Alaska Native Landless Equity Act

This bill recognizes the Alaska Native communities of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell and lets their Native residents form new local “Urban Corporations.” These corporations would receive specific parcels of federal land so they can manage them for their communities, fixing a past omission in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act . People enrolled to these villages would be enrolled in the new corporations. Those who were at-large shareholders in the Southeast regional corporation would get 100 shares in their local corporation and still receive regional payments as before .

Each of the five new corporations would receive about 23,040 acres of surface land, with the subsurface estate going to the Southeast regional corporation. The land stays open for subsistence and noncommercial public hunting, fishing, and recreation, with reasonable safety and resource-protection rules posted on-site, and with limited liability for the corporation . Existing roads, trails, and related facilities on the conveyed land transfer with it, subject to current rights and agreements. The Forest Service and the corporations must set a mutual-use roads agreement, intended within 1 year of each corporation’s incorporation. Guides and outfitters can keep operating under renewed authorizations. The bill also allows each corporation to create a trust to support community members—first elders and minors—and provides five grants of $2.5 million (total $12.5 million) to help with planning and setup .

• Who is affected: Alaska Natives enrolled to Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell; the Southeast regional corporation; local guides/outfitters; the public using these lands; and the Forest Service .
• What changes: New local corporations; 100 local shares for eligible Natives; land conveyed (about 23,040 acres each); subsurface to the regional corporation; public access protections; roads-use agreement; continuation of certain guiding permits; option to set up community trusts; implementation grants .
• When: Escrow rules for land proceeds start on enactment; road-use agreement intended within 1 year after incorporation; interim land conveyances intended within 2 years of incorporation (with a possible 1-year extension for easement appeals); certain outfitter permits continue for the rest of their term plus one 10-year renewal fileciteturn0file2