Sponsors (2)
Transfers ~72 acres to Interior to be held in trust for the Quinault Indian Nation, adds it to the reservation, bars gaming, and requires CERCLA disclosure without imposing cleanup.
The bill secures ~72 acres into trust and clarifies federal oversight for the Quinault Nation—strengthening tribal land and governance—while explicitly limiting gaming and not obligating federal cleanup, shifting potential economic trade‑offs and contamination risk onto the tribe, local communities, or taxpayers.
The Quinault Indian Nation gains ~72 acres placed into trust and added to its reservation, strengthening tribal land base, jurisdiction, and self‑governance for tribe members and residents on those lands.
Administration of the parcel shifts from the Forest Service to the Department of the Interior, clarifying which federal agency oversees the land and simplifying governance and service responsibility for the tribe and local authorities.
The bill requires a CERCLA 120(h) disclosure about hazardous substances on the parcel, informing the tribe and the public of known contamination risks before trust acquisition.
Tribal members and residents may inherit contamination liability because the Secretary is not required to remediate hazardous substances, leaving cleanup responsibility and exposure risks with the tribe or local communities.
The Quinault Indian Nation is expressly barred from using these acres for Class II/III gaming, removing a potential economic development and revenue option for the tribe.
Moving the parcel out of Forest Service management could reduce federal recreational, conservation, or resource protections previously provided on the land, affecting local use and environmental oversight.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: Take certain land in the State of Washington into trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation, and for other purposes.
Introduced April 29, 2025 by Maria E. Cantwell · Last progress April 29, 2025
Transfers about 72 acres of federal Forest Service land in Washington into trust for the Quinault Indian Nation, making it part of the Quinault Indian Reservation and placing it under Interior Department administration as tribal trust land. The transfer preserves treaty rights, bars the land from use for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and requires the Interior Department to complete CERCLA disclosure obligations but does not require cleanup or remediation of contamination.