Alaska tribes’ are in legal limbo after the Interior Department said it was suspending accepting lands into federal trust pending a fresh legal review,. Many tribes in Alaska have long sought trust status for land that exempts it from state and local jurisdictions.
"Department of Interior"
Fresh doubt for Alaska tribes seeking land-in-trust
For decades, the Interior department has gone back and forth over whether Alaska tribes can put land in trust, or whether that’s precluded by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
How Trump nominees talks about climate; what it means for Alaska
When asked about climate change, the nominees for senior posts at the departments of Interior and Energy have very similar answers – the climate is changing, and humans play a role. But how big a role, they can’t say.
Bans on game harvest techniques currently under review
The Trump administration has directed the National Park Service in Alaska and the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge to reconsider bans on certain state allowed game harvest techniques.
Interior nominee sees ‘clean slate’ on land in trust
Tribes that want to place land in federal trust, giving them Indian Country jurisdiction, are still waiting to see how the Trump administration will treat their applications. The nominee for deputy Interior secretary, David Bernhardt, suggests history won’t be any guide.
9th Circuit Court rules in favor of Shell’s spill response plans
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of spill response plans for Arctic drilling put forward by Royal Dutch Shell.