In March of this year, the Ute Indian Tribe filed two federal complaints against the United States for the, quote, “mismanagement of the Tribe’s Uncompahgre Reservation lands.” The cases,
Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation v. United States of America
, seeks “quiet title to the lands” and “significant monetary relief to compensate the Tribe for the United States’ sale and use of its…lands.” During a session hearing of the Commission for the Stewardship of Public Lands held at the State Capital on June 19th, Attorney General Sean Reyes referenced the lawsuits filed by the Ute Tribe against the United States and expressed his belief that the state of Utah needs to protect its interests, specifically the millions of dollars in oil and gas revenue generated for state education on SITLA lands. The Ute Tribe quickly replied with a press release essentially warning the state of Utah to stay out of it; that the Ute Indian Tribe’s suit challenging federal theft of the Tribe’s land is a matter between the Tribe and the United States. “The Tribe will strongly oppose any motion by the State to intervene in the Tribe’s claim against the United States,” shares the press release. “There is no lawful basis for the State to intervene in a dispute between the United States and the Tribe, stemming from promises the United States made before Utah was a state,” the Tribe continues. “The Tribe will vehemently fight any motion by the State to intervene, and any further attempts by the State to disrespect the Tribe.” Also in their press release, the Tribe says the State should have contacted the Tribe to discuss why it would intervene but has not done so. Attorney General Reyes said in the hearing that it is important for Utah to defend its access to the state trust sections that are administered by the School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration as there is nothing that would prevent the Tribe from targeting the SITLA lands specifically.
