I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4995 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal Wildlife Corridors, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 10, 2021 
Mr. GALLEGO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committee on Agri-
culture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To require the Secretary of the Interior to establish Tribal 
Wildlife Corridors, 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 ‘‘Tribal Wildlife Cor-
ridors Act of 2021’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 
has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 
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Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Di-
rector of the United States Fish and Wildlife Serv-
ice, in consultation with the Director of the Bureau 
of Indian Affairs. 
SEC. 3. TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.— 
(A) NOMINATIONS.—An Indian Tribe may 
nominate a corridor within the boundaries of 
the land of the Indian Tribe as a Tribal Wild-
life Corridor by submitting to the Secretary an 
application at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such information as the Secretary 
may require. 
(B) DETERMINATION.—Not later than 90 
days after the date on which the Secretary re-
ceives an application under subparagraph (A), 
the Secretary shall determine whether the nomi-
nated Tribal Wildlife Corridor described in the 
application meets the criteria established under 
paragraph (2). 
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(C) PUBLICATION.—On approval of an ap-
plication under subparagraph (B), the Sec-
retary shall publish in the Federal Register a 
notice of the establishment of the Tribal Wild-
life Corridor, which shall include a map and 
legal description of the land designated as a 
Tribal Wildlife Corridor. 
(2) CRITERIA.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 18 
months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall establish criteria for deter-
mining whether a corridor nominated by an In-
dian Tribe under paragraph (1)(A) qualifies as 
a Tribal Wildlife Corridor. 
(B) INCLUSIONS.—The criteria established 
under subparagraph (A) shall include, at a min-
imum, the following: 
(i) The restoration of historical habi-
tat 
for 
the 
purposes 
of 
facilitating 
connectivity. 
(ii) The management of land for the 
purposes of facilitating connectivity. 
(iii) The management of land to pre-
vent the imposition of barriers that may 
hinder current or future connectivity. 
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(3) REMOVAL.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—An Indian Tribe may 
elect to remove the designation of a Tribal 
Wildlife Corridor on the land of the Indian 
Tribe by notifying the Secretary. 
(B) EFFECT
OF
REMOVAL.—An Indian 
Tribe that elects to remove a designation under 
subparagraph (A) may not receive assistance 
under subsection (c) or (d). 
(b) COORDINATION OF LAND USE PLANS.—Section 
202 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1712) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Indian tribes by’’ and in-
serting the following: ‘‘Indian Tribes— 
‘‘(1) by’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 
striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; 
and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) for the purposes of determining whether 
the land use plans for land in the National Forest 
System would provide additional connectivity to ben-
efit the purposes of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor estab-
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lished under section 3(a)(1) of the Tribal Wildlife 
Corridors Act of 2021.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS.—On the estab-
lishment of a Tribal Wildlife Corridor under section 
3(a)(1) of the Tribal Wildlife Corridors Act of 2021, the 
Secretary shall conduct a meaningful consultation with the 
Indian Tribe that administers the Tribal Wildlife Corridor 
to determine whether, through the revision of 1 or more 
existing land use plans, the Tribal Wildlife Corridor can— 
‘‘(1) be expanded into public lands; or 
‘‘(2) otherwise benefit connectivity between pub-
lic lands and the Tribal Wildlife Corridor.’’. 
(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary shall 
provide to Indian Tribes technical assistance relating to 
the establishment, management, and expansion of a Tribal 
Wildlife Corridor, including assistance with accessing wild-
life data and working with voluntary private landowners 
to access Federal and State programs to improve wildlife 
habitat and connectivity on non-Federal land. 
(d) AVAILABILITY OF ASSISTANCE.— 
(1) TRIBAL WILDLIFE CORRIDORS GRANT PRO-
GRAM.— 
(A) 
ESTABLISHMENT.—The 
Secretary 
shall establish a Tribal Wildlife Corridors grant 
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program (referred to in this subsection as the 
‘‘program’’) to encourage wildlife movement in 
accordance with this section. 
(B) GRANTS.—Beginning not later than 3 
years after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the Secretary shall make grants under the pro-
gram to 1 or more Indian Tribes to increase 
connectivity through Tribal Wildlife Corridors. 
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary to carry out the program $50,000,000 for fis-
cal year 2022 and each fiscal year thereafter. 
(e) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section au-
thorizes or affects the use of private property or Indian 
land. 
SEC. 4. PROTECTION OF INDIAN TRIBES. 
(a) FEDERAL TRUST RESPONSIBILITY.—Nothing in 
this Act or an amendment made by this Act amends, al-
ters, or waives the Federal trust responsibility to Indian 
Tribes. 
(b) FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT.— 
(1) EXEMPTION.—Information described in 
paragraph (2) shall not be subject to disclosure 
under section 552 of title 5, United States Code 
(commonly known as the ‘‘Freedom of Information 
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Act’’), if the head of the agency that receives the in-
formation, in consultation with the Secretary and 
the affected Indian Tribe, determines that disclosure 
may— 
(A) cause a significant invasion of privacy; 
(B) risk harm to human remains or re-
sources, cultural items, uses, or activities; or 
(C) impede the use of a traditional reli-
gious site by practitioners. 
(2) INFORMATION
DESCRIBED.—Information 
referred to in paragraph (1) is information received 
by a Federal agency— 
(A) pursuant to this Act or an amendment 
made by this Act relating to— 
(i) the location, character, or owner-
ship of human remains of a person of In-
dian ancestry; or 
(ii) resources, cultural items, uses, or 
activities identified by an Indian Tribe as 
traditional or cultural because of the long- 
established significance or ceremonial na-
ture to the Indian Tribe; or 
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(B) pursuant to the Native American 
Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (25 
U.S.C. 3001 et seq.). 
Æ 
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