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H.R. 2815 · House bill · 119th Congress
This act waives a statutory core township selection requirement for the Cape Fox Corporation and allows Cape Fox to receive other lands to fulfill its remaining land entitlement. Cape Fox is an Alaska Native village corporation for the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska.
Specifically, the act states that Cape Fox shall not be required to receive its previously selected land of approximately 185 acres located within the township in which the Alaska Native village of Saxman, Alaska, is located. Instead, the act allows Cape Fox to receive land outside of Cape Fox's current exterior selection boundary upon written notice of the new selection to the Department of the Interior.
In particular, if Cape Fox submits written notice of its selection of approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to Interior within 90 days of the act's enactment, then Interior must convey the federal land to Cape Fox. Upon conveyance of the surface estate of the federal land to Cape Fox, Interior must convey the subsurface estate of the federal land to Sealaska Corporation (the Alaska Native regional corporation representing southeastern Alaska).
The act reserves a public access easement on the federal land conveyed to Cape Fox and Sealaska.
This Act may be cited as the “Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025”.
In this Act:
(1) Cape Fox.— The term Cape Fox means the Cape Fox Village Corporation, a Village Corporation for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, organized pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.).
(2) Federal land.— The term Federal land means the approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass National Forest in the State of Alaska, as generally depicted on the Map.
(3) Map.— The term Map means the map entitled “Cape Fox Village Corporation Final Selection” and dated December 18, 2023.
(4) Secretary.— The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
(a) In general.— Notwithstanding section 16(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615(b)), Cape Fox shall not be required to select or receive conveyance of the approximately 185 acres of unconveyed land described in subsection (b) located within the township in which the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, is located.
(b) Land described.— The land referred to in subsection (a) is as follows:
(1) Approximately 40 acres in T. 74 S., R.90 E., sec. 10, SWNE, Copper River Meridian.
(2) Approximately 144.57 acres in T. 75 S., R.91 E., sec. 1, lots 1, 3, and 4, Copper River Meridian.
(a) Selection and Conveyance of Surface Estate.— Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, if Cape Fox submits to the Secretary a written notice of selection of the Federal land, the Secretary shall, on receiving that written notice, convey the Federal land to Cape Fox.
(b) Conveyance of Subsurface Estate.— On conveyance to Cape Fox of the surface estate to the Federal land under subsection (a), the Secretary shall convey to Sealaska Corporation the subsurface estate to that Federal land.
(c) Timing.— It is the intent of Congress that the Secretary complete the conveyances to Cape Fox and Sealaska Corporation under subsections (a) and (b), respectively, as soon as practicable after the date on which the Secretary receives a written notice of the selection of Cape Fox under subsection (a), but not later than 180 days after the date on which the Secretary receives that written notice.
(d) Entitlement fulfilled.— The conveyance of Federal land to Cape Fox and the subsurface interest in the Federal land to Sealaska Corporation under subsections (a) and (b), respectively, shall be considered to fulfill the entitlement of—
(1) Cape Fox under section 16 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1615); and
(2) Sealaska Corporation to any subsurface interest in the Federal land under section 14(f) of that Act (43 U.S.C. 1613(f)).
The conveyance of the Federal land under section 4 shall be subject to the reservation of a public easement under section 17(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1616(b)) to allow for access to National Forest System land further inland on Revillagigedo Island from the George Inlet.
Unless otherwise agreed to by the Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture, and Cape Fox, the conveyances under this legislation shall be subject to any valid existing rights, reservations, rights-of-way, and other encumbrances of third parties in, to, or on the Federal land as of the date of enactment of this Act.