Tribal lands ruling: 'Total chaos' for oil?

A Supreme Court ruling yesterday declaring that nearly half of Oklahoma remains Native American reservation land is causing a stir among some oil executives who are wary of increased federal regulations.

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Yesterday's ruling stemmed from a dispute over whether an Oklahoma court had the power to convict Jimcy McGirt, a member of the Creek Nation, on charges of sexual abuse against a child.

Gorsuch, joined by the Supreme Court's liberal wing, maintained in McGirt v. Oklahoma that Congress never took the step to disestablish the reservation land, and the acreage therefore belongs to the tribes until Congress takes explicit action to give the land to the state.

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The decision, which had important implications for criminal prosecutions, could also mean that oil and gas operations in the eastern half of Oklahoma will now be out of the hands of state regulators and subject to tougher federal rules.


https://www.eenews.net/stories/1063536563

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