Details
By Tribal Business News Staff
Policy and Law
July 24, 2026
The Alaska Native Landless Equity Act has advanced to the Senate floor after clearing the Senate Energy and Natural Reon aimed at Native villages excluded under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, would allow five Southeast Alaska communities — Haines, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg and Tenakee Springs — to form Alaska Native village corporations and receive 23,040 acres each. The communities were left out of ANCSA more than 50 years ago, a gap Murkowski said Congress has a responsibility to correct
“There are no better stewards of our Alaska lands than the people who have lived on them for thousands of years,” Murkowski said during the committee’s July 16 markup
She also noted new support from The Wilderness Society and The Nature Conservancy, two groups that previously opposed landless legislation
The measure has drawn criticism from some conservation advocates who argue that transferring 115,000 acres from the Tongass National Forest to new village corporations could lead to privatization and commercial development. Murkowski told Alaska Public Media those concerns overlook the bill’s intent and the communities’ history
A companion bill from Rep. Nick Begich, R‑Alaska, called the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, passed the House in June with no opposition
About The Author
Author: Tribal Business News Staff
To reach the newsroom or submit news, email [email protected].
Other Articles by this author
- Disney Cruise Line signs 15-year agreement with Huna Totem for Icy Strait Point
- Rosebud Sioux Tribe plans $4.6M behavioral health center with $5.4M in foundation support
- Oneida Indian Nation opens first phase of $400M Turning Stone expansion
- The missing data in the prediction market debate
This article is available to paid digital subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access
