HR2252-119

What This Bill Does

The North Dakota Trust Lands Completion Act creates a land-exchange process between North Dakota and the Department of the Interior. When North Dakota relinquishes State land grant parcels located wholly or partly within an Indian reservation, the Secretary of the Interior must authorize the State to select substantially equivalent unappropriated federal land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in North Dakota. The bill defines which federal lands are eligible and excludes acquired BLM lands, conservation designations, military reservations, research natural areas, withdrawn lands, and specified parcels. North Dakota submits selection lists, Interior has fixed periods to approve or reject selections, and selected federal land is temporarily withdrawn from public land laws, mining laws, mineral leasing, and geothermal leasing while the exchange is pending. If relinquished land lies within a reservation, the Secretary may take it into trust for the affected tribe at the tribe's request. The bill sets equal-value appraisal rules, allows equalization payments or a ledger account, protects treaty-reserved rights and existing trust lands, requires hazardous-material records and inspections, preserves grazing leases and permits for their remaining terms, and states that pending ownership litigation is unaffected.

Who Benefits and How

The State of North Dakota benefits by receiving authority to exchange scattered reservation land grant parcels for BLM-administered federal land that can be managed for the State trust beneficiaries. The North Dakota Board of University and School Lands and Department of Trust Lands benefit from a structured selection, appraisal, and ledger process for completing exchanges. Affected Indian Tribes benefit because relinquished reservation land can be taken into trust at tribal request and because Interior must consult with tribes under Executive Order 13175. State trust beneficiaries, including public education beneficiaries, gain potential access to more manageable land or mineral assets. Grazing permit holders benefit from continuation of existing leases, permits, or contracts for the remainder of their terms.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The Secretary of the Interior and Bureau of Land Management must process selection lists, appraisals, environmental review, conveyances, temporary withdrawals, hazardous-material certifications, and tribal trust-land requests. North Dakota must convey relinquished parcels free of financial encumbrances and may have to make equalization payments or track ledger balances when values differ. Affected Indian Tribes must review proposed exchanges and decide whether to request trust status for relinquished parcels. Federal mineral and public-land users face temporary restrictions while selected lands are withdrawn from mining, mineral leasing, geothermal leasing, and other public land laws. Appraisers and land managers must apply federal appraisal standards and document hazardous-material conditions.

Key Provisions

• Defines eligible State land grant parcels, reservations, and unappropriated BLM-administered federal land in North Dakota.
• Requires Interior to authorize North Dakota land selections when the State relinquishes qualifying reservation parcels.
• Directs approval, rejection, environmental review, conveyance, and tribal consultation timelines for each exchange phase.
• Temporarily withdraws selected federal land from public land, mining, mineral leasing, and geothermal leasing laws while exchanges are pending.
• Establishes equal-value appraisal rules, equalization payments, and ledger accounting for unequal exchanges.
• Protects treaty-reserved rights, existing trust lands, allotments, and pending ownership litigation.
• Requires hazardous-material records, inspections, certifications, and no federal warranty for conveyed land.
• Preserves existing grazing permits, leases, and contracts for the rest of their terms.