Yurok Lands Act of 2019

To recognize tribal cooperation in the environmental review of proposed actions affecting the revised Yurok Reservation, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Yurok Lands Act of 2019 2. Definitions For the purposes of this Act: (1) Federal agency The term Federal agency (2) NEPA The term NEPA 42 U.S.C. 4321 (3) Revised yurok reservation The term revised Yurok Reservation (4) Secretary The term Secretary (5) Tribe The term Tribe 3. Land to be held in trust for the tribe (a) In general Subject to any valid existing rights, the Secretary of Agriculture shall transfer to the Secretary of the Interior administrative jurisdiction over approximately 1,229 acres in the Yurok Experimental Forest and Six Rivers National Forest, as generally depicted on the map entitled Experimental Forest (b) Administration The Secretary of the Interior shall hold the land transferred under subsection (a) in trust for the benefit of the Tribe. (c) Tribal land use management plan The Tribe shall develop a Tribal Land Use Management Plan in accordance with NEPA requirements for the land held in trust pursuant to subsection (b). (d) Government-to-Government agreements Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Tribe— (1) shall enter into government-to-government consultations; (2) shall develop protocols to ensure that research activities of the Forest Service on lands taken into trust pursuant to subsection (b) shall continue in perpetuity; and (3) may enter into cooperative agreements between the Secretary of Agriculture and the Tribe for the purpose of implementing this section. (e) Survey Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall complete a survey to establish the exterior boundaries of the land taken into trust pursuant to subsection (b). (f) Use of trust land Land taken into trust pursuant to subsection (b) shall— (1) be managed by the Tribe for conservation and research purposes; (2) not be eligible, or considered to have been taken into trust, for any gaming activity under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act ( 25 U.S.C. 2701 (3) not be subject to old growth logging. 4. Yurok reservation boundary adjustment (a) In general The Secretary shall revise the boundary of the Yurok Reservation as depicted on the map entitled Revised Yurok Indian Reservation Boundary (b) Land management Subject to the requirements of sections 3 and 5— (1) all National Forest System land within the revised Yurok Reservation shall continue to be administered by the Forest Service in accordance with applicable laws and regulations; and (2) all National Park System land within the revised Yurok Reservation shall continue to be administered by the National Park Service in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. 5. Tribal-Federal partnerships for federal land and resource management (a) In general For the purposes of any process triggered by a requirement under NEPA regarding major Federal action on Federal land within the revised Yurok Reservation, at the Tribe’s option, the Tribe shall act as a joint lead agency in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding entered into between the lead Federal agency and the Tribe not later than 30 days after the date of notice of initiation of the process. (b) Requirements for memorandum of understanding A Memorandum of Understanding entered into under this section shall— (1) be negotiated in good faith; (2) comply with the NEPA statute and regulations; and (3) include— (A) the respective roles and responsibilities of the Tribe and the lead Federal agency in the NEPA process; (B) mechanisms for dispute resolution; and (C) a requirement that environmental impact statements shall discuss any inconsistency of a proposed action with any plan or environmental requirement of the Tribe (whether or not federally sanctioned), and, where such an inconsistency exists, a requirement that the environmental impact statement shall describe— (i) the extent to which the lead Federal agency would reconcile its proposed action with the plan or environmental requirement; and (ii) what mitigation measures are being imposed to lessen adverse environmental impacts of the proposal identified by the Tribe. (c) Cooperating agency For the purpose of any process triggered by a requirement under NEPA regarding a major Federal action on Federal land that may affect the revised Yurok Reservation, at the option of the Tribe, the Tribe shall act as a cooperating agency. (d) No limitation on existing authority Nothing in this section shall limit ability of the Tribe or any other federally recognized Indian Tribe to participate in any process triggered by a requirement under NEPA as a joint lead or a cooperating agency. (e) Cooperative agreements with the Tribe (1) Redwood national park The Secretary shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the Tribe for system unit natural resource protection for the purpose of protecting natural resources of Redwood National Park pursuant to section 101702 of title 54, United States Code. (2) Forest service The Secretary of Agriculture shall enter into a cooperative agreement with the Tribe that includes, at a minimum, provisions that implement section 3. (3) Tribe as an agency The Tribe shall be considered a State or local government agency for purposes of section 101703 of title 54, United States Code, and the Secretary shall enter into a cooperative management agreement with the Tribe pursuant to that section. (4) Confirmation and authorization of cooperative agreement related to the klamath river basin The 2006 Cooperative Agreement between the Department of the Interior and the Yurok Tribe for the Cooperative Management of Tribal and Federal Lands and Resources in the Klamath River Basin of California (f) Self-Governance agreements Federal agencies, as appropriate, shall negotiate, in good faith, self-governance agreements under this Act pursuant to the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act ( 25 U.S.C. 5301 6. Yurok scenic byway designation (a) Designation of the yurok scenic byway Bald Hills Road from its junction with U.S. Highway 101 to its terminus on the Klamath River shall be designated as the Yurok Scenic Byway (b) Continued access and use retained The Tribe shall not prohibit or limit, and the Secretary of the Interior shall allow, continued access and use of the Bald Hills Road in accordance with section 3(b)(1) of the Act entitled An Act to establish a Redwood National Park in the State of California, and for other purposes 16 U.S.C. 79c 7. Confirmation of governing body and documents The governing documents of the Tribe and the governing body established and elected thereunder, as recognized by the Secretary and in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act, are hereby ratified and confirmed and shall only have effect within the revised Yurok Reservation. 8. No delegation of Federal authority over non-tribal land or people Nothing in this Act shall be construed as a delegation of Federal or other authority to the Tribe, the Tribal body or any member of the Tribe, over or related to land or interests in land that are not within the revised Yurok Reservation. 9. No additional authority or rights Nothing in this Act shall increase, diminish, or otherwise affect the rights, privileges, or authorities of any federally recognized Indian Tribe in relation to any other federally recognized Indian Tribe.

Summary: Yurok Lands Act of 2019 This bill addresses the management of Yurok Reservation lands. The Department of the Interior must enter into a cooperative agreement with the Yurok Tribe for protecting the natural resources of Redwood National Park. The bill confirms the 2006 Cooperative Agreement between the Department of the Interior and the Yurok Tribe for the Cooperative Management of Tribal and Federal Lands and Resources in the Klamath River Basin of California and authorizes Interior to implement the agreement. The Forest Service must transfer approximately 1,229 acres in the Yurok Experimental Forest and Six Rivers National Forest to Interior. That land must be held in trust for the benefit of the tribe and be managed by the tribe for conservation and research purposes. The land may not be used for gaming activity or for old growth logging. Interior must revise the boundary of the reservation as depicted on the map titled Revised Yurok Indian Reservation Boundary and dated September 20, 2017. National Forest System land and National Park System land within the revised reservation must be administered by the Forest Service and the National Park Service, respectively. The bill gives the tribe the option to expand its role in the environmental review process with respect to major federal actions within the revised Yurok Reservation. The bill designates the Bald Hills Road, which runs from U.S. Highway 101 to the Klamath River, as the Yurok Scenic Byway. The bill ratifies and confirms the tribe's governing documents.