I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8363 
To exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska Corporation for 
certain Federal Land in the Chugach Region, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 10, 2024 
Mrs. PELTOLA introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To exchange non-Federal land held by the Chugach Alaska 
Corporation for certain Federal Land in the Chugach 
Region, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Chugach Alaska Land 
Exchange Oil Spill Recovery Act of 2024’’. 
SEC. 2. PURPOSE; FINDINGS. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to authorize, direct, and expedite the ex-
change of land and interests in land between Chu-
gach Alaska and the United States; and 
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(2) to consolidate Federal ownership of the sur-
face and subsurface estate of Federal land and in-
terests acquired under the Program. 
(b) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) on March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon 
Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound, Alas-
ka, spilling 11,000,000 gallons of crude oil, spread-
ing in the months that followed and covering ap-
proximately 1,300 miles of coastline, with immense 
impact for fish and wildlife and their habitats, and 
for local industries and communities; 
(2) civil settlement funds of $900,000,000 paid 
by Exxon to the United States and the State of 
Alaska were used to establish the Exxon Valdez Oil 
Spill Trustee Council (referred to in this section as 
‘‘EVOSTC’’) and to develop the Program; 
(3) through the Program, the EVOSTC dedi-
cated nearly 60 percent of the funds to acquire fee 
title of, and conservation easements on, the surface 
estate of more than 600,000 acres in the area im-
pacted by the oil spill, including 241,000 acres of 
surface estate land and conservation easements in 
the Chugach Region, giving the United States own-
ership of, and conservation easements on, 241,000 
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acres of formerly Native-owned land within the Chu-
gach Region; 
(4) the conflict described in the Chugach Re-
gion Land Study Report and in this Act occurred 
when surface estate was purchased by the EVOSTC 
for conservation purposes while development rights 
remained for the subsurface (dominant estate) 
owned by Chugach Alaska, which shall be resolved 
by Chugach Alaska trading 231,036 acres of sub-
surface estate under surface fee and conservation 
easements on surface land owned by the Federal 
Government for 65,403 acres of fee simple land 
owned by the Federal Government; 
(5) most of the surface land and conservation 
easements on surface land in the Chugach Region 
described in paragraph (3) that were acquired by the 
EVOSTC were purchased from 4 Alaska Native Vil-
lage Corporations— 
(A) Chenega Corporation; 
(B) the English Bay (Nanwalek Corpora-
tion); 
(C) the Eyak Corporation; and 
(D) the Tatitlek Corporation; 
(6) in accordance with section 14 of the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1613), 
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when a Village Corporation selects and receives title 
to the surface estate to fulfill its land entitlement, 
the Regional Corporation receives title to the sub-
surface, resulting in split ownership between Alaska 
Native entities from the same region; 
(7) Chugach Alaska holds the dominant sub-
surface estate to approximately 241,000 acres of 
surface land acquired by the EVOSTC from the Vil-
lage Corporations under paragraph (5) that is pro-
tected under the Program; 
(8) none of the acquisitions described in para-
graph (5) by the EVOSTC included the subsurface 
interests owned by Chugach Alaska, despite aware-
ness by the EVOSTC of the provisions in the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et 
seq.) creating split ownership and the existing right 
of the subsurface owner to use the surface if it con-
stitutes reasonable use in the development of sub-
surface resources; 
(9) due to the split estate ownership described 
in paragraph (8), which became a split between Chu-
gach Alaska and the Federal Government, there is 
a clear conflict with the preservation goal of the Pro-
gram and the responsibility of Chugach Alaska, on 
behalf of the Alaska Native shareholders of Chugach 
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Alaska, to develop the subsurface estate under the 
land; 
(10) recognizing the conflicts between the man-
dates in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 
(43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) on Native Corporations 
and the goals of the Program, and the significant 
social and economic impact of the Program on the 
region and on Chugach Alaska and the land held by 
Chugach Alaska, Congress directed, in section 1113 
of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Manage-
ment, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116–9; 133 
Stat. 614), that the Bureau of Land Management 
conduct a study and identify accessible and economi-
cally viable Federal land that could be exchanged 
