WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Senate passed bipartisan, bicameral legislation authored by U.S. Senator Gary Peters (MI) to settle the longstanding land claims of the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC).
“The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and local officials have worked together to settle these land claims and provide clear title to those who currently own the property in question,” said Senator Peters. “This legislation is a positive step forward in righting this wrong, and it’s past time to get this commonsense bill signed into law.”
“The KBIC Settlement Act is the product of years of work with our neighbors and friends to address the illegal taking of thousands of acres of our treaty-protected reservation lands,” said KBIC President R.D. Curtis, Jr. “The United States Constitution demands just compensation when the government seizes your land and the KBIC Settlement Act will finally provide our tribe with the justice and compensation we are due. I deeply appreciate the efforts of our Congressional delegation, the State of Michigan, and the United States to work together in healing and justice on this effort.”
“We owe a great debt to Senator Peters who has been an immense champion for our cause over the years,” said KBIC Vice-President Everett Ekdahl, Jr. “His commitment to justice is commendable. KBIC also appreciates Senator Slotkin for immediately making this a priority after her election to the Senate. Finally, we are looking forward to working with our Rep. Bergman to finally get this bill passed by the House of Representatives.”
Through treaties signed in 1842 and 1854, the KBIC was granted occupancy over a large area of land established as the L’Anse Reservation in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Despite those treaties, thousands of acres of reservation land were taken by the federal government without compensation and awarded to the State of Michigan between 1855 and 1937.
The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Land Claim Settlement Act of 2025 – which Peters reintroduced with U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin (MI) – would clear the title of current landowners in the community and provide compensation to the KBIC through the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI). U.S. Representative Bergman (R-MI-01) introduced companion legislation in the House.
The KBIC’s land claims involve the dispossession of between approximately 1,333 and 2,720 acres of land transferred by the United States government to the State of Michigan as compensation for the construction of the Sault Ste. Marie Canal, as well as approximately 2,743 acres of swamplands. The KBIC asserts that as a result of the 1842 and 1854 treaties, these lands were not available for transfer and therefore transferred illegally. The KBIC contends that the inappropriate transfer of these lands has created substantial economic and other harm, through the loss of valuable land in prime locations along Lake Superior that could have been used for a variety of revenue-generating activities over the past 150 years. Meanwhile, non-Indian individuals, entities, and local governments have since acquired the land at issue – in good faith – and now seek to ensure they possess clear title to the land.
The bill – which unanimously passed the Senate last Congress – would authorize funds through the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) that may be used by the KBIC for governmental services, economic development, natural resource protection, and land acquisition.