Summary#
This bill would move specific mineral and some surface rights in parts of Montana so the Crow Tribe can own and manage them. It directs three linked transfers: the Hope Family Trust transfers its mineral rights to the Tribe; the United States transfers certain Bull Mountains lands to the Hope Family Trust if the current lessee gives up the lease; and the Secretary of the Interior must accept that lease relinquishment if offered. The bill’s stated goal is to put the Tribe in control of the specified mineral interests and protect those tribal interests from state taxation.
- Main change: About 4,660 acres of subsurface minerals owned by the Joe and Barbara Hope Mineral Trust (the Hope Family Trust) would be conveyed to the Crow Tribe and may be held in trust by the United States for the Tribe’s benefit.
- Related change: About 4,530 acres of federal subsurface interests and about 940 acres of federal surface interests in the Bull Mountains area would be conveyed from the United States to the Hope Family Trust once the current lease is relinquished.
- Lease rule: If the current lessee offers to give up the Bull Mountains Lease, the Secretary must accept the relinquishment.
- Taxes: Mineral interests conveyed to the Tribe under the bill would not be subject to state or local taxation.
- Timing and process: The three transfers are to happen together in a single transaction no later than 60 days after the law starts.
- Interim protection: While the transfers are pending, the affected tracts are withdrawn from public land entry, mining claims, and most mineral leasing to prevent other claims or new uses.
What it means for you#
- Crow Tribe members: The Tribe would receive ownership of specific mineral rights and can ask the United States to hold those minerals in trust for the Tribe. Those tribal mineral interests would be exempt from state and local taxes. This could affect future tribal revenue from mineral development.
- Hope Family Trust (Joe and Barbara Hope Mineral Trust): The Trust must convey its listed mineral interests to the Tribe. It would receive the Bull Mountains tracts from the United States if the existing lease is relinquished, subject to any valid existing rights.
- Current lessee of the Bull Mountains Lease: If the lessee offers to relinquish the lease, the Secretary must accept that relinquishment. The bill does not change existing valid rights, but it would clear the way for the land exchange if the lessee gives up the lease.
- State of Montana and local governments: The specific mineral interests transferred to the Tribe would no longer be taxable by the State or its subdivisions. That could reduce tax revenue tied to those minerals.
- Developers or miners: Until the transfers are complete, the tracts are withdrawn from public entry, mining claims, and leasing. This could delay or block third-party development while the exchange is pending.
- Federal agencies (Interior/BLM): The agencies must carry out the exchange within the set time and manage the interim withdrawal and any administrative tasks for holding tribal interests in trust.
Expenses#
No publicly available information.
- The bill text does not include a fiscal note or cost estimate.
- This could require administrative work by the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management to process transfers, manage withdrawals, and hold land in trust. No dollar amounts are provided.
- Removing state tax on the transferred tribal mineral interests could reduce local or state tax revenue. The bill does not quantify that effect.
- If mineral development occurs later under a revenue-sharing formula, payments to the Hope Family Trust or the Tribe could shift private income flows; the bill does not provide estimates.
Proponents' View#
- The bill appears intended to give the Crow Tribe direct control over specified mineral resources and to secure tribal revenue from those resources.
- Putting the Tribe’s mineral interests into trust could provide tax protection and legal clarity about ownership.
- The exchange swaps federal Bull Mountains interests to the Hope Family Trust in return for the Hope Trust giving minerals to the Tribe, which could simplify local land ownership and development rights.
- The interim withdrawal aims to avoid competing claims or new leases while the exchange is finalized.
- The requirement for a revenue-sharing formula between the Tribe and the Hope Trust suggests an intent to set clear rules for future development income.
Opponents' View#
- One concern is the loss of state and local tax revenue from the mineral interests that become tribal and tax-exempt; the bill does not estimate that loss.
- The bill does not include the revenue-sharing formula; it only requires the Tribe to notify the Secretary that such an agreement exists. It is unclear how detailed or enforceable that formula must be.
- The phrase “subject to valid existing rights” could leave open disputes about pipelines, leases, or other rights that affect future development.
- The required 60-day timetable for completing the exchange may be short for resolving title, environmental, or administrative issues.
- Withdrawing the land from public entry and leasing while the exchange is pending could delay lawful development by third parties and raise questions about compensation or process for those parties.