HR 3903: Chugach Alaska Land Exchange Oil Spill Recovery Act of 2025

HR 3903 in plain English: This bill authorizes a land exchange between the Chugach Alaska Corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation, and the federal government. Chugach would convey approximately 231,000 acres of subsurface estate to the Department of the Interior, which in return must convey approximately 65,374 acres of fee simple land in the Chugach region to Chugach. The exchange covers land on the Kenai Peninsula and the coast of Prince William Sound in Alaska.

Stated purpose

To authorize a land exchange between the Chugach Alaska Corporation (an Alaska Native regional corporation) and the federal government, and to consolidate federal ownership of surface and subsurface land in the Chugach region as part of recovery efforts tied to the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Habitat Protection and Acquisition Program.

Key points

• Chugach Alaska Corporation would transfer approximately 231,000 acres of subsurface estate to the federal government.
• The federal government would transfer approximately 65,374 acres of fee simple land in the Chugach region to Chugach.
• Chugach must make its offer within one year of the bill's enactment for the exchange to proceed.
• Up to 209 acres can be excluded from Chugach's conveyance if a village corporation holds development rights or if land is designated for a shareholder homesite program.

Arguments supporters make

• The exchange resolves a longstanding split between surface and subsurface ownership created after the Exxon Valdez spill, giving the federal government unified control over protected conservation lands.
• Chugach Alaska Corporation receives full fee simple ownership of its exchange lands, giving Alaska Native shareholders clearer and more usable property rights in their ancestral region.
• Consolidating ownership eliminates legal complexity and potential conflicts between surface and subsurface rights holders, making land management simpler for everyone involved.

Arguments opponents make

• Chugach Alaska is giving up roughly 231,000 acres of subsurface rights in exchange for about 65,374 acres of fee simple land, and critics may question whether this is a fair or equal trade for the corporation and its shareholders.
• Transferring National Forest System land out of federal ownership reduces the publicly managed land base in the Chugach region, which some may argue limits future public conservation or recreational options.
• The bill directs the Secretary to accept the exchange if offered within one year, leaving limited flexibility to renegotiate terms or conduct additional review if conditions change.

Tradeoffs

The federal government gains consolidated ownership of protected conservation lands at the cost of transferring roughly 65,000 acres of National Forest land to a private Native corporation; Chugach Alaska gains full ownership of a smaller area but gives up subsurface rights across a much larger one.

Current status in Congress: Passed House.

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