Oklahoma chiefs meet Trump to talk energy, environment
When Choctaw Nation Chief Gary Batton met President Donald Trump on Wednesday, he came bearing a message: we can take care of the environment ourselves.
“The main item I wanted to get across is that no one is wanting to give up our federal responsibilities, but we do want to take those responsibilities and put them on ourselves,” Batton said.
Environmental regulations have limited access to natural resources and stifled economic development in Indian Country, Batton and other chiefs told the president in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
Federal protection of the endangered burying beetle blocked a Choctaw project that would have resulted in 30 jobs, Batton said, and businesses hesitate or outright refuse to operate on tribal lands due to the lengthy leasing process.
Because of tribes’ lack of taxation, business development is a critical revenue source on native lands. By returning regulatory powers to tribes, the federal government can manufacture job opportunities without sacrificing the environment, according to Batton.
“We know how to care for our environment. We live here,” the chief said.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt, formerly Oklahoma’s attorney general, attended the nearly hourlong roundtable talk, along with Energy Secretary Rick Perry and five state governors.
Bill Anoatubby, longtime governor of the Chickasaw Nation, said the meeting was “marked by productive discussions regarding the removal of barriers to the development of energy resources and projects in Indian Country” and elsewhere in the U.S.
‘Positive developments’
“This very well-organized, efficient meeting allowed for several solution-related action items to be discussed,” Anoatubby wrote in an email. “This meeting is sure to mark the start of positive developments.”
Batton said the president was receptive to the tribal leaders’ ideas, though he was largely unfamiliar with the specifics.
“I think he just didn’t understand how all that would work. He’s open to it, he’s just trying to get his team to understand how it would work,” the chief said.
In opening remarks, Trump vowed to free untapped natural resources from the bounds of government bureaucracy so tribes can build infrastructure, fund education and create jobs.
“All you want is the freedom to use them, and that’s been the problem. It’s been very difficult, hasn’t it? It will be a lot easier now under the Trump administration,” he said.
The president praised Pruitt’s efforts to roll back environmental regulations, saying he has done “an amazing job, an incredible job” and most people love him.
“There are a couple that don’t, but that’s OK, right?” Trump said, a remark that drew laughter.
The meeting was arranged a week prior by the White House, according to Batton. The chief said he was eager to meet the president and satisfied with the outcome.
“It’s always a great opportunity to educate the White House, their staff, and, of course, the president, about not just the Choctaw Nation but also Oklahoma,” he said.