size="MEDIUM" contenteditable="false"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lawsuits-california-fish-dams-9233118a4d038c09711dc01fa4dff458" style="text-decoration-line: none !important; 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background-repeat: repeat; background-attachment: scroll; background-image: none; background-size: auto; position: relative; z-index: 2; width: 100%; max-width: 400px; border-radius: 0px 0px 2px 2px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(224, 228, 233);" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" align="center"><tbody><tr><td style="background-color:#ffffff;padding:16px 0 16px 12px;vertical-align:top;border-radius:0 0 0 2px"></td><td style="vertical-align:middle;padding:12px 24px 16px 12px;width:99%;font-family:YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;border-radius:0 0 2px 0"><h2 class="ydpc9533d49card-title" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px; margin: 0px 0px 6px; font-family: YahooSans, Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(29, 34, 40); max-width: 314px;">Hoopa Valley Tribe sues US over California water contracts</h2><p class="ydpc9533d49card-description" style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; margin: 0px; color: rgb(151, 158, 168);">SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The Hoopa Valley Tribe alleged in a lawsuit Monday that the federal government is viol...</p></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table></a></div><div><br></div><div><br></div></div></div></div><div class="ydpf625ba1Article" data-key="article"><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">SACRAMENTO,
Calif. (AP) — The Hoopa Valley Tribe alleged in a lawsuit Monday that
the federal government is violating its sovereignty and failing to
collect money from California farms that rely on federally supplied
water to pay for damages to tribal fisheries.</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">The
tribe, which has a reservation in northwest California, says in its
lawsuit against the Biden administration that the Trinity River that it
relies on for food and cultural purposes has been decimated by decades
of the federal government diverting water. </p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">The
suit alleges the U.S. Department of the Interior has failed to follow
laws that require the contractors who use that water to pay money for
habitat restoration projects. It says those contractors owe $340 million
for environmental restoration work along the Trinity River and other
places damaged by water diversions.</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">“The
river has become a place that is no longer a healing place, but a place
that is a sick place,” said Jill Sherman-Warne, a member of the Hoopa
tribal council. </p><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-dfp-0-2-59 ydpf625ba1apnews_article_midarticle_1"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-adTitle-0-2-66">ADVERTISEMENT</div><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-placeholderWrapper-0-2-69"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-visualPlaceholder-0-2-67"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1sovrn-article-midarticle ydpf625ba1proper-dynamic-insertion"><div class="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-unit"><div id="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-apnews_article_midarticle_1" data-google-query-id="CLqX59f2jfsCFeMMdgYdTu0LvA" style="min-width: 300px; min-height: 90px;"><div style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0pt; display: inline-block; width: 300px; min-height: 250px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">The
suit also alleges that the federal government has failed to
