Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025
Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025 - Summary **What It Does** This bill finalizes a long-standing land entitlement for the Cape Fox Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation representing the village of Saxman in southeast Alaska. The bill allows Cape Fox to exchange approximately 185 acres it had previously selected within its home township for about 180 acres of federal land within the Tongass National Forest instead. Essentially, it gives Cape Fox flexibility in where it receives land that it is legally entitled to receive. **Who It Affects** The bill directly affects Cape Fox Corporation and the Alaska Native residents it represents.
It could also have minor implications for federal land management in Alaska, as it transfers control of some Tongass National Forest land to the corporation. **Key Provisions** The main provision waives a requirement that Cape Fox select land within a specific core township area, allowing it to choose federal land elsewhere. Cape Fox has 90 days after the bill becomes law to notify the Department of Interior of its new land selection, and Interior must then transfer the land to the corporation. **Status** The bill has passed both the House and Senate and is awaiting the President's signature to become law.
CRS Official Summary
Cape Fox Land Entitlement Finalization Act of 2025This bill 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 bill 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 bill 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 bill'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 bill reserves a public access easement on the federal land conveyed to Cape Fox and Sealaska.
Latest Action
Message on Senate action sent to the House.