By Mark Scott
Buffalo, NY – The Seneca Nation of Indians has rescinded its 1954 agreement with New York State that permitted construction of the State Thruway on 300 acres of Seneca land.
The Senecas gave the state an easement for the Thruway 53 years ago in return for a $75,000 payment. But last Saturday, the Seneca's tribal council voted to rescind it, based on a 1999 federal court decision that found the federal government had not given its approval. The ruling was part of a larger case in which the Senecas had tried to claim Grand Island as Indian land.
In a written statement, Seneca President Maurice John said the nation will seek negotiations with the Spitzer administration, seeking payments from the state for past and future use of the land where the Thruway runs.
For now, John said the nation considers continued use of the Thruway as an act of trespass.
At a Thursday morning news conference, John said the Senecas would not resort to violence. He is urging members of the tribe not to take action on their own in response to the ongoing dispute with the state.
The Senecas appear to be raising the stakes as Spitzer tries to collect taxes on the sale of cigarettes by nation retailers to non-Indians.