North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act

Summary#

This bill lets the State of North Dakota trade certain State land grant parcels for public land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (called "unappropriated Federal land"). The State may relinquish State land that lies wholly or partly inside Indian reservations and select one or more Federal parcels of substantially equivalent value. The Secretary of the Interior must approve or reject selections within 180 days. If the Secretary approves, the Secretary must start conveyance actions within 60 days. If a relinquished parcel lies in a reservation, the Secretary must, on request of the affected Indian Tribe, take the portion in trust for that Tribe and treat it as part of the reservation. The law requires appraisals by jointly selected independent appraisers, allows environmental review when appropriate, and provides rules for valuing and equalizing exchanges. While a selection is pending, the chosen Federal land is withdrawn from most public disposal and mining processes. The bill also requires hazardous materials inspections before conveyance, protects existing grazing permits for their remaining terms, and preserves treaty and other tribal rights. It does not affect litigation pending on land or mineral ownership on the date of enactment.

What it means for you#

• If you represent the State trust lands office or the Secretary's office, the bill creates a process to swap specific State trust parcels for Federal land in North Dakota, including appraisal, selection, and conveyance steps.
• If you are a member or official of an Indian Tribe with land in North Dakota, the Tribe can request that conveyed State land within a reservation be taken into trust and become part of the reservation.
• If you hold a grazing lease, permit, or contract on land conveyed under the Act, the grazing use may continue for the remainder of the term under existing terms and conditions.
• If you are a miner or holder of mineral rights, certain selected Federal lands are withdrawn from mining entry and mineral leasing during the selection period.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on total federal or State costs. The bill requires appraisals and allows the parties to equalize differences in value by payment or ledger entries. Equalization payments or ledger balances may not exceed 25 percent of the value of the Federal parcel. Parties may agree that one side assumes conveyance costs, and the value of conveyed land may be adjusted to account for assumed costs. Ledger accounts must be balanced within 3 years and closed within 5 years after the last conveyance.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information on proponents' statements. The bill's text states its purpose is to authorize relinquishment and in-lieu selection of land and minerals, and to restore land and minerals to Indian Tribes within North Dakota by allowing State-to-Federal land exchanges and trust transfers where applicable.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information on opponents' statements.