Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
BISMARCK – U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and John Hoeven (R-ND) and Congressman Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) reintroduced the North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act. The bill would authorize North Dakota to relinquish its lands and minerals on Tribal Reservations to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) in exchange for those in the state which are federally-owned.
North Dakota holds more than 130,000 acres of minerals and over 31,000 surface acres within Tribal Reservations, though they are largely unavailable for development. At the same time, existing laws do not adequately accommodate land and mineral exchanges between the state and the federal government.
“Fragmented land ownership and mineral rights in North Dakota have hampered our state’s resource development for far too long,” said Senator Cramer. “Allowing the state to exchange land and minerals with the Department of the Interior and tribes is a commonsense solution to benefit all parties involved.”
“Our legislation will empower North Dakota to better utilize its mineral rights and develop the energy resources within the state, generating revenue for education and other important priorities,” said Senator Hoeven. “As part of these equal-value exchanges, tribes will be able to regain the fragmented lands and minerals located within their reservations.”
“The comingling of federal, state, and tribal lands has long prevented North Dakota’s resources from being fully utilized,” said Congressman Armstrong. “Our bill gives the state of North Dakota and tribes more control over lands within their jurisdiction. This will reduce the amount of duplicative regulations and benefit people across our state.”
Click here for bill text and here for a one-pager.
Background:
Specifically, the North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act would:
- Allow equal value transactions between North Dakota and DOI to exchange land and mineral rights
- Enable North Dakota’s access to lands and minerals it was promised upon statehood to fund education and other public purposes
- Provide tribes greater ownership over the lands within their reservation boundaries
Valuations conducted under this legislation would be determined by Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions and the Uniform Standards for Professional Appraisal Practice. Valid existing rights will be respected in these transactions and there will be no impact on any Indian treaty rights.