COLUSA, CA – The Cachil DeHe Band of Wintun Indians of the Colusa Indian Community of the Colusa Rancheria, California (Colusa Indian Community) announced that its tribal leasing ordinance has been approved under the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership (HEARTH) Act.
The approval gives the tribe authority to negotiate and enter into leases of its trust lands without further approval from the Secretary of the Interior or Bureau of Indian Affairs. It was issued June 22, 2026, by William Henry Kirkland III, Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs, and published in the Federal Register on June 26.
Under the ordinance, business and agricultural leases, including those for energy projects, may run for up to 25 years with two additional 25-year renewal options. Residential leases may run for up to 75 years. Improvements, leaseholds and lease-related activities on the lands are federally preempted from state and local taxation and may instead be taxed by the Tribe.
The approval is expected to shorten timelines for energy and infrastructure projects being developed on Colusa Rancheria lands by Colusa Indian Energy (CIE), a tribally chartered energy developer wholly owned by the Colusa Indian Community. By placing land-use decisions directly with the Tribe, the ordinance advances the Community’s efforts toward greater energy sovereignty and self-determination.
“Nobody knows our lands better than our own people. Leasing decisions now happen here at Colusa, on the tribe’s timeline, and that is how it should be,” said Wayne R. Mitchum, Jr., Chairman of the Colusa Indian Community. “We thank the Department for its work on this approval, and we are ready to put it to use for our community.”
“Every project we build starts with land, and until now, every lease on trust land had to go through a federal review that could take months or even years,” said Ken Ahmann, Chief Operating Officer of Colusa Indian Energy. “With this ordinance in place, the tribe sets its own timeline. We have projects ready for the Rancheria, and this approval allows us to get moving on them immediately.”
