BANGOR DAILY NEWS • March 16, 2023
Lawmakers are discussing a tribal sovereignty overhaul that aims to set aside thorny issues and win enough Republican support to get around a potential veto from Gov. Janet Mills. The last sovereignty measure was a sweeping 46-page document giving the tribes sweeping power over natural resources, criminal justice and taxation on their land. This led to opposition from a large variety of interests, including the Maine Forest Products Council, whose lobbyist predicted in legislative testimony that tribes would set strict limits on tribal lands that lie throughout Maine and outside of reservations. Republicans, sensitive to those concerns, said some of the stronger natural resources changes would be set aside, because the state already has some of the highest environmental standards in the country.