I 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6469 
To revise the Yurok Reservation, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 7, 2016 
Mr. HUFFMAN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Natural Resources 
A BILL 
To revise the Yurok Reservation, 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 ‘‘Yurok Lands Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
For the purposes of this Act: 
(1) FEDERAL
AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Federal 
agency’’ has the same meaning given that term in 
section 40 CFR 1508.12, excluding for purposes of 
this definition, States and units of general local gov-
ernment and Indian tribes. 
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(2) NEPA.—The term ‘‘NEPA’’ means the Na-
tional Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
4321 et seq.). 
(3) REVISED YUROK RESERVATION.—The term 
‘‘revised Yurok Reservation’’ means the land within 
the Yurok Reservation exterior boundary as revised 
in section 5(a). 
(4) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agri-
culture, or the Secretary of Transportation, as ap-
propriate. 
(5) TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Tribe’’ means the 
Yurok Tribe, a federally recognized Indian tribe. 
SEC. 3. TRIBAL-FEDERAL PARTNERSHIPS FOR FEDERAL 
LAND AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—At the Tribe’s option, the Tribe 
shall act as a joint lead agency pursuant to NEPA for 
major Federal actions within the Revised Yurok Reserva-
tion in accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding 
entered into between the Federal lead agency and the 
Tribe. 
(1) The Memorandum of Understanding shall 
be negotiated in good faith, comply with NEPA reg-
ulations, and shall be finalized within 30 days from 
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the date of notice of initiation of a NEPA process. 
The Memorandum of Understanding shall include— 
(A) the respective roles and responsibilities 
of the Tribe and the Federal lead agency in the 
NEPA process; 
(B) mechanisms for dispute resolution; and 
(C) a requirement that environmental im-
pact statements shall discuss any inconsistency 
of a proposed action with any plan or environ-
mental requirement of the Tribe (whether or 
not federally sanctioned). Where such an incon-
sistency exists, the statement shall describe— 
(i) the extent to which the agency 
would reconcile its proposed action with 
the plan or environmental requirement; 
and 
(ii) what mitigation measures are 
being imposed to lessen adverse environ-
mental impacts of the proposal identified 
by the Tribe. 
(2) If the Memorandum of Understanding is 
not executed in the 30-day period, or an additional 
time period as agreed to by the Tribe and the Fed-
eral lead agency, or is terminated, the Tribe shall 
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have the option of participating as a cooperating 
agency in the NEPA process. 
(b) COOPERATING AGENCY.—At the Tribe’s option, 
the Tribe shall act as a cooperating agency for major Fed-
eral actions within the area depicted on the map titled 
‘‘Klamath and Redwood Creek Watersheds’’ dated Decem-
ber 7, 2016. 
(c) NO LIMITATION
ON EXISTING AUTHORITY.— 
Nothing in this section shall limit the Tribe or any other 
federally recognized Indian tribe’s ability to participate in 
any NEPA process as a joint lead agency or a cooperating 
agency. 
(d) 
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 Red-
wood National Park pursuant to section 101702 of 
title 54, United States Code. 
(2) FOREST SERVICE.—The Secretary of Agri-
culture shall enter into a cooperative agreement with 
the Tribe that will include, but is not limited to, pro-
visions that implement section 4. 
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(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 co-
operative management agreement with the Tribe 
pursuant to that section. 
(4) CONFIRMATION
AND
AUTHORIZATION
OF 
COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT RELATED TO THE KLAM-
ATH RIVER BASIN.—The 2006 ‘‘Cooperative Agree-
ment 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’’ is confirmed 
and the Secretary is authorized to take such actions 
as are necessary to effectuate the agreement. 
(e) 
SELF-GOVERNANCE
AGREEMENTS.—Federal 
agencies, as appropriate, shall negotiate in good faith self- 
governance agreements pursuant to the Indian Self-Deter-
mination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 (25 
U.S.C. 450–458bbb2). Program functions, services, and 
activities or portions thereof carried out by the National 
Park Service on Federal land within the Revised Yurok 
Reservation shall be included in a contract or compact to 
the extent allowed under title I or title IV of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. 
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SEC. 4. 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 administered by the Forest Service and as gen-
erally depicted on the map entitled ‘‘USFS Lands To Be 
Transferred To the Yurok Tribe’’ and dated December 7, 
2016. The map shall be on file and available for public 
inspection in the appropriate offices of the Forest Service. 
(b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary of the Interior 
shall hold the land 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 1,229 
acres depicted on the map entitled ‘‘USFS Lands To Be 
Transferred To the Yurok Tribe’’ and dated December 7, 
2016. 
(d) 
GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT
AGREE-
MENTS.—Within one year of enactment of this Act, the 
Secretary of Agriculture and the Tribe shall enter into 
government-to-government consultations and shall develop 
protocols to ensure that research activities of the Forest 
Service on lands taken into trust in this section shall con-
tinue in perpetuity. The Forest Service shall be authorized 
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to enter into cooperative agreements with 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 bound-
aries of the land taken into trust for the Tribe under this 
section. 
(f) USE OF TRUST LAND.—Land taken into trust 
under subsection (a) shall— 
(1) be managed by the Tribe for conservation 
and research purposes; 
(2) not be eligible or used for any gaming activ-
ity carried out under the Indian Gaming Regulatory 
Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.); and 
(3) not be subject to old growth logging. 
SEC. 5. 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 Reservation Boundary’’ and 
dated December 7, 2016, copies of which shall be on file 
and available for public inspection in the appropriate of-
fices of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 
(b) LAND MANAGEMENT.—Subject to the require-
ments of sections 3 and 4— 
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(1) all National Forest System land within the 
revised Yurok Reservation shall continue to be ad-
ministered 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 ad-
ministered by the National Park Service in accord-
ance with applicable laws and regulations. 
SEC. 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’’, an Indian Tribe scenic 
byway, and the Tribe shall be eligible for appropriate 
grants and technical assistance as authorized in section 
162(b) of title 23, United States Code. 
(b) CONTINUED ACCESS AND USE RETAINED.—The 
Tribe shall not prohibit or limit, and the Secretary of the 
Interior shall permit, continued access and use of the Bald 
Hills Road in accordance with section 101(a)(4) of the 
Redwood National Park Expansion Act of 1978 (92 Stat. 
163). 
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SEC. 7. CONFIRMATION OF GOVERNING BODY AND DOCU-
MENTS. 
The governing documents of the Tribe and the gov-
erning body established and elected thereunder, as recog-
nized 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 Res-
ervation. No inference shall be made by this section as 
to outside the revised Yurok Reservation. 
Æ 
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