OCR Text |
Show mm PagL-- 30 - mm stab - I UINTAH BASIN STANDARD. Jjmurv 2?, 2000 to Ute Will Tribe Indian have xmL'irwimti'itmKLimsA u ,? . pay for cleanup of tailings? Estate planning isn't just for old folks By Joe Bauman Detent Newt ttaff wrtten Thanks to a raging bull market Dixieland combo blaring, "When the on Wall Street many Americans of Saints Go Marching In," youd betrelatively modest means suddenly ter write it down on paper and put it have become wealthy, at least on in the same envelope as your will. a per. Yet much of what a family Other seemingly small details readwinner has carefully saved and that really aren't so small when invested could be lost to estate taxes thinking about the fact that you - "death taxes" - without careful won't be around to tell people: a list planning, and most people haven't of bank accounts; passwords for gaeven begun to do it. rage door openers and burglar Estate planning isn't just for old alarms; locations of any safe deposit folks, and its not just about taxes. boxes; and other important item Anyone w ho is depended upon to be that only you may know. Again, like a household breadwinner or who has vour funeral wishes, keep it with children should have an estate plan. your w ill. The first thing to consider is reIf you have substantial assets, sponsibility toward those left behind. then you should consult a tax profesAsk yourself some possible tough sional or an attorney who specialquestions about whether your es- izes in estate planning. Otherwise, tate would provide enough for a much of w hat youve worked all your spouse or children to live on. If not. life to build could be taken away by then you should consider purchas- the government. Most of all of your estate planing more life insurance. If you have minor children, then ning should be recorded in a will or make sure you have provided for a "living trust, a device used to 'legal guardianship. Thats no small convey assets to heirs with minimal decision. The potential guardians taxation. Without one of these legal would raise your children to adult- documents, a court may have to dehood, and you need to be certain cide what to do with your assets - if they are willing and able to take on anything remains when the IRS is the task with your wishes in mind. through. No one likes to talk about funeral One last thing: A will is not a plans, but the last thing grieving place to settle scores with family family members want to deal with is members who you dislike or whova planning a funeral. It can make a somehow offended you. Unending difficult time immeasurably easier hurt can be caused by disinheriting to endure if your desires are made a son or daughter. A rift big enough known. If you want to go way up to give you such ideas is a breach yonder to the tune of a solo bagpiper that cries out for repair before your playing "Amazing Grace or a time on this earth is through. Public lands group says BLM is trying to circumvent law The Utah Shared Access Alliance, Utah's largest public lands access group, last Friday released secret m;nutes of a BLM meeting which !a s ou t a strategy to change all travel plans in the sfateofUtah. The document was leaked to at least one interested party in December. The group announced today that if the BLM attempts to implement any planning change without complying with all public involvement provi-s- ; n of management regulations, it w ill take aggressive legal action. The leaked document ia the sum-maof a two day meeting of a team of bLm staffers who have been working fur months to develop and implement a statewide policy that will affect a majority of public land visitors. , Ihe group charges that this is being carefully orchestrated behind the scenes, hidden from the light of public scrutiny and would appear to be in violation of federal law and regulations which require full public involvement in such an effort. Brian Hawthorne, Executive Director of the Utah Shared Access Alliance called this plan "another blatant attempt to circumvent the laws Congress created to insure hill public participation in the wise management ofour public lands. It seems the agency has continued its record of excluding the public when conducting inventories, developing alternatives and implementing management plans. The documents indicate that the Utah State office of the BLM, intends to publish a Federal Register Notice of this plan on Feb. 14. The ULM will attempt to implement what n' would be in ellect a "closed unless posted open" policy on all of the BLM's lands in Utah. "What a (ins Valentine for the 500,000 Utahn's who use vehicles to access and create on our public lands" Hawthorne added. In a summary and analysis ofthis document released at a press briefing in Salt Lake City today, the group noted that it is particularly disturbing that the agency has progressed so far in planning process without any public input whatsoever. We understand and value the importance of planning for recreational activities that occur on BLM managed lands. Unfortunately, this document indicates the agency has bypassed the planning process altogether, and describes a detailed implementation plan complete with target dates." Hawthorne said that his group appreciates recent statements made by Utah BLM State Director Sally Wisely indicating the agency understands the importance of cooperation and collaboration with user groups when forming and implementing management plans. But we wish to make it clear that our organization will exhaust every judicial and legislative remedy available to ensure that the agency includes Utah's recreationists, and complies with all law and regulations regarding public land management planning. Utah is a wonderful place to live and vehicle access to our scenic back country is valued by our residents. We deserve a seat at the table whenever a federal agency considers access issues. HOOP Cl. ASH Johanna Wight. No. 15. guards Tabiona' No. 10. Also in the picture is Tabiona s l.isa Strmgham. Green River for special environmental protection, L'4 mile wide an 75 miles long. But McCook says the special corridor would only be along the Naval Oil Shale Reserve No. 2, which ia L'4 mile wide and around 5 milea long. McCook aaid the Utes are not uncomfortable wit h the environmental restrictions. The corridor is "something that they wanted to pr serve and I think ite reasonable, because were environmentally cognisant anywy on the rest of it" "This one is unprecedented in the amount of land involved," to be returned was "taken from the Ute Reservation in 1916 for use a potential aourceoffuel for the Navy's ships. McCook