Five years ago, the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill off the coast of Louisiana decimated the fisheries of the Gulf Coast, and the livelihoods of the people who live there – including the 17,000-member United Houma Nation, a tribe native to southern Louisiana.
But, when the Houma sought payment for damages from BP, they were denied because the tribe is not officially recognized by the U.S. government.
The United Houma Nation is recognized by the state of Louisiana — but not by the federal Department of the Interior. Federal recognition would mean a shot at fair compensation from BP, and allow the tribe to apply for disaster relief after major storms. Can you join with thousands of other Louisianans calling for recognition for the United Houma Nation?
The United Houma Nation is on the front line of climate change. Faced with increasingly severe storms, they are unable to apply for disaster relief because they are not federally recognized.
The coastal location of the Houma’s tribal communities puts them in the path of oil pipelines and drilling operations in the Gulf Coast that further erode their land, yet they cannot contribute to decision-making about land use and environmental restoration.
For more than three decades, the Houma have fought for official recognition from the federal government. Recognition would give the Houma more power to protect their land, food systems and way of life as they stand on the front line of climate change.
