Sponsors (3)
The bill increases tribal ability to grant and expedite rights‑of‑way and simplifies approvals for federally funded projects, but does so by imposing federal conditions and reducing certain environmental and preservation reviews and liability protections—trading some federal safeguards for faster tribal land‑use authority.
Tribes can grant rights-of-way across their trust or restricted land without prior Secretary approval if they adopt a Secretary‑approved tribal regulation, increasing tribal self‑governance and local control over land use.
Tribes and tribal land residents get faster, more predictable approvals because the Secretary must act within 180 days, reducing administrative delay for using or monetizing land rights.
Tribes using federal funding for projects can rely on the federal agency’s environmental review instead of a separate tribal review, simplifying compliance for federally funded projects.
Communities near tribal rights‑of‑way may face reduced environmental and historic preservation protections because the Secretary approval process is exempted from NEPA and certain preservation laws.
Tribes must adopt a Tribal regulation that meets Secretary‑issued standards and obtain Secretarial approval to grant rights‑of‑way, which conditions tribal autonomy and can limit immediate self‑determination.
Private parties and developers may lack federal recourse for losses from tribal‑granted rights‑of‑way because the United States is not liable, potentially deterring investment or shifting risk to private entities.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows tribes to grant rights-of-way across trust/restricted lands under an approved tribal regulation and modernizes leasing and Secretary grant language for Indian lands.
Official title: Amend the Act of August 9, 1955, to make improvements to that Act, and for other purposes.
Introduced December 8, 2025 by Brian Emanuel Schatz · Last progress December 8, 2025
Changes federal law to update long-term leasing language for Indian trust or restricted lands and to allow tribes to grant rights-of-way across their trust or restricted lands under an approved tribal regulation without a separate Secretary grant. It modernizes Secretary of the Interior grant authority language, removes some dated statutory limits, and creates a path for tribal self-government over rights-of-way subject to Secretarial review of tribal regulations. Tribes that want to use this self-governance option must submit a Tribal regulation governing rights-of-way to the Secretary of the Interior for approval; the Secretary must approve a regulation that is consistent with applicable Secretary-issued regulations. The bill otherwise makes targeted technical edits to the Long-Term Leasing Act and related statutes governing leases and rights-of-way on Indian lands.