Tribe fights to be heard on water plan

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY - An Oklahoma Indian tribe claims tribal governments are being excluded from the state's effort to develop a 50-year water plan.

The Chickasaw Nation has lodged complaints with the Oklahoma Water Resources Board and the governor.

A letter from tribal attorney Stephen Greetham to the executive director of the water resources board, Duane Smith, said the tribe supports efforts to develop a water plan.

But, it climas that the input process has been structured to exclude any Tribal-State summit or dialogue. Tribal nations have said they wanted to be treated as independent governments in the process.

The Oklahoma Comprehensive Water Plan is an analysis of water issues in the state that will result in a 50-year plan to be voted on by 2011.