The future of the Wind River Indian Reservation changed drastically when our ancestors signed the 1868 Treaty. Our reservation, which first spanned 44 million acres in 1863, was promised to the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and the Northern Arapaho Tribe for their “absolute and undisturbed use and occupation”. Unfortunately, a series of broken treaty agreements by the U.S. Federal government reduced it to less than 3 million acres in 1868. Today, we face yet another threat, one that could rob us of our land and sense of identity.

Senator John Barrasso, Senator Cynthia Lummis, and Representative Harriet Hageman introduced the Pilot Butte Power Plant Conveyance Act (S.1662/H.R.3415). This bill disregards the very essence of Tribal sovereignty on our reservation. It aims to take away 110,000 acres that the Bureau of Land Reclamation suggested to return to tribal ownership as long ago as 1943. 

We’ve survived a long history of infringements upon our rights, but we will not stand by as more lands within the reservation are threatened. We refuse to be a footnote in the narrative of our own land. This legislation not only disrespects the sovereignty of our tribe but tarnishes the legacy that we rightfully inherited and are bound to pass on to future generations.

Therefore, we call on these senators and representatives, and all supporters of justice and land rights, to cease their efforts pushing the Pilot Butte Power Plant Conveyance Act. Help us protect the Wind River Indian Reservation, honor tribal sovereignty, and safeguard the rights promised to us in the 1868 Treaty.

We oppose the Pilot Butte Power Plant Conveyance Act. This act is a taking of tribal treaty lands within the Wind River Indian Reservation. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Tribes have been working for decades to repatriate this landscape. There was no tribal consultation in crafting this bill. Please respect tribal sovereignty and stop this legislation.

Sign this petition and stand in solidarity with us.