Osage Nation Executive Branch and Attorney General Provide Official Comment on Bureau of Indian Affairs Proposed Rule on Osage Minerals Estate
OSAGE NATION RESERVATION, Okla. (April 5, 2023) - On Monday, April 3, 2023, the Osage Nation Executive Branch and Attorney General’s Office submitted an official comment to the Bureau of Indian Affairs on the Proposed Rule: Mining of the Osage Mineral Estate for Oil and Gas 25 CFR 226. The comment is a formal rejection of the 71-page proposed rule document offering the following concerns:
- The Osage Nation and the Osage Mineral Estate have unique histories and challenges that may not be properly addressed in the Proposed Rule.
- The Proposed Rule’s length and complexity may discourage the development of the Osage Mineral Estate.
- Any regulatory proposal affecting the Osage Nation and the Osage Mineral Estate should be guided by meaningful government-to-government consultation.
- The Proposed Rule should promote Tribal sovereignty.
The comment provides extensive details supporting each individual concern including previously enacted federal regulations, U.S. Presidential memorandums on tribal nation relations, and the Act of June 28, 1906, which has governed the Osage Nation Reservation’s minerals for 150 years.
Although filing separately, the Osage Nation Executive Branch and Attorney General’s Office has been in conversation with the Osage Minerals Council and Osage Producers Association who will also be filing. All three comments state that if the proposed rules go into effect, there will be an immediate reduction in oil and gas production on the Osage Minerals Estate which will negatively impact headright payments.
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