Politics on the Hudson

The Seneca Indian Nation hopes to dial down tensions as the deadline to collect cigarettes purchased by non-tribal people on reservations approaches.

The state plans to collect the tax starting Wednesday, but Indian leaders have filed a suit in a federal court in Buffalo and have sought an injunction to stop the collection. A judge today delayed making a decision on the injunction to delay the plan.

Seneca Indian leaders said today they had met with federal and state law enforcement officials over the last several days in an effort to “maintain existing lines of communications and build new connections.”

Collecting the money is expected to bring about $150 million in revenue to the state.

State officials most likely do not want a repeat of 1997, when tribal members blocked the interstate in Cattaraugus County, leading to several hospitalizations in response to Gov. George Pataki’s attempt to collect the tax. This year, state officials say they are going about it differently: the tax will be collected from the wholesaler and not directly from the reservations.

While Indian officials hope there won’t be any violence, the real battle may be in court.

“They have a commitment to keep this as tension free as possible,” Susan Lindstedt, a spokeswoman for the Senecas.