U.S. Department of the Interior announced the approval of a land-into-trust acquisition for the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.
This is the second fee-to-trust acquisition in Alaska since passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971, and the first in five years, according to a Nov. 17 Bureau of Indian Affairs news release. The decision reportedly lines up well with President Joe Biden's approach to Tribal nations.
"Taking land into trust is one of the most important functions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs," Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland said in the release. "This decision aligns with President Biden's commitment to protecting Tribal sovereignty and revitalizing Tribal communities by restoring Tribal homelands. It demonstrates this administration's respect for unique nation-to-nation relationships, commitment to the country's treaty and trust responsibilities and desire to strengthen tribal sovereignty and advance tribal self-determination."
A fee-to-trust or land-into-trust is a transfer of land title to the federal government, which then holds the land in trust for an individual or Tribe, according to the release.
"Acquisition of land in trust is essential to tribal self-determination and will help maximize the Tribe's eligibility for federal services and programs," the Bureau of Indian Affairs news release said. "The land taken into trust for the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska is in Juneau, Alaska."
Tribes may reacquire lands in or near their reservations and can establish a land base for tribal communities, in addition to clarifying jurisdiction over their lands, the release reported. Previously, Tribes faced delays and increasing costs in housing development projects, law enforcement agency management and developing local economies due to hurdles in the land-into-trust process.
In April, DOI reversed a series of steps taken during the previous administration that undermined the Tribes' ability to establish and consolidate their homelands, according to a DOI news release. DOI Secretary Deb Haaland's Secretary's Order 3400 re-delegates authority to review and approve land-into-trust applications to Bureau of Indian Affairs regional directors.
The Secretary's Order, which doesn't apply to gaming applications, reverses action taken in 2017 that elevated land-into-trust decisions to DOI's headquarters staff, which increased complexity of the decision-making process, in turn causing delays, according to the DOI release.
