(Washington,
D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA)
applauded the passage of their legislation, the Hoh Indian
Tribe Safe Homelands Act, through the U.S. House of Representatives.
This new law will transfer approximately 37 acres of land owned by the National
Park Service to the Tribe to allow the tribe to move out of a tsunami zone and
flood plain. The legislation passed the Senate by unanimous consent on
September 30, 2010, and will now be sent to President Obama for his signature.
“I
am so glad that the Hoh Tribe is going to finally get the relief they deserve,”
said
Senator Patty Murray.
“The Hoh Tribe has had to witness their homes and land wash away with the
rain and relentless flooding for far too long. This new law will provide
the Hoh Tribe with a safe place to rebuild their community and I was proud to
work hard with Senator Cantwell and Congressman Dicks to make it a reality.”
“For
too long, the location of the Hoh reservation left the Tribe’s land and homes
vulnerable to the whims of Mother Nature,” said Senator
Cantwell, a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. “With this
bill, we now ensure they can safely rebuild their communities on higher lands
and focus on future growth and prosperity, instead of just survival.”
“This
news could not have come at a better time for the Hoh Tribe,” said Maria
Lopez, Chairwoman of the Hoh Indian Tribe. “We nearly avoided yet
another flooding this past weekend, and the rainy season is upon us. This
continuous threat makes the urgency to implement this legislation all the more
immediate. We hope that President Obama will expeditiously sign the bill,
and once that is done, we look forward to working with the various agencies on
implementation to formally place the land into trust and begin help in
relocating and rebuilding our Village”
Chairwoman
Lopez continued, “Words can’t express the joy that I feel for our
people of the Hoh Village. I want to thank the bill’s sponsors,
Congressman Norm Dicks and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, as well as
co-sponsor Congressman Tom Cole.
“On
the State level, we of course want to thank Governor Christine Gregoire – the
sponsor of the State enabling legislation – and many others on the State and
local government level including State Senator James Hargrove, State Rep. Lynn
Kessler, State Rep. Kevin Van De Wege, State Senator Margarita Prentice, State
Senator Claudia Kauffman, State Rep. Hans Dunshee, State Rep. Judy Warnick, and
Jefferson County Commissioners Phil Johnson, David Sullivan, and John Austin.”
Murray
and Cantwell introduced their legislation in February of 2009. Companion
legislation was introduced in the House of
Representatives by Congressman Norm Dicks.
The Hoh Tribe currently occupies a one square mile reservation on
the banks of the Hoh River, where it meets the Pacific Ocean. Ninety
percent of the Reservation now sits in a flood plain and 100 percent of the
land they live on sits within a Tsunami zone. The Reservation’s acreage has
been reduced over the years due to flood and storm events.
English 
Spanish