A167 (Water Rights for Indigenous Communities and Lands)

House of Bishops Message #173

The House of Bishops informs the House of Deputies that on Jun 26, 2024 it considered resolution A167 (Water Rights for Indigenous Communities and Lands). The house acted to:

Concur


Resolved, the House of Bishops concurring,

That the 81st General Convention reaffirm the work of previous General Convention regarding the protection of water in 2018-B025 that urges the Church to learn about the watersheds and aquifers in the regions in which our faith communities and institutions are located and to recognize the public trust that protects the waters and community uses in the watersheds and aquifers of the communities and regions that make up the Church; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church recognizes the 1868 treaty between the Federal Government and the Navajo nation; the Winters Doctrine established in 1908 that ruled that tribes were entitled to water to create permanent homeland on their reservations from the date they were established; and be it further

Resolved, That The Episcopal Church recognize the injustice to Tribal groups of the Natives and Indigenous People’s lands with regard to their need for clean potable water; and be further

Resolved, That the 81st General Convention directs the Office of Government Relationships to advocate for indigenous and native people’s rights involving just use and protection of water resources.