Lower Elwha Klallam Lands Act

Summary#

This bill takes about 1,082.63 acres of Federal land shown on a December 2021 map of Olympic National Park and places that land into trust for the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe. The land will become part of the Tribe's Reservation and remain subject to valid existing rights of the United States. The bill says the land will not be subject to valuation, appraisal, or equalization requirements under Federal law. The portion of the Elwha River covered by an earlier restoration law will be managed under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, with necessary changes allowed by that earlier law. The Secretary of the Interior must survey the land boundaries and may make minor boundary or map corrections. The land taken into trust under this Act is not considered Indian lands for the purpose of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. The Act also states it does not affect treaty rights under the 1855 Treaty of Point No Point.

What it means for you#

• The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe will have the specified Olympic National Park parcels held in trust and added to its Reservation.
• The Secretary of the Interior will perform a boundary survey and may correct minor mapping or acreage errors.
• The Elwha River areas described will be managed under Wild and Scenic Rivers law, with allowed modifications from the Elwha restoration law.
• The transferred land will not be eligible for Indian gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
• The bill preserves any treaty rights from the Treaty of Point No Point.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

Sponsors listed for the bill are Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray. No publicly available information on proponents' stated reasons or official cost estimates is included in the bill text or provided metadata.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.