The following excerpt is from an opinion piece by Merle Jefferson Sr., a member of the elected governing body of the Lummi Nation and its Natural Resources Department director:
In February, the Lummi Indian Business Council, by resolution, appointed a multi-disciplinary team to lead Lummi Nation in a decision-making process in order to choose what course of action best sustains the legacy of our ancestors and meets the needs of current and future generations.
The Lummi Team is fully aware of the economic benefit to the community that SSA Marine forecasts. However, the Lummi Team is also charged with evaluating whether the impacts and risks to treaty rights, natural resources, cultural resources, traditional cultural properties and the environment outweigh the potential economic gain.
What we know now is that this proposed development would be the largest to date at Cherry Point, and would substantially impact the ability of Lummi fishermen to exercise their treaty rights.