HR 2389: Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act

HR 2389 in plain English: This bill transfers approximately 72 acres of land in Washington state from the U.S. Forest Service to the Department of the Interior, which must then hold the land in trust for the Quinault Indian Nation. The land would become part of the tribe's reservation, and gaming would be prohibited on it.

Stated purpose

To transfer approximately 72 acres of federal Forest Service land in Washington State into trust for the Quinault Indian Nation, making it part of the tribe's reservation.

Key points

• Transfers approximately 72 acres in Washington from the U.S. Forest Service to the Department of the Interior
• Interior must hold the land in trust for the benefit of the Quinault Indian Nation
• The transferred land becomes part of the Quinault Indian Nation's reservation
• Prohibits gaming on the land taken into trust
• Requires disclosure of any hazardous substances on the land, but does not mandate cleanup

Arguments supporters make

• Returning this land to the tribe's reservation helps restore the Quinault Indian Nation's land base, which was reduced over generations through federal policies.
• Placing the land in trust gives the tribe stronger legal authority to manage and protect it according to tribal laws and needs.
• The bill explicitly prohibits gaming on the land, addressing a common concern and showing the transfer is intended for non-commercial tribal purposes.

Arguments opponents make

• The bill does not require the government to clean up any hazardous substances found on the land before the transfer, potentially leaving the tribe with environmental problems it did not create and may lack resources to address.
• Moving federal Forest Service land out of public ownership reduces land available to the general public and removes it from standard federal environmental and land-use oversight.
• Critics of land-into-trust transfers argue the process removes land from local and state tax rolls and regulatory reach, shifting costs and responsibilities to surrounding communities.

Tradeoffs

The transfer expands the tribe's land base and self-governance, but the land comes with a disclosure-only—not cleanup—requirement for hazardous materials, meaning environmental risks stay with the land. Public access and federal oversight of the acreage are also reduced in exchange for tribal control.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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