§3712 Indian Participation in Land Management Activities

Summary

The Secretary must carry out land management on Indian agricultural land using the approved agricultural or integrated resource management plans and must follow tribal laws and ordinances, unless following them would conflict with the United States’ trust responsibility. Unless federal law forbids it, tribal rules about the environment, cultural sites, land use, and similar matters must be respected. The Secretary must help enforce tribal laws, tell people working on the land about those laws, and, if a tribe asks, require federal officials to attend tribal forums. If an Interior regulation conflicts with a plan or tribal law, the Secretary may waive that rule unless doing so would break a federal law or court order or violate the trust responsibility. This does not waive the United States’ sovereign immunity or let tribal courts review the Secretary’s actions.