Bill Details
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Official Summaries
Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025
This bill waives a statutory core township selection requirement for the Cape Fox Corporation and allows Cape Fox to receive other lands to fulfill its remaining land entitlement. Cape Fox is an Alaska Native village corporation for the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska.
Specifically, the bill states that Cape Fox shall not be required to receive its previously selected land of approximately 185 acres located within the township in which the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska, is located. Instead, the bill allows Cape Fox to receive land outside of Cape Fox's current exterior selection boundary upon written notice of the new selection to the Department of the Interior.
In particular, if Cape Fox submits written notice of its selection of approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to Interior within 90 days of the bill's enactment, then Interior must convey the federal land to Cape Fox. Upon conveyance of the surface estate of the federal land to Cape Fox, Interior must convey the subsurface estate of the federal land to Sealaska Corporation (the Alaska Native regional corporation representing southeastern Alaska).
The bill reserves a public access easement on the federal land conveyed to Cape Fox and Sealaska.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1008 Placed on Calendar Senate (PCS)]
<DOC>
Calendar No. 28
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1008
To provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village
Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 12, 2025
Ms. Murkowski (for herself and Mr. Sullivan) introduced the following
bill; which was read the first time
March 13, 2025
Read the second time and placed on the calendar
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village
Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cape Fox Land Entitlement
Finalization Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Cape fox.--The term ``Cape Fox'' means the Cape Fox
Village Corporation, a Village Corporation for the Native
Village of Saxman, Alaska, organized pursuant to the Alaska
Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
(2) Federal land.--The term ``Federal land'' means the
approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass
National Forest in the State of Alaska, as generally depicted
on the Map.
(3) Map.--The term ``Map'' means the map entitled ``Cape
Fox Village Corporation Final Selection'' and dated December
18, 2023.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of the Interior.
SEC. 3. WAIVER OF CORE TOWNSHIP REQUIREMENT FOR CERTAIN LAND.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 16(b) of the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615(b)), Cape Fox shall not be
required to select or receive conveyance of the approximately 185 acres
of unconveyed land described in subsection (b) located within the
township in which the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, is located.
(b) Land Described.--The land referred to in subsection (a) is as
follows:
(1) Approximately 40 acres in T. 74 S., R.90 E., sec. 10,
SWNE, Copper River Meridian.
(2) Approximately 144.57 acres in T.75 S., R.91 E., sec. 1,
lots 1, 3, and 4, Copper River Meridian.
SEC. 4. SELECTION OUTSIDE EXTERIOR SELECTION BOUNDARY.
(a) Selection and Conveyance of Surface Estate.--Not later than 90
days after the date of enactment of this Act, if Cape Fox submits to
the Secretary a written notice of selection of the Federal land, the
Secretary shall, on receiving that written notice, convey the Federal
land to Cape Fox.
(b) Conveyance of Subsurface Estate.--On conveyance to Cape Fox of
the surface estate to the Federal land under subsection (a), the
Secretary shall convey to Sealaska Corporation the subsurface estate to
that Federal land.
(c) Timing.--It is the intent of Congress that the Secretary
complete the conveyances to Cape Fox and Sealaska Corporation under
subsections (a) and (b), respectively, as soon as practicable after the
date on which the Secretary receives a written notice of the selection
of Cape Fox under subsection (a), but not later than 180 days after the
date on which the Secretary receives that written notice.
(d) Entitlement Fulfilled.--The conveyance of Federal land to Cape
Fox and the subsurface interest in the Federal land to Sealaska
Corporation under subsections (a) and (b), respectively, shall be
considered to fulfill the entitlement of--
(1) Cape Fox under section 16 of the Alaska Native Claims
Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615); and
(2) Sealaska Corporation to any subsurface interest in the
Federal land under section 14(f) of that Act (43 U.S.C.
1613(f)).
SEC. 5. PUBLIC ACCESS EASEMENT.
The conveyance of the Federal land under section 4 shall be subject
to the reservation of a public easement under section 17(b) of the
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1616(b)) to allow for
access to National Forest System land further inland on Revillagigedo
Island from the George Inlet.
Calendar No. 28
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1008
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village
Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, and
for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
March 13, 2025
Read the second time and placed on the calendar