H. R. 3048
One Hundred Seventh Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE SECOND SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Wednesday,
the twenty-third day of January, two thousand and two
An Act
To resolve the claims of Cook Inlet Region, Inc., to lands adjacent to the Russian
River in the State of Alaska.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Russian River Land Act’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Certain lands adjacent to the Russian River in the
area of its confluence with the Kenai River contain abundant
archaeological resources of significance to the Native people
of the Cook Inlet Region, the Kenaitze Indian Tribe, and the
citizens of the United States.
(2) Those lands at the confluence of the Russian River
and Kenai River contain abundant fisheries resources of great
significance to the citizens of Alaska.
(3) Cook Inlet Region, Inc., an Alaska Native Regional
Corporation formed under the provisions of the Alaska Native
Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (herein-
after in this Act referred to as ‘‘ANCSA’’), has selected lands
in the area pursuant to section 14(h)(1) of such Act (43 U.S.C.
1613(h)(1)), for their values as historic and cemetery sites.
(4) The United States Bureau of Land Management, the
Federal agency responsible for the adjudication of ANCSA selec-
tions has not finished adjudicating Cook Inlet Region, Inc.’s
selections under section 14(h)(1) of that Act as of the date
of the enactment of this Act.
(5) The Bureau of Indian Affairs has certified a portion
of Cook Inlet Region, Inc.’s selections under section 14(h)(1)
of ANCSA as containing prehistoric and historic cultural arti-
facts, and meeting the requirements of section 14(h)(1) of that
Act.
(6) A portion of the selections under section 14(h)(1) of
ANCSA made by Cook Inlet Region, Inc., and certified by
the Bureau of Indian Affairs lies within the Chugach National
Forest over which the United States Forest Service is the
agency currently responsible for the administration of public
activities, archaeological features, and natural resources.
(7) A portion of the selections under section 14(h)(1) of
ANCSA and the lands certified by the Bureau of Indian Affairs
lies within the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge over which the
United States Fish and Wildlife Service is the land managing
H. R. 3048—2
agency currently responsible for the administration of public
activities, archaeological features, and natural resources.
(8) The area addressed by this Act lies within the Sqilantnu
Archaeological District which was determined eligible for the
National Register of Historic Places on December 31, 1981.
(9) Both the Forest Service and the Fish and Wildlife
Service dispute the validity and timeliness of Cook Inlet Region,
Inc.’s selections under section 14(h)(1) of ANCSA.
(10) The Forest Service, Fish and Wildlife Service, and
Cook Inlet Region, Inc., determined that it was in the interest
of the United States and Cook Inlet Region, Inc., to—
(A) protect and preserve the outstanding historic, cul-
tural, and natural resources of the area;
(B) resolve their disputes concerning the validity of
Cook Inlet Region, Inc.’s selections under section 14(h)(1)
of ANCSA without litigation; and
(C) provide for the management of public use of the
area and protection of the cultural resources within the
Sqilantnu Archaeological District, particularly the manage-
ment of the area at the confluence of the Russian and
Kenai Rivers.
(11) Legislation is required to enact the resolution reached
by the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and Cook
Inlet Region, Inc.
(b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to ratify an agree-
ment between the Department of Agriculture, the Department of
the Interior, and Cook Inlet Region, Inc.
SEC. 3. RATIFICATION OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES
FOREST SERVICE, UNITED STATES FISH AND WILDLIFE
SERVICE, AND COOK INLET REGION, INC.
(a) RATIFICATION OF AGREEMENT.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The terms, conditions, covenants, and
procedures set forth in the document entitled ‘‘Russian River
Section 14(h)(1) Selection Agreement’’, which was executed by
Cook Inlet Region, Inc., the United States Department of Agri-
culture, and the United States Department of the Interior
on July 26, 2001, (hereinafter in this Act referred to as the
‘‘Agreement’’), are hereby incorporated in this section, and are
ratified, as to the duties and obligations of the United States
and the Cook Inlet Region, Inc., as a matter of Federal law.
(2) SECTION 5.—The ratification of section 5 of the Agree-
ment is subject to the following conditions:
(A) The Fish and Wildlife Service shall consult with
interested parties when developing an exchange under sec-
tion 5 of the Agreement.
(B) The Secretary of the Interior shall submit to the
Committee on Resources of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of
the Senate a copy of the agreement implementing any
exchange under section 5 of the Agreement not less than
30 days before the exchange becomes effective.
(3) AGREEMENT CONTROLS.—In the event any of the terms
of the Agreement conflict with any other provision of law,
the terms of the Agreement shall be controlling.
H. R. 3048—3
(b) AUTHORIZATION OF ACTIONS.—The Secretaries of Agriculture
and the Interior are authorized to take all actions required under
the terms of the Agreement.
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION.
(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appropriated to
the Department of Agriculture, Office of State and Private Forestry,
$13,800,000, to remain available until expended, for Cook Inlet
Region, Inc., for the following:
(1) Costs for the planning and design of the Joint Visitor’s
Interpretive Center.
(2) Planning and design of the Sqilantnu Archaeological
Research Center.
(3) Construction of these facilities to be established in
accordance with and for the purposes set forth in the Agree-
ment.
(b) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Of the amount appropriated
under this section, not more than 1 percent may be used to
reimburse the Forest Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and
the Kenaitze Indian Tribe for the costs they incur in assisting
Cook Inlet Region, Inc. in the planning and design of the Joint
Visitor’s Interpretive Center and the Sqilantnu Archaeological
Research Center.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.