appropriately consult with the tribe on matters related to the river. </p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">The Interior Department declined to comment through spokesman Tyler Cherry.</p><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-hubPeekEmbed-0-2-63 ydpf625ba1HubPeek ydpf625ba1noBorderBottom-0-2-72 ydpf625ba1compressedEmbed-0-2-73 ydpf625ba1hubPeekMainArticle" data-tb-region="false"><div data-key="feed-card-hub-peak" class="ydpf625ba1hubPeekContainerWide-0-2-75"><div class="ydpf625ba1title-0-2-76"><a class="ydpf625ba1blueTitle-0-2-77 ydpf625ba1blueTitle-4-0-2-135 ydpf625ba1overrideArticle ydpf625ba1hubPeekTitleArticle" href="https://apnews.com/hub/business" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><h3 class="ydpf625ba1title-0-2-76">Business</h3></a></div><div class="ydpf625ba1columnLayout-0-2-81"><li class="ydpf625ba1listItem-0-2-95" data-tb-region-item="false"><a class="ydpf625ba1wireStoryContainer-0-2-86 ydpf625ba1noImage-0-2-87 ydpf625ba1hubPeekStoryArticle" href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-covid-prices-government-and-politics-5564ed48f1f3d0f98f6c3a565f2e43c6" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><div class="ydpf625ba1imageContainer-0-2-88"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1titleContainer-0-2-89"><div class="ydpf625ba1title-0-2-90 ydpf625ba1overrideArticle"><h4 class="ydpf625ba1headline-0-2-93 ydpf625ba1newStandardStyle">On election eve, the state of the US economy is a blurry one</h4></div></div></a></li><li class="ydpf625ba1listItem-0-2-95" data-tb-region-item="false"><a class="ydpf625ba1wireStoryContainer-0-2-86 ydpf625ba1noImage-0-2-87 ydpf625ba1hubPeekStoryArticle" href="https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-social-media-e149b458b153f53268c00ad2a757cf14" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><div class="ydpf625ba1imageContainer-0-2-88"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1titleContainer-0-2-89"><div class="ydpf625ba1title-0-2-90 ydpf625ba1overrideArticle"><h4 class="ydpf625ba1headline-0-2-93 ydpf625ba1newStandardStyle">Musk emerging as Twitter's chief moderator ahead of midterms</h4></div></div></a></li><div class="ydpf625ba1divider-0-2-79"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1divider-0-2-79"></div><li class="ydpf625ba1listItem-0-2-95" data-tb-region-item="false"><a class="ydpf625ba1wireStoryContainer-0-2-86 ydpf625ba1noImage-0-2-87 ydpf625ba1hubPeekStoryArticle" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-texas-minnesota-north-dakota-esg-investing-f89f3d17b7a82315bfaefa242c949663" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><div class="ydpf625ba1imageContainer-0-2-88"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1titleContainer-0-2-89"><div class="ydpf625ba1title-0-2-90 ydpf625ba1overrideArticle"><h4 class="ydpf625ba1headline-0-2-93 ydpf625ba1newStandardStyle">Political spat over climate risks in investments gets hotter</h4></div></div></a></li><li class="ydpf625ba1listItem-0-2-95" data-tb-region-item="false"><a class="ydpf625ba1wireStoryContainer-0-2-86 ydpf625ba1noImage-0-2-87 ydpf625ba1hubPeekStoryArticle" href="https://apnews.com/article/science-health-business-covid-ec1dae2bd47d604712fc2a4a842591a8" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><div class="ydpf625ba1imageContainer-0-2-88"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1titleContainer-0-2-89"><div class="ydpf625ba1title-0-2-90 ydpf625ba1overrideArticle"><h4 class="ydpf625ba1headline-0-2-93 ydpf625ba1newStandardStyle">Strong RSV vaccine data lifts hopes after years of futility</h4></div></div></a></li></div></div></div><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">Since
the 1950s, the Trinity River has been a major source of water for the
Central Valley Project, a system of dams, reservoirs and canals that
sends water south to farmers who harvest fruits, nuts and other crops.
Fish that swim through the river include the coho salmon, which is
listed as an endangered species. Twelve miles of the river flow through
the tribe’s reservation.</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">Congress
updated laws governing the water project’s operation in 1992. It gave
the tribe some power to concur over changes to river flows, added
requirements for protecting fish in the Trinity River, and stated any
renewals of long-term water contracts had to follow existing laws. </p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">At
the end of the Obama administration, Congress passed a law saying that
any temporary federal contracts for water could be turned into permanent
ones if they pay back the federal government for certain costs.