said the surface acreage to be transferred ia not the 84.000 acrea cited by DOE. It ia 44,000 acres, because the Utes retained surface rights to 40,000 lands. The underground mineral rights to be u When Energy Secretary Bill Richardson announced that the DOE would return 84,000 acres of land to the Ute Indian Tribe, he said the action was "the right thing. In written comments, Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt acknowledged the land, "is the hiatorical home of the Ute people." But tribal officials know the deal wasnt just to return what was rightfully theirs. "Now it'a being returned to us, with a couple of strings attached," aid O. Roland McCook Sr., chairman of the tribe, in a telephone interview at tribal offices in Fort Duchesne, Uintah County. The first string ia that royalties from developing minerals on the land will go toward cleaning up 10.5 million tons of radioactive uranium mill tailings near Moab, a project that DOE estimates will cost 5300 million. Rep. Chris Cannon, said the actual cost may be closer to 180 million. Before the land can be returned to the Utee, Congress must approve the transfer. Congress also ia expected to finance moat of the coat of the tailings cleanup. tailThe terraced, ings pile is the result of government-supervise-d uranium milling carried on for three decades starting in 1956. About half of the operation went to create Americas nuclear weapons. At its closest, tha Ute Indian Resst ervation is about 45 miles of the Atlas tailings dump. A question not answered in DOEs official announcement is: If the Ute Tribe has a legitimate claim to the land, why should its revenue go toward cleaning up an environmental mesa it did not create? "Thats a good question, one that we did ask," said McCook. The only explanation McCook can offer ia that "it waa a condition that the Department of Energy put on it." In his Moab speech Jan. 14. Richardson said, "So the Indian people will help us with this effort too. But according to McCook, its not as ifths Utes volunteered to help out on a specific project. "The royalty was only identified by us, he said. "Whatever they use it for thats what they determined. But to us it was a condition that they would want." But the tribal chairman believes the land return would not have taken place "without some sort of concession there." Dan McCool profeeaor of political science and director of the American West Center at the University of Utah, agrees. Ha said an essence of negotiations over land and water is that "everything can be put on the table." "Instead of establishing a criteria of public justice, they inevitably come up with something that works .politically," he said. "That ia the grease that makes it work politically." In McCoole opinion, tha agreement ia a clever one, combining disparate issues into a negotiated agree-mewhere everyone gets something and everyone comes out ahead. According to the DOE, the land h, north-northwe- nt transferred are on the entire 84,000acre package. Presently, before the transfer, the Ute Reservation amounts to 1.2 million acres of Indian trust lands, he said. " McCool said. To place it in context, he noted According to McCook the present reservation is the merged area of two earlier reservations, the Uintah Reservation set aside in 1861, while the Uncompahgre and Ouray Reservation, where the oil shale section is located, was established by proclamation in 1882. Theformal name today of the merged entity is the Northern Ute Indian Tribe's Uintah and Ouray Reservation. The reservation is for the Whiteriver, Uintah and Uncompahgre bands of tha Northern Ute Tribe. Recently, the DOE declared the land and the mineral rights the government claims as excess, and tha Ute Tribe filed a claim for the land. After months of negotiation, the DOE agreed to turn the land over to the tribe. McCook said dedicating that the history of federal land deal- ings with ihe Indians "is a fairly sorry one. There was so much land taken from Indians that were violations of treaties, that a special, Indian Claims Commission was set.up in the 1950a" to settle such issues. The commission's policy was to pay compensation to tribes, not to return hind, he aaid. Most returns that did take place were fairly amalL "It would be my hope that perhaps this marks a new era, where we recognize there's been some past injustices and we come up with some creative ways" to correct them. McCook also supports the agreement, saying he hopes that Congress ratifies the land return soon. But McCook adds, "That whole area was to be, as the (1882) prods-- , mation reads, for the sole use of the Uncompahgre. So there is a feeling of that belonging to us originally." royalties to ths Atlas Minerals cleanup waa a negotiating point early on. Richardson said "any royalties from the mineral development would go toward the tailing! cleanup, but QUILTER Continued from page 13 they were so nice Quilts offer beauty and warmth, something that Florence imitates in her summer flower gardens where she grows towering sunflowers, bright daisies and poppies. Florence herself embodies warmth and love in deed, by watching out for her neighbors and family. One Tabiona resident says that Florence gives away her quilts and often prepares ftill meals for families experiencinghardshipor discouragement, while she makes quilu year round, sewing the pieces on her anginal used sewing machine and quilting on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Florence believes it was her mother who taught her so much about loving people, and sha realizes its those people who bring such e richness and warmth to her life, which she somehow manages to convey in her quiltmaking. And herartistic talenlseems to ha ve been handed down to all six of her adult children who avidly pursue crafting of all kinds in wood, metal andeven dollmaking. "I've eryoyed it its been my life," Florence said. d It looks like ihe prrtert d. The only problem is. its a p. A mJmf hi feic me kd mix Sot 4 f i. t mM Sul aak ana Smr US r m m 4r nt the DOE written announcement said it would be "a portion of any royalties. Another discrepancy is that DOE and Richardson both said tha Utes will set aside a corridor along tha rivaled l'j I IMU.Kft MIND lUiiMMiatiHIbi m Cottonwood Apartments ii - Yj ,?T M -. "? I! I . .IhS&SSb a .. n Phase II Complete 2 & 3 Bedroom, ti, uu ii ' 1 12 hath. Playground and Basketball Court Complex 'j. mw Cist Time iMS tI 8 a mm (Tax Credit Limits Apply) Applications Available at our Office 3 1 5 East 300 South Roosevelt, Utah 84066 - 722-277- 2 Kristy Ginciq 3843 S US Hwy 40, Roosevelt 609 W Main, Vernal :i |