In preparation for the November 2026 midterm elections, we put together a list sorted by state of ongoing LANDBACK work that folks can ask candidates about when making voting decisions. This list includes legislation, news, and calls to action from tribes and communities that impact the stewardship of land and water by Indigenous Peoples.
Some examples of questions that you could ask your representatives and candidates about include:
- Do you support/oppose [Bill/Act]?
- What is your plan to help ensure that [Bill/Act] passes/does not pass?
- Can you comment on your support for/involvement in [LANDBACK work]?
LANDBACK related efforts in this list are tagged with the following labels:
SUPPORT: Legislation and actions that help further LANDBACK work. We are asking candidates and representatives to support and work in favor of these items.
OPPOSE: Legislation and actions that undermine LANDBACK work and harm our lands, waters, and communities. We are asking candidates and representatives to oppose and work against these items.
PAY ATTENTION TO: Broader happenings related to LANDBACK work. These are items that candidates and representatives could be asked to comment on.
You can submit additions to this list here. We will be updating it frequently over the coming weeks!
- PAY ATTENTION TO Poarch Creek Band of Creek Indians is currently weighing in on planned solar development that could impact important cultural sites [1, 2]
- PAY ATTENTION TO The Senate Committee of Indian Affairs is not taking a clear stance on the S. 1750 Poarch Creek Band of Creek Indians Parity Act, which affirms that the Indian Reorganization Act applies to the nation and would enable the Department of the Interior to take land into trust for the tribe. [3, 4]
- SUPPORT H.R.41, the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives in June 2026 and now needs to pass the U.S. Senate. H.R.41 will correct the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), which left five Alaska Native communities without land or recognized status. If passed, these five Alaska Native communities will have some of their traditional homelands restored to their ownership. [1]
- OPPOSE Through the USDA, the Trump administration is actively working to rescind the Roadless Rule of 2001. This would eliminate protections for forestlands nationwide, including the Tongass National Forest. The Tongass National Forest is the biggest national forest and the traditional homeland of the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian peoples. [2, 3]
- SUPPORT The Neets’ąįį Gwich’in Tribal governments are actively engaged in litigation challenging the Department of the Interior’s oil and gas leasing program for the Coastal Plain, which is part of the 1.5 million acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge formed by the Trump administration for fossil fuel extraction. [4]
- PAY ATTENTION TO Court struck down lawsuit by multiple groups including Chickaloon Tribal Council to revoke permit for planned Gold Mine in Lake Clark National Park [5, 6, 7]
- OPPOSE The proposed Ambler mining road project recently opened to public review and a comment period. If passed, the project would create an industrial open-pit extraction mine that requires access via the undeveloped 211 mile Ambler mining road. This would harm and endanger Alaska Native communities, wildlife including the Western Arctic caribou, and clean drinking water. [8]
- SUPPORT The Northeastern Arizona Indian Water Rights Settlement Act (S.953) is a proposed federal law that would secure water for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe and San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe. It would create a permanent reservation for the San Jaun Southern Paiute, deliver running water to communities, and provide funding for critical infrastructure. It is currently stalled after Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming opposed it being codified by Congress. [1, 2]
- SUPPORT Tohono O’odham opposition to the border wall on their sovereign land. [3, 4, 5]
- PAY ATTENTION TO Quartz Valley Nation is set to acquire 40,000 acres in Klamath River Basin. [1]
- PAY ATTENTION TO Seven tribal nations reach co-management agreement with state & local governments over Clear Lake. [2]
- PAY ATTENTION TO The ytt Northern Chumash Tribe is in the process of acquiring the 360 acre Cayucos Abalone Ranch. Received $13m in funding so far, process is ongoing with closing scheduled October 2026. ytt Northern Chumash Tribe does not have a reservation, this would constitute their first land purchase. [3]
- SUPPORT CNRA has introduced the Tribal Stewardship Policy with aim to expand tribal stewardship to over 7.5 million acres of land and coastal waters. [4]
- SUPPORT CDFA launches Tribal Food Sovereignty Grant Program starting in 2027. Program includes funding for ancestral land return and tribal land acquisition projects. [5]
- SUPPORT House Bill 365 to establish Commission for Indigenous Affairs passed the state house and senate in June 2026. It now needs to be signed into law by the governor. [1]
- PAY ATTENTION TO The Ocmulgee Mounds National Park Redesignation Act (H.R.9416) is a bill that was recently introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives that would redesignate the Ocmulgee Mounds Historical Park to the “Ocmulgee Mounds National Park.” The bill states that it will not prevent Ocmulgee Mounds leadership from consulting with the Muscogee Creek Nation on protecting cultural sites within the park. The 133.88 acres of land in fee by the Muscogee Creek Nation would also be put in a trust. [1, 2]
- PAY ATTENTION TO ~23,000 acres of land were leased to the U.S. Army for just one dollar in 1964. These lands, which should be stewarded by Native Hawaiians, have suffered from soil and water contamination. The leases are set to expire in 2029, and renewal negotiations are currently underway. [1]
- OPPOSE The Navy continues to pump an average of 1.7 million gallons of water from the Red Hill well, filter it, and dump it in a nearby stream every day, wasting fresh groundwater on O’ahu. [2]
- PAY ATTENTION TO Trust for Public Land is returning more than 11,000 acres to Penobscot Nation as part of their larger 30,000+ acres goal. [1]
- SUPPORT The Bay Mills Indian Community’s fight against Enbridge’s Line 5 pipeline, which would run through their treaty protected sacred homelands and impact communities, local businesses, and the environment. [1]
- OPPOSE A copper mine has been proposed in the Boundary Waters watershed. This mine would cause irreversible harm to water quality, wildlife, public health, and a sustainable outdoor recreation-based economy. [1]
- OPPOSE The Magellan Pipeline Company wants to reroute ~0.74 miles of an 8-inch petroleum pipeline near Pipestone National Monument. Pipestone is sacred, and carries deep cultural importance for the Oceti Sakowin. [2, 3]
- PAY ATTENTION TO The Bureau of Land Management issued a decision to rescind bison grazing permits in May 2026. Bison have been ordered to be removed from over 60,000 acres of public lands in Montana by the end of September 2026, but two lawsuits have been filed in federal court to overturn the new policy. [1]
- OPPOSE The Thacker Pass Lithium Mine Project is a massive open-pit lithium mine planned by Lithium Nevada Corporation. It has received federal approval without any meaningful consultation from tribes. [1]
- OPPOSE The Dewey-Burdock Uranium Project is a proposed mine covering approximately 10,580 acres across private and federal lands within the Ȟe Sápa. It poses major threats to the health of people, animals, land, and water in the area. [1]
- PAY ATTENTION TO The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe is in the process of taking over full stewardship of Protection Island by transferring land from Fish and Wildlife to BIA. The 370-acre island hosts 72% of the nesting seabirds in Puget Sound. [1]
- SUPPORT The Lummi Nation has filed a federal lawsuit against Whidbey Telecom. Whidbey Telecom’s construction on a broadband project desecrated ancestral burial grounds at Point Roberts. [2, 3]
- OPPOSE Rare Element Resources Inc. wants to build a 100+ acre open pit mine in the forest near Mato Tipila in Bull Hill, WY. The Bear Lodge Rare Earth Projectis a Fast 41 project, meaning that this permitting process could be expedited up to 18 months sooner. It will directly impact local air quality, cultural & sacred sites, wildlife species and habitats, and local water resources. [1]