TITLE: Support Workforce Training Programs in the Field of Energy Development and Community Development
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby establish and submit the following resolution; and
WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (hereinafter “NCAI”) was established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
WHEREAS, unemployment remains very high in many areas of Indian Country and the many associated problems which arise from the lack of quality jobs, have been and continue to be matters of the highest concern for tribal leaders nationwide; and
WHEREAS, Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Tribes of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota (hereinafter “Three Affiliated Tribes”), for instance, have extensive oil and gas resources currently being developed as part of the oil boom in the Bakken Formation; and
WHEREAS, the Three Affiliated Tribes have chartered a tribal corporation known as Missouri River Resources, as an oil and gas development business partner with outside investors, and which has established a program known as Train NDN to create and enhance opportunities for work-ready American Indians from across the nation to commit themselves to gaining skilled trades and construction certifications, as part of the highly-paid workforce in the oil and gas development areas of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation; and
WHEREAS, in addition to providing high-paying jobs in the Bakken oil and
gas development, American Indian workers will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience, including industry knowledge and technical skills, which will benefit their local economies when they return to their home reservations and communities and ultimately serve as an example for other tribes accessing resources to secure a skilled workforce of energy; and
WHEREAS, such programs are an essential part of the creation of job opportunities for tribal citizens both on and off the reservations across the nation.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, the NCAI hereby expresses its support for the continuation of such workforce development programs in the field of energy, and offer them as widely as possible to tribal nations and tribal colleges throughout the United States, so as to train as many tribal citizens as possible to be part of the workforce within their tribes and within the world around them; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2014 Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, October 26-31, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia, with a quorum present.