Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act resolves a remaining Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act land-selection issue for Cape Fox Village Corporation, the village corporation for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska. It waives the requirement that Cape Fox receive about 185 acres inside the Saxman core township and instead lets Cape Fox select about 180 acres of surface land in the Tongass National Forest shown on the December 18, 2023 Cape Fox final-selection map.
Who Benefits and How
Cape Fox Village Corporation benefits by receiving the surface estate in the selected Tongass parcel, which fulfills its section 16 ANCSA entitlement. Sealaska Corporation benefits because the Secretary of the Interior must convey the matching subsurface estate to Sealaska, satisfying its section 14(f) subsurface entitlement tied to that land. Alaska Native tribes, local workers, and land-management contractors also benefit from clearer ownership and development authority around the Cape Fox selection.
Who Bears the Burden and How
The Department of the Interior must process the Cape Fox notice of selection and complete the conveyances as soon as practicable, and within 180 days after receiving the notice. Federal land managers and the National Forest System lose federal ownership of the selected parcel, while Cape Fox and Sealaska receive the land subject to a public-access easement, valid existing rights, reservations, rights-of-way, and other third-party encumbrances unless all required parties agree otherwise. The Secretary of the Interior, Department of the Interior staff, and U.S. Forest Service land managers bear the burden of completing the conveyance while preserving public access and existing encumbrances.
Key Provisions
- Waives the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act core-township requirement for Cape Fox's selected Tongass National Forest land.
- Directs the Secretary of the Interior to convey about 180 acres of surface estate to Cape Fox Village Corporation.
- Requires the corresponding subsurface estate to be conveyed to Sealaska Corporation.
- Reserves a public access easement from George Inlet to inland National Forest System land on Revillagigedo Island.
- Protects valid existing rights, reservations, rights-of-way, and third-party encumbrances on the conveyed land.
- Requires federal land managers to preserve public access and valid existing encumbrances while completing the Cape Fox and Sealaska conveyances.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Finalizes Cape Fox Village Corporation land entitlement under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act by waiving a core-township selection requirement and directing conveyance of about 180 acres of Tongass National Forest surface estate to Cape Fox and the related subsurface estate to Sealaska Corporation.
Key Policy Areas
Public Lands, Native Affairs, Forestry, Property Rights
Primary Purpose
Finalizes Cape Fox Village Corporation land entitlement under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act by waiving a core-township selection requirement and directing conveyance of about 180 acres of Tongass National Forest surface estate to Cape Fox and the related subsurface estate to Sealaska Corporation.
Policy Domains
Cape Fox ANCSA land entitlement finalization
Identified Gains
- Cape Fox Village Corporation
- Sealaska Corporation
- Native Village of Saxman
- Tongass National Forest access users
- Alaska Native tribes
- local workers
- land-management contractors
Identified Costs
- Secretary of the Interior
- U.S. Forest Service
- Bureau of Land Management
- Department of the Interior
- Federal taxpayers
Legislative Progress
Signed into LawBecame Public Law No: 119-93.
Signed by President.
Presented to President.
Message on Senate action sent to the House.
Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous …
Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S697-699)
Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources discharged by Unanimous …
Passed House (inferred from eh version)
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy …
Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to …
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Cape Fox Village Corporation, Cape Fox Village Corporation as easement-burdened owner, Cape Fox Village Corporation as encumbrance-burdened owner
Positive-direction: Cape Fox Village Corporation, Sealaska Corporation
Negative-direction: Cape Fox Village Corporation as easement-burdened owner, Cape Fox Village Corporation as encumbrance-burdened owner, Sealaska Corporation as subsurface rights recipient
Department of the Interior land conveyance program, U.S. Forest Service Tongass National Forest program
Public users accessing inland National Forest System land
Businesses holding existing Cape Fox parcel rights
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "cape_fox"
- → Cape Fox Village Corporation, Village Corporation for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska
- "sealaska"
- → Sealaska Corporation
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "secretary_of_agriculture"
- → Secretary of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
The map titled Cape Fox Village Corporation Final Selection and dated December 18, 2023.
Cape Fox Village Corporation, the Village Corporation for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, organized under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
The Secretary of the Interior.
Approximately 180 acres of surface land within the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, generally depicted on the Cape Fox Village Corporation Final Selection map dated December 18, 2023.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
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