A bill to authorize the exchange of lands between an Alaska Native Village Corporation and the Department of the Interior, and for other purposes.

Directs the Secretary of the Interior to accept from the Newtok Native Corporation a conveyance, by limited warranty deed, of certain Alaskan lands previously conveyed to Newtok if such Corporation expresses an intent to enter into a land exchange with the United States within 180 days of enactment of this Act. Directs the Secretary to also accept a relinquishment of irrevocable prioritized selections from Newtok for those validly selected lands not yet conveyed to Newtok. Requires the Secretary, in exchange for the lands from Newtok, to convey to Newtok the surface and subsurface estate of specified Federal lands. Directs the Secretary, after the interim conveyance, to survey the Federal lands at no cost to Newtok and to issue a patent to such lands subject to the provisions of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971 and this Act. Declares that land conveyed to Newtok under this Act shall be deemed to have been conveyed under ANCSA, with specified provisions of ANCSA concerning patents not to apply to such lands. States that, consistent with the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980, such lands shall not be considered part of the Yukon National Wildlife Refuge. Includes the Newtok lands conveyed to the United States in the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, except that residents of the village of Newtok, Alaska, shall retain access rights g…

Congressional Research Service · 2003-04-11