Previously, the contracts had to be reapproved on a regular basis. </p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">Westlands
Water District, the nation’s largest agricultural water district, was
one of the contractors that converted its water contract to <a class="ydpf625ba1paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/business-environment-and-nature-california-environment-fresno-02194469a3b70dbcee20e00802804819" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a permanent one.</a>
The new agreement doesn’t grant Westlands any additional water or
promise that it will get everything in dry years, but it effectively
gives the district a contract for water in perpetuity. </p><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-dfp-0-2-59 ydpf625ba1apnews_article_midarticle_2"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-adTitle-0-2-66">ADVERTISEMENT</div><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-placeholderWrapper-0-2-69"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-visualPlaceholder-0-2-67"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1sovrn-article-midarticle ydpf625ba1proper-dynamic-insertion"><div class="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-unit"><div id="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-apnews_article_midarticle_2" data-google-query-id="COCg7Nf2jfsCFf325wMdc2QPow" style="min-width: 300px; min-height: 90px;"><div style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0pt; display: inline-block; width: 300px; min-height: 250px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">The
deal was controversial because David Bernhardt, a former Westlands
lobbyist, was interior secretary when the contract was approved and a
judge later declined to validate it. But Westlands and the federal
government are still moving forward with it, Westlands spokeswoman
Shelley Cartwright said. The district has rejected claims it received
special treatment.</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">The
suit alleges the contract fails to include requirements for habitat
restoration payments. As Bernhardt left office, he wrote a memo agreeing
with staff recommendations that most environmental mitigation work
related to the Central Valley Project was complete. </p><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-dfp-0-2-59 ydpf625ba1apnews_article_midarticle_3"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-adTitle-0-2-66">ADVERTISEMENT</div><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-placeholderWrapper-0-2-69"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-visualPlaceholder-0-2-67"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1sovrn-article-midarticle ydpf625ba1proper-dynamic-insertion"><div class="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-unit"><div id="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-apnews_article_midarticle_3" data-google-query-id="CKWJ_Nj2jfsCFWUBdgYd6OUHRA"><div style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0pt; width: 728px; min-height: 0px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">Daniel
Cordalis, deputy solicitor for water resources in Biden’s Interior
Department, later rescinded that decision. But the tribes allege the
money has still not been paid. Cherry, the interior spokesman, didn’t
respond to an email asking for the department’s current position on
whether the work is done. </p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">Tribal leaders, though, say restoration work is far from complete and that the river is in dire need of help.</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">“An
integral part of the life here is the Trinity River. That changed
dramatically in the 1950s when Congress chose to dam up the river,” said
Mike Orcutt, fisheries director for the Hoopa Valley Tribe. “We’ve been
fighting for decades to right that wrong.”</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">Cartwright,
the Westlands’ spokeswoman, said the district pays a set fee to a
restoration fund based on how much water it receives. She said in an
email that the contract “provides for the payment of money, consistent
with federal law.” </p><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-dfp-0-2-59 ydpf625ba1apnews_article_midarticle_4"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-adTitle-0-2-66">ADVERTISEMENT</div><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-placeholderWrapper-0-2-69"><div class="ydpf625ba1Component-visualPlaceholder-0-2-67"></div><div class="ydpf625ba1sovrn-article-midarticle ydpf625ba1proper-dynamic-insertion"><div class="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-unit"><div id="ydpf625ba1proper-ad-apnews_article_midarticle_4" data-google-query-id="CKXn-Nn2jfsCFd3U5wMdpbAEPg"><div style="border-color: currentcolor; border-style: none; border-width: 0pt; width: 728px; min-height: 0px;"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">The
tribe initially sued during the Trump administration but later put the
lawsuit on hold and hoped to settle with the Biden administration. The
current interior secretary is Deb Haaland, a member of the Pueblo of
Laguna Tribe and <a class="ydpf625ba1paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-cabinet-cabinets-parks-native-americans-national-parks-3e68649e5901248207480dd8503b0246" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the first Native American to hold a cabinet position.</a> Tribal officials chose to renew the lawsuit because the Biden administration has not changed course, leaders said.</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">__</p><p class="ydpf625ba1Component-root-0-2-64 ydpf625ba1p ydpf625ba1Component-p-0-2-55">This
story has been updated to say Westlands Water District has a permanent
contract for water, not a permanent right. It has also been corrected to
say the tribe previously put the lawsuit on hold. </p></div></div><div><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>