with Chugach Alaska, and to recommend exchange 
options that would consolidate ownership of the sur-
face and subsurface estates of land in the Program; 
(11) the Bureau of Land Management sub-
mitted the Chugach Region Land Study Report to 
Congress in December 2022, over a year after the 
18-month deadline; 
(12) in the Chugach Region Land Study Re-
port, the Bureau of Land Management explained 
that the Program acquisitions have greatly increased 
the complexity and the costs of any development by 
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Chugach Alaska of its subsurface interests, signifi-
cantly reduced Native-owned land and Native control 
over management of land in the region, and, along 
with the larger oil spill cleanup effort, highly dis-
rupted the socio-cultural environment and economies 
in the Alaska Native communities in the region; 
(13) the Chugach Region Land Study Report 
identifies land available for exchange from both the 
Federal Government and Chugach Alaska to inform 
a land exchange to address the impact of the Pro-
gram on Chugach Alaska and the ability of Chugach 
Alaska to meet its responsibilities to its Native 
shareholders under the Alaska Native Claims Settle-
ment Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.); 
(14) the land exchange between Chugach Alas-
ka and the Federal Government in this Act— 
(A) furthers objectives under the Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 
et seq.), including balancing land selections be-
tween areas that are significant in cultural his-
tory and traditions and areas that have poten-
tial economic value for development; and 
(B) facilitates more efficient Federal land 
management of the Program by Federal acqui-
sition of nearly 231,000 acres of subsurface es-
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tate that underlies federally owned surface fee 
and conservation easements to perfect conserva-
tion of the surface, which is the purpose of the 
Program; and 
(15) the land exchange in this Act, based on 
the findings in this section, is in the public interest. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) ANSCA TERMS.—The terms ‘‘Native Cor-
poration’’, ‘‘Regional Corporation’’, and ‘‘Village 
Corporation’’ have the meanings given those terms 
in section 3 of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement 
Act (43 U.S.C. 1602). 
(2) CHUGACH
ALASKA.—The term ‘‘Chugach 
Alaska’’ means the Chugach Alaska Corporation, a 
Regional Corporation. 
(3) CHUGACH REGION LAND STUDY REPORT.— 
The term ‘‘Chugach Region Land Study Report’’ 
means the report and recommendations submitted to 
Congress by the Secretary pursuant to section 1113 
of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Manage-
ment, and Recreation Act (Public Law 116–9; 133 
Stat. 614). 
(4) FEDERAL
EXCHANGE
LAND.—The term 
‘‘Federal exchange land’’ means the approximately 
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65,403 acres of fee simple land located in the Chu-
gach Region as described in section 4(e). 
(5) NON-FEDERAL LAND.—The term ‘‘non-Fed-
eral land’’ means the parcels of subsurface land 
comprising approximately 231,000 acres— 
(A) owned by Chugach Alaska and con-
veyed to Chugach Alaska pursuant to the Alas-
ka Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 
1601 et seq.); 
(B) described in section 4(f); and 
(C) for which— 
(i) the United States has acquired fee 
title to the surface estate or a conservation 
easement on the surface estate pursuant to 
the Program; or 
(ii) the State has acquired fee title to, 
and the United States has acquired a con-
servation easement in, the surface estate 
pursuant to the Program. 
(6) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means 
the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Habitat Protection and 
Acquisition Program of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill 
Trustee Council. 
(7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior. 
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(8) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Alaska. 
SEC. 4. LAND EXCHANGE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, if Chugach Alaska offers 
to convey to the Secretary all rights, title, and interest 
in and to the non-Federal land, the Secretary shall accept 
the offer and convey in exchange all rights, title, and inter-
est of the Federal Government in and to the Federal ex-
change land. 
(b) CONDITION ON ACCEPTANCE.—Title to the non- 
Federal land exchanged in subsection (a) shall be in a 
form that is acceptable to the Secretary. 
(c) TREATMENT OF LAND CONVEYED.—Except as 
otherwise provided, any land conveyed to Chugach Alaska 
under subsection (a) shall be considered to be land con-
veyed by the Secretary under the Alaska Native Claims 
Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.). 
(d) VALID EXISTING RIGHTS.—The conveyances 
under subsection (a) shall be subject to any valid existing 
rights, reservations, rights-of-way, or other encumbrances 
of third parties in, to, or on the Federal exchange land 
or the non-Federal land as of the date of enactment of 
this Act. 
