Story Created:
Jun 12, 2008 at 3:32 PM EST
Story Updated:
Jun 12, 2008 at 5:08 PM EST
VERONA - Last month the U.S. Department of the Interior ruled 13,004 acres of land, in both Madison and Oneida Counties, would be put into federal trust.
The ruling came with a 30 day window for an appeal, or lawsuit - a process lawmakers are going to take advantage of.
Wednesday night the Oneida County Board of Legislators approved a resolution that will allow for the county to join in the lawsuit. And as you can imagine, it is a pretty in-depth suit.
In fact about a dozen lawyers will be fighting on behalf of the two counties, and New York State.
The lawsuit is against the U.S. Department of the Interior, for the entire land trust process. the suit questions whether the process is constitutional.
Specifically, from the county standpoint, the land into trust cost them the ability to go after back-taxes that they feel the nation owes. In a nut shell, the lawsuit challenges the excessiveness of the ruling made back in May, and how much land the Oneida Indian Nation was granted into a federal trust.
"The Oneida's applied for some 17,000 acres and got over 13,000 on a first application," said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente. "Which is 75% of what they asked for, but the Interior says that is a balanced decision. It doesn't appear to be balanced to me or to Madison, as well, and the State of New York."
So how long will this legal process take?
Picente says if you ask the experts it could take anywhere from a year to 5 years.
However, he says in that time there is still opportunity for negotiations to take place between the county and the Oneida Indian Nation.
The 30 day deadline to file is June 19 - next week.
Picente says it will take probably right up until that deadline to get the suit filed.
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