In accordance with President Trump's direction to review new and pending regulations and agency statements of general applicability, the Department is reviewing M-Opinion 37043 (Sol. Op. M-37043) issued on January 13, 2017.  See M-Opinion 37053.  The opinion assesses the Secretary's authority to take land into trust in Alaska under the IRA in light of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) and the Supreme Court's decision in Carieri v. Salazar.   On June 20, the Department determined it was necessary to withdraw Sol. Op. M-37043 pending further review and consultation because M-Opinion fails to fully discuss the possible implications of legislation enacted after ANCSA upon the Secretary's authority to take land into trust in Alaska.  The Department invited both Federally recognized Tribes in Alaska and Alaska Native Corporations to participate in the consultation to discuss the Secretary's legal authority to take land into trust in Alaska and on the issues left unresolved by Sol. Op. M-37043.

Comment Period

The comment period of March 15, 2019, has closed. The comments received are available at the bottom of this page.
 

Consultation and Public Meetings 

If you plan to attend any of the sessions below, please RSVP to consultation@bia.gov.  Also, please regularly check this website for additional information regarding venue locations and any changes to the schedule.
 
***The consultation sessions previously scheduled for Bethel, AK and Kotzebue, AK have been rescheduled.  The rescheduled dates and locations are reflected in the table below.  The letter announcing the rescheduled meetings and the new comment deadline of March 15, 2019 is available here.***
 
**Please note the consultation sessions previously scheduled for Bethel, AK on Wednesday, December 5, 2018, and Kotzebue, AK on Thursday, December 6, 2018, were canceled (the letter announcing the cancellation is available here) and have been rescheduled for Bethel, AK on Wednesday, January 16, 2019, and Kotzebue, AK on Thursday, January 17, 2019. The rescheduled dates and locations are reflected in the table below.  In addition, the comment deadline has been extended to January 25, 2019.

 

Event
Date
Time (All times are AKDT)
Location
Listening Session
Thursday, July 26, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Morris Thompson Center
101 Dunkel Street
Fairbanks, AK  99701
Public Meeting
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Elizabeth Peratrovich Hall
320 W. Willoughby Avenue
Juneau, AK 99801
Tribal Consultation
Friday, August 3, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Ketchikan Public Library
1110 Copper Ridge Lane
Ketchikan, AK  99901
ANC Consultation
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Egan Convention Center
Summit Hall 4 (Located on the lower level)
555 West 5th Avenue
Anchorage, AK  99501
Tribal Consultation
Sunday, October 21, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Egan Convention Center
Summit Hall 4 (Located on the lower level)
555 West 5th Avenue
Anchorage, AK  99501
Tribal Consultation
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Teleconference
Phone: (877) 716-4291
Passcode: 6919058
Tribal Consultation
Tuesday, March 5, 2019
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Yupiit Piciryarait Cultural Center
420 Chief Eddie Highway
Bethel, AK  99559
Tribal Consultation
Thursday, March 7, 2019
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Northwest Arctic Heritage Center
171 Third Avenue
Kotzebue, AK  99752

Comments Received

Comments posted in the tables are in no particular order.
 
Arctic Slope Regional Corporation Mitchell, Donald