H.R. 10458: Grand Ronde Land Transfer Act of 2026

This bill would transfer about 18,628 acres of federal land to be held in trust by the United States for the benefit of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Community of Oregon. In practical terms, the land would become part of the Grand Ronde Reservation and would be managed under the rules that apply to tribal trust land.

What land is affected

The bill covers federal land identified on a Forest Service map dated July 23, 2026. The exact boundaries would be finalized later through a legal description and survey. If the survey and the map or acreage estimate differ, the survey would control unless the Interior Secretary and the Tribe agree otherwise.

How the transfer would work

The bill would move administrative jurisdiction over the land from the Secretary of Agriculture to the Secretary of the Interior. It would then place the U.S. government’s interest in the land into trust for the Tribe, including improvements on the land and subsurface resources such as minerals, oil, and gas, subject to existing rights like rights-of-way.

The Interior Secretary would have up to two years after enactment to provide a legal description of the land and complete a survey establishing the boundaries. The map and survey would have the same legal effect as if they were written directly into the bill, except for clerical or typographical corrections.

Rules for use and management

The bill says the transfer would not affect any existing land claims or rights the Tribe may already have, unless the bill specifically says otherwise.

It also includes several limits and requirements:

• Any federal rules on exporting unprocessed logs would still apply to logs harvested from the land.
• The trust land could not be used for class II or class III gaming under federal Indian gaming law.
• Within 180 days, the Interior Secretary would have to enter into an agreement with the Tribe to preserve existing administrative access for the federal government.
• Existing reciprocal right-of-way and cooperative agreements would be provided to the Tribe, and the Tribe would continue those access arrangements in perpetuity once the land is transferred into trust.
• The land would not be subject to certain federal land-use planning laws that normally apply to federal public land.
• Any forest management on the land would have to follow applicable federal and tribal laws.

Public access

The bill says the land would remain open to the public for hunting, fishing, and general recreation. The Tribe would still be allowed to limit or regulate access for public safety, administration, fish or wildlife management, or emergencies.

Relevant Companies

None found