Letter to All Those who Fought PFS

Greetings,

Fourteen years ago, Skull Valley Band Of Goshute members were told of plans to store high-level nuclear waste on our reservation land. We were told how safe it was and how it would bring prosperity to our lives. It would have been easy to lose oneself in the vulnerability of the Band members who were groping for wealth as a way out of despair and reservation poverty. For those of us who respect our Devia, our homeland, wealth was never an option for us. We struggled to swim in the turbulence yet reach out to a strong limb of hope that could rebuild our sovereignty, culture and traditional aspects.

By now, many of you have heard that the Skull Valley nuclear waste dump has been defeated. We stood up to Private Fuel Storage, a coalition of eight of the largest utilities in the country, and stopped 44,000 metric tons of high level nuclear waste from being moved onto our land. This is a tremendous victory.

We were almost destroyed by this poisonous high-level nuclear waste that no one wants or knows what to do with, but to store on Indigenous land. We are in the midst of corporate greed, causing the destruction of our Indigenous lands to promote American life and feed America’s lust for power. It gives me a great sense of being an Indigenous woman to speak against nuclear power. Ohngo Gaudadeh Devia members not only spoke out, we stood up for our cultural and traditional values and the protection of animal life, air, water, people and Mother Earth. And in the end, this stance was recognized by the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

The Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, as "trustee-delegation", issued his ultimate decision and ruling after a complex task of weighing the long-term viability and preservation of the tribal culture of the Skull Valley Band of Goshute against the benefits and risks from such economic development activities. In conclusion, Associate Deputy Interior Secretary James Cason wrote: "It is not consistent with the conduct expected of the prudent trustee to approve a proposed lease that promotes storing high level spent fuel on the reservation."

This was a precedent-setting and decision the Secretary of Interior made for the Skull Valley Band of Goshutes in that it recognizes our cultural perspective and lives as well as our sovereignty and the trust relationship between the federal government and our reservation community. This decision by the Secretary is not only highly important for Goshute people, but also for all Indigenous people who face the same dilemma and who need protection against environmental racism.

Sovereignty is the root of Indigenous people. Our livelihood is based on the visions of our forefathers, generations ago, to uphold our sacredness, to live in harmony with nature and all living creation. We reside on Mother Earth and give thanks to her nourishment, always building steps for our future generation who represent the survival of an Indigenous community. Sovereignty can't be bought, sold, or abused with greed and dishonesty when our traditional life is at stake.

I express gratitude to OGD members, silent ones, our attorneys Paul, Mark and Larry Echohawk, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN), Tom Goldtooth, Shundahai, Corbin Harney, a spiritual leader who says we have one air, one water, one Mother Earth, Pete Lipster, Western Shoshone Defense Project, Carrie Dann, who stands for Shoshone Land, Neconda, Grace Thorpe, leader of anti-nuke and nuclear free zone, Shoshone National Council and staff, Honor the Earth, NIRS, Kevin Kamps, the Utah Delegates, and others. I give thanks to all who supported OGD in our efforts to protect our homeland. We have been successful, and now look to developing a future reservation economy based on sustainability that reflects our cultural values and traditions.

Margene Bullcreek, tribal member, Skull Valley Band of Goshute (Shoshone)
Founder, Ohngo Gaudadeh Devia (OGD)
mbullcreek@yahoo.com
435-831-6009
801-414-9543