H.R. 3560 would provide for the completion of certain land selections under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Detailed Summary
Southeast Alaska Native Land Entitlement Finalization Act - Authorizes Sealaska Corporation to select and receive conveyance of its remaining Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) land entitlement from federal lands in southeast Alaska from each of the following categories: (1) specified economic development land; (2) specified sites with sacred, cultural, traditional, or historical significance; and (3) specified native enterprise sites with traditional and recreational use value. Requires the Secretary of Interior to complete the conveyance of land to Sealaska within 180 days of selection.
Declares that upon the exhaustion of Sealaska's remaining land entitlement under ANCSA and the completion of the conveyances of the land selected, the original southeast Alaska withdrawals shall expire and the lands within the withdrawals that are not conveyed to a Southeast Alaska Regional or Village Corporation shall be returned to the unencumbered management of the U.S. Forest Service as a part of the Tongass National Forest.
Prohibits Sealaska from selecting or receiving conveyance of lands from within any Conservation System Unit, federally designated wilderness areas, or Land Use Designation I or II Areas.
Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) covenants and conditions on land conveyances to Sealaska, including subjecting conveyances of specified lands to a covenant prohibiting commercial timber harvesting; (2) authorized uses for the sacred, cultural, traditional, and historic sites; and (3) nonexclusive access and use rights that are required to be included in conveyances to Sealaska of native enterprise sites.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 11/14/2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Committee Hearings Held.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
Myla Poelstra, Edna Bay Alaska
This bill should not pass as currently written because it stands to destroy a 26yr state sponsored subsistence community whose only access to support their livelihood is included in a land transfer from the US Forest Service to Sealaska Corp., a for profit private timber company whose liability risks will not allow residents access to this land if it becomes theirs. This same land contains fragile caves & karsts unlike anywhere else in the world. The total acreage on Kosciusko Island Sealaska is seeking is over 32,000 acres, which includes some of the largest old growth spruce in the state.
Sandy Powers, Ketchikan, Alaska
HR 3560 would allow unbridled Native corporation logging on North Prince of Wales, already heavily logged. It would deny access, hunting and fishing to residents on POW whose livelihoods depend on the area. The only access road to communities on the north end of POW is FH 20, a public road that would become unavailable, cutting off Point Baker and Port Protection from the rest of POW and eliminating their subsistence area. Recreation access for residents and visitors would be off-limits. This bill completely ignores the needs of POW residents.
Small, well-managed Forest Service timber sales to small local sawmills, economic due to the existing roads, would unavailable in the area. The mills would close and the lumber they supplied to locals would be gone.
The Sealaska ANCSA land issue should be resolved, but not at the expense of the communities and residents of POW. North POW should be completely dropped from this bill, and land selections be made from the original areas first.