Environmental Justice Tracker

EJ Tracker Update

Interior Removed Barriers to Tribes’ Land-Into-Trust Applications

Last updated:

April 27, 2021

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Agency Order

Secretary Haaland issued Order 3400, which re-delegated the authority to review and approve land-into-trust applications to the BIA’s regional directors. In 2017, the Trump BLM required these decisions to be made by DOI’s headquarters staff. On the same day, Principal Deputy Solicitor Robert Anderson withdrew several Trump-era legal opinions, reaffirming Interior’s legal authority to take land into trust in Alaska, and removing unduly burdensome process requirements for Tribes seeking to place land into trust.