# Plain Language Summary of H.R. 7022

This bill fixes a decades-old problem affecting the Cape Fox Corporation, a Native Alaskan business that represents the Native Village of Saxman. Back when the federal government settled land claims with Alaska Native groups in the 1970s, Cape Fox was supposed to receive about 23,000 acres of land like other similar corporations. However, a special 6-mile restriction around the city of Ketchikan prevented Cape Fox from selecting valuable commercial and industrial property in their own territory. The only land available to them under this restriction was remote, mountainous terrain with no economic value. Meanwhile, other similar Native corporations in the region only faced a 2-mile restriction, giving them access to much better land. This bill corrects that unfair treatment.

The bill does two main things. First, it releases Cape Fox from a requirement that they had to select land within their home township, allowing them to pursue land outside that area instead. Second, it allows Cape Fox to select approximately 180 acres of federal land within the Tongass National Forest that was previously off-limits to them. If Cape Fox chooses to accept this land, the federal government must transfer it within 90 days, with the goal of completing the full transfer within 180 days. This gives Cape Fox the opportunity to finally obtain economically valuable property that other Native corporations were able to access decades ago.

The bill also includes an interesting provision about subsurface rights. While Cape Fox will receive the surface of the 180 acres, the mineral and subsurface rights will go to Sealaska Corporation, another Alaska Native organization. This arrangement allows both organizations to benefit from the land while ensuring Cape Fox gets the practical use of the property. Once this transfer happens, both Cape Fox and Sealaska will have fulfilled their original entitlements under the 1970s settlement agreement, closing the book on this long-standing inequity.

To provide equitable treatment for the people of the Village Corporation established for the Native Village of Saxman, Alaska, and for other purposes.

Peltola, Mary Sattler

This bill waives a statutory core township selection requirement for the Cape Fox Corporation and allows Cape Fox to receive&nbsp;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&nbsp;land outside of Cape Fox's current exterior selection boundary upon written notice of the new selection to the Department of the Interior.&nbsp;In particular, if Cape Fox submits written notice of its selection of approximately&nbsp;180 acres of surface land within the&nbsp;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).