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(e) CONVEYANCE OF FEDERAL EXCHANGE LAND.— 
On receipt of title to the non-Federal land, the Secretary 
shall simultaneously convey to Chugach Alaska— 
(1) all rights, title, and interest in and to the 
National Forest System land of the Forest Service 
identified in the Chugach Regional Land Study and 
Report, comprising approximately 63,443 total 
acres, comprising— 
(A) T. 3 N., R. 10 E., Seward Meridian, 
Drier Bay Parcel, comprising approximately 
2,996 acres of surface estate; 
(B) T. 17 and 18 S., R. 7 and 8 E., Cop-
per River Meridian, Kushtaka Lake Parcel, 
comprising approximately 7,876 acres of sur-
face and subsurface estate; 
(C) T. 2 N., R. 1 and 2 E., Seward Merid-
ian, Snow River Parcel, comprising approxi-
mately 11,462 acres of surface and subsurface 
estate; 
(D) T. 17 and 18 S., R. 8 W., Copper 
River Meridian, Hinchinbrook Island Parcel, 
comprising approximately 2,646 acres of sur-
face and subsurface estate; 
(E) T. 17 S., R. 7 E., secs. 5, 8, 18, 19, 
and 30 through 33, Copper River Meridian, 
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Kushtaka Lake Parcel, comprising approxi-
mately 6,375 acres of surface and subsurface 
estate; 
(F) T. 18 S., R. 7 E., secs. 6 and 7, Cop-
per River Meridian, Kushtaka Lake Parcel, 
comprising approximately 1,280 acres of sur-
face and subsurface estate; 
(G) T. 16 S., R. 5 E., secs. 24 through 26 
and 36, Copper River Meridian, Martin River 
Parcel, comprising approximately 2,240 acres of 
surface and subsurface estate; 
(H) T. 16, S., R. 6 E., secs. 16, 19 
through 21, and 25 through 36, Copper River 
Meridian, Martin River Parcel, comprising ap-
proximately 8,305 acres of surface and sub-
surface estate; 
(I) T. 17 S., R. 6 E., secs. 1 through 4, 
and 10, Copper River Meridian, Martin River 
Parcel, comprising approximately 3,170 acres of 
surface and subsurface estate; 
(J) T. 16 S., R. 4 E., secs. 1 through 4, 
9 through 13, and 24, Copper River Meridian, 
Johnson River Parcel, comprising approxi-
mately 5,200 acres of surface and subsurface 
estate; 
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(K) T. 16 S., R. 5 E., secs. 5 through 9, 
and 15 through 22, Copper River Meridian, 
Johnson River Parcel, comprising approxi-
mately 6,165 acres of surface and subsurface 
estate; and 
(L) T. 19 S., R. 15 E., secs. 12 through 
14, 23, 24, 26, 27, 33, and 34, Copper River 
Meridian, Robinson Mountains Parcel, com-
prising approximately 5,728 acres of surface 
and subsurface estate; and 
(2) all rights, title, and interest in and to the 
Federal land administered by the Bureau of Land 
Management and National Park Service identified in 
the Chugach Regional Land Study and Report, com-
prising approximately 1,960 total acres, com-
prising— 
(A) T. 21 S., R. 24 E., Copper River Me-
ridian, Taan Fjord Parcel, comprising approxi-
mately 450 acres of surface and subsurface es-
tate; 
(B) T. 21 and 22 S., R. 24 E., Copper 
River Meridian, Kageet Point Parcel, com-
prising approximately 310 acres of surface and 
subsurface estate; and 
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(xxxiii) T. 6 S., R. 5 W., secs. 4, 9, 
28, 29, 32, and 33, Seward Meridian, com-
prising approximately 3,205 acres; 
(xxxiv) T. 7 S., R. 5 W., sec. 4, Sew-
ard Meridian, comprising approximately 
230 acres; 
(xxxv) T. 8 S., R. 6 W., secs. 7 
through 12, 14 through 22, and 27 
through 34, Seward Meridian, comprising 
approximately 6,797.39 acres; 
(xxxvi) T. 7 S., R. 7 W., secs. 1, 2, 
5, 6, 8, 9, 11 through 14, 16, 17, 23, and 
24, Seward Meridian, comprising approxi-
mately 6,031.78 acres; 
(xxxvii) T. 8 S., R. 7 W., secs. 24, 25, 
35, and 36, Seward Meridian, comprising 
approximately 705.65 acres; and 
(xxxviii) T. 7 S., R. 8 W., secs. 1, 5, 
8, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 20, 21, 23, 26 (lots 
1 through 4), 27, 28, and 29, Seward Me-
ridian, comprising approximately 6,831.97 
acres; 
(B) the approximately 24,911.65 sub-
surface acres in which the fee title to the sur-
face estate has been acquired by the State, and 
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