A view of the Lummi Reservation in Washington. Photo from Lummi Nation
The Lummi Nation of Washington signed a cooperative agreement as part of the Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations. The tribe will work with the Interior Department to identify fractionated interests that might be purchased through the program. Offers have not yet been announced on the reservation. “Signing a cooperative agreement with the Interior Department will allow us to place previously unusable fractionated trust lands into ownership of the tribe and compensate landowners willing to sell for the betterment of the tribal community,” Chairman Timothy Ballew said in a press release. The $3.4 billion Cobell settlement provided $1.9 billion for Indian landowners who want to sell their fractionated interests. DOI will pay "fair market value" as required by the Indian Land Consolidation Act. Since the program started in November 2013, DOI has paid nearly $340 million to individual Indians, according to a press release. The equivalent of more than 540,000 acres has been restored to tribes. Deputy secretary Michael Connor will be holding a listening session on the program next week on the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona. Get the Story:
Press Release: Lummi Nation Partners with Department of the Interior in Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations (DOI 3/9) Federal Register Notice:
Land Buy-Back Program for Tribal Nations under Cobell Settlement (March 3, 2015)
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