S. 1514 — Quinault Indian Nation Land Transfer Act

This section directs the administrative transfer of approximately 72 acres of Forest Service land in Washington, depicted as “Allotment 1157” on the specified map, to the Department of the Interior to be held in trust for the Quinault Indian Nation, subject to valid existing rights. The land becomes part of the Quinault Indian Reservation, is administered by the Secretary of the Interior under general federal trust laws and regulations, is ineligible for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, and has no effect on rights under the 1855-1856 Treaty of Olympia. For purposes of the transfer, the Secretary must comply with hazardous substance disclosure requirements under CERCLA section 120(h) (42 U.S.C. 9620(h)) but is not required to remediate or abate such substances. (As background, CERCLA section 120(h) generally requires federal agencies transferring real property to disclose and, absent a statutory exemption, remediate known hazardous substances prior to transfer.)