Opinion ID: 2507200
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Federal Set-Aside

Text: {5} In Venetie, the United States Supreme Court provided us with the foundation underlying the federal set-aside requirement. The requirement ensures that the land in question is occupied by an `Indian community[,]' id. at 531, 118 S.Ct. 948, and also reflects the fact that because Congress has plenary power over Indian affairs, some explicit action by Congress (or the Executive, acting under delegated authority) must be taken to create or to recognize Indian country. Id. at 531 n. 6, 118 S.Ct. 948 (citation omitted). {6} The Court of Appeals' determination that the accident site was not federally set aside is in line with this foundation. Under Venetie, there must be some explicit action taken by Congress or the Executive to create Indian country. See id. For example, in Romero we looked, in part, to congressional acts that explicitly recognized pueblo land as Indian country. Id., 2006-NMSC-039, ¶ 15, 140 N.M. 299, 142 P.3d 887. In Dick, 1999-NMCA-062, ¶ 16, 127 N.M. 382, 981 P.2d 796, the fact that Congress transferred land to the Department of the Interior for the use of the Bureau of Indian Affairs was enough to support a finding of federal set-aside. Unlike Romero, there is no evidence of any explicit congressional or executive action recognizing State Road 16 as Indian country, nor has Congress transferred the land for the use of Indians or to the Bureau of Indian Affairs as in Dick. {7} Defendant contends that, when the practical uses of State Road 16 are taken into consideration, the set-aside requirement is satisfied because the road provides the only northern access to Cochiti Pueblo. According to Defendant, this evinces an intent by the federal government to set aside the property for ingress and egress by members of Cochiti Pueblo. However, evidence of the practical use of property has never been held to be sufficient to satisfy the set-aside requirement. See Frank, 2002-NMSC-026, ¶ 22, 132 N.M. 544, 52 P.3d 404 (declining to incorporate the community of reference inquiry into the Venetie analysis). A finding of federal set-aside, at the very least, requires some explicit congressional or executive action. See Venetie, 522 U.S. at 531 n. 6, 118 S.Ct. 948 (The federal set-aside requirement . . . reflects the fact that . . . some explicit action by Congress (or the Executive . . .) must be taken to create or to recognize Indian country.) (citation omitted); Blunk v. Ariz. Dep't of Transp., 177 F.3d 879, 883 (9th Cir.1999) (quoting Venetie, 522 U.S. at 531 n. 5, 118 S.Ct. 948, and holding that tribal ownership of land is not enough to satisfy federal set-aside because `the Federal Government must take some action setting aside the land for the use of the Indians').