Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act
The Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act would take about 72 acres of land in Washington (designated Allotment 1157) from the federal Forest Service and place it in trust with the U.S. Department of the Interior for the Quinault Indian Nation. The land would become part of the Quinault Indian Reservation and be managed by the Interior under the usual trust-land rules. The bill also prevents gaming on this land under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, preserves existing treaty rights, and requires disclosure of any hazardous substances under CERCLA (the Superfund law) with no obligation to perform cleanup beyond that disclosure. In short, the bill formalizes a transfer of specific land into tribal trust, expanding the Quinault Reservation, while limiting uses (no gaming) and clarifying environmental disclosure duties. It does not change treaty rights and places the land under the same trust-law framework that governs other tribal lands.
Key Points
- 1About 72 acres (Allotment 1157) in Washington would be transferred from the Forest Service to the Interior and taken into trust for the Quinault Indian Nation, subject to valid existing rights.
- 2The land would be part of the Quinault Indian Reservation and administered by the Secretary of the Interior under the laws and regulations that govern tribal trust lands.
- 3The land would not be eligible for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA).
- 4The bill states there would be no impact on treaty rights under the Treaty of Olympia with the Quinault and other tribes.
- 5For environmental handling, the Interior would meet CERCLA section 120(h) disclosure requirements for hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants, but would not be required to remediate or cleanup beyond that disclosure.