Unlocking Native Lands and Opportunities for Commerce and Key Economic Developments Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
In Committee
Summary
Expands tribal control over leasing and rights-of-way. This bill would let tribes lease a wider range of trust and restricted lands and would create a tribal-led framework for granting rights-of-way across tribal land.
Show full summary
- Tribal governments would get broader leasing authority by adding more trust or restricted lands to the Long-Term Leasing Act and removing statutory term limits. They would also be able to adopt tribal regulations to grant rights-of-way while keeping sovereign immunity unless a grant explicitly waives it.
- Project developers and infrastructure providers would see a clearer, faster path to build on tribal land through a tribal rights-of-way process that sets compensation and terms, allows tribal environmental review to substitute for federal review, and gives Interior a 180-day window to act.
- The Department of the Interior would gain new approval, documentation, and oversight duties, including criteria for environmental review, authority to approve or disapprove tribal regulations, and tools to enforce or cancel rights-of-way and rescind approvals. Interested parties would have a process to petition Interior after tribal remedies are exhausted.
Your PRIA Score
Personalized for You
How does this bill affect your finances?
Sign up for a PRIA Policy Scan to see your personalized alignment score for this bill and every other piece of legislation we track. We analyze your financial profile against policy provisions to show you exactly what matters to your wallet.
Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
2 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
More tribal land leasing options
If enacted, more tribal trust lands could be leased under the Long-Term Leasing Act. The bill would add lands listed by the Secretary under the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act. It would also remove the Act's explicit maximum lease term so tribes and lessees can negotiate longer leases.
Tribes can grant rights-of-way
If enacted, tribes could grant rights-of-way across their trust land under a Tribal regulation the Secretary approves. The Secretary would have 180 days to approve or disapprove a submitted regulation, unless extended after consultation. Approved Tribal rules must include an environmental review with public notice, comment, and tribe responses, or the tribe may rely on a federal agency review for federally funded projects. Tribes must give Interior copies of rights-of-way and payment records when payments go to the tribe. The bill says the United States would not be liable for losses to parties from Tribal-granted rights-of-way. The Secretary could still enforce or cancel rights-of-way under regulatory procedures, and tribal sovereign immunity and jurisdiction are preserved unless a grant says otherwise.
Free Policy Watch
You just read the policy. Now see what it costs you.
Pick a topic. PRIA runs your household against live legislation and sends you a free personalized readout.
Pick a topic to get started
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
HI • D
Cosponsors
Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
AK • R
Sponsored 12/8/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.govTake It Personal
Get Your Personalized Policy View
Take the PRIA Score to see how policy affects your household, then upgrade to PRIA Full Coverage for year-round monitoring.
Already have an account? Sign in