Bill Allowing State to Move Forward With St. Regis Land Settlement Passes Senate

Legislation co-sponsored by Senator Dan Stec (R,C-Queensbury) allowing New York State to move forward with the St. Regis Mohawk land settlement negotiations passed the Senate today. The claim was first filed in 1982, and one of the major sticking points in negotiations was agreed upon this week when the state and Franklin County reached an accord on proper financial compensation. 

Stec was a participant in the final negotiations between New York State and Franklin County. He’s pleased to see this stalemate end between the county and the state, and is optimistic a final agreement between all parties is close to being completed.  

“I’m glad that after 41 years of negotiation, a settlement agreement between New York State and Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties over the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe land claim has been reached,” said Stec. “One of the major roadblocks to resolving this issue was getting state government to provide fair compensation to both counties. I’ve been working with state and county officials to negotiate a fair deal to this long-running stalemate. 

“We are one step closer to a final resolution and I’m optimistic this longstanding issue will finally be settled in the near future,” he concluded.