North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act of 2026

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mrs. FEDORCHAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, the North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act. I thank the gentlewoman from Maryland and our chairman for his leadership, especially for getting it through the House Natural Resources Committee with unanimous support. I can't thank him enough for that.

As both have stated, this bill provides some important new changes for my State and addresses a unique land management challenge that dates back to North Dakota's statehood. They have both expressed it well, but let me reinforce what has already been said.

When North Dakota became a State, the Federal Government granted 2.6 million acres of Federal land to support schools and other public needs. Specifically, the State received sections 16 and 36 of every township. As a result, North Dakota holds more than 31,000 surface acres and 130,000 acres of mineral rights inside Tribal reservation boundaries.

This created a checkerboard pattern of ownership that makes land management and development difficult for everyone. The chart beside me shows the patchwork of State trust land on the Standing Rock Reservation. All the green land, green checks, squares, in this are land owned within the Tribal reservation by the State of North Dakota. This is just one of five reservations in our State.

The Tribes struggle to efficiently develop land within their own reservation boundaries because of this fragmented ownership, and there is currently no pathway for the State and Federal government to exchange these lands.

My legislation solves this problem. H.R. 2252 authorizes equal-value land exchanges between the State of North Dakota and the Department of the Interior. This allows the State to exchange scattered trust lands within reservation boundaries like this for Federal lands of equivalent values elsewhere in the State.

Importantly, this bill does not automatically exchange a single acre of land. It simply creates a process that can be used if all parties choose to move forward.

The legislation includes multiple safeguards and transparency requirements; specifically, consultation with affected Tribal Governments prior to any conveyance, environmental review authority for the Secretary of the Interior, independent appraisals using Federal appraisal standards to ensure substantially equal value, public inspection of final appraisals at least 30 days before any exchange, and public notice online and in North Dakota newspapers before exchanges occur.

Upon exchange, State land located within reservation boundaries is immediately transferred to the BIA to be held in trust for the benefit of the Tribe. The State will manage the exchanged Federal acres for North Dakotans and public schools. The result is less fragmentation, clear ownership boundaries, and a greater ability for both Tribal and State governments to manage the land for the benefit of their people.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to be clear about what this bill does not do. This bill does not reduce public access. It does not close hunting land. It does not impact recreation. Existing grazing permits and leases are protected throughout the exchange process, and every exchange must meet rigorous Federal appraisal standards to ensure equal value.

The bill also includes significant protections for wildlife habitat, conservation lands, public access, and existing land uses. Federal lands specifically excluded include: areas of critical environmental concern, National Landscape Conservation System lands, research natural areas, military reservations, and lands designated for conservation purposes by Congress or the President.

Protected conservation areas and specially managed wildlife landscapes are not eligible for exchange under this legislation.

To be absolutely clear, the bill explicitly preserves all Indian treaty rights. In fact, this bill was shaped in consultation with Tribal leaders. It has strong support from Tribal nations in North Dakota.

Steve Sitting Bear is chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. He has plans to grow beef and bison production for Standing Rock, and what a great opportunity that is. They reside on the rolling prairies along the Missouri River in southwestern North Dakota, perfect for grazing cattle and bison.

This legislation would help correct this scattered ownership pattern that challenges Chairman Sitting Bear's vision. In his words, the current situation has made effective land management difficult for all parties.

Mark Fox, who is chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, says his nation was glad to help shape the legislation and supports restoring reservation land while preserving treaty rights.

Due to this collaboration and broad support, this legislation passed the United States Senate unanimously in the last Congress. It passed unanimously out of the House Committee on Natural Resources earlier this year.

Mr. Speaker, this is a practical, commonsense solution that benefits Tribes, benefits North Dakota, and improves land management for future generations. I urge my colleagues to support the North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source