Interior Department would help tribes restore and manage buffalo

The Interior Secretary would enter contracts and agreements and award grants for buffalo work. Indian tribes and eligible tribal groups could receive this support. An eligible group must have a qualifying charter and experience restoring buffalo and their habitat on Indian land. Some groups also need tribal recognition. Support could cover restoration, buffalo businesses, and mobile meat processing. Recipients would get technical help. Federal and state rules for diseased or escaped buffalo would still apply. The bill's authority would end seven years after enactment.

The Interior Secretary would consult tribes and eligible tribal groups and develop a policy for managing buffalo on Indian land. The consultation would involve Indian tribes and eligible tribal groups. The policy would cover buffalo management on Indian land. Consultation would cover Interior Department work affecting buffalo or their habitat, including efforts to control disease. The policy would follow tribal laws and the goals of buffalo programs approved by tribes. Consultation would begin within one year of enactment and continue afterward. The bill's authority would end seven years after enactment.

The Interior Secretary would have to keep certain information from being disclosed. The rule would cover information an Indian tribe or eligible tribal group gives the Secretary. The tribe or group must identify the information as culturally sensitive, confidential business information, or otherwise confidential.

The Interior Secretary could agree to move surplus buffalo to Indian land and waive related charges. Transfers would cover surplus buffalo on federal land managed by the Interior Department and move them to Indian land. A tribe or eligible tribal group could apply under requirements set by the Secretary. An application would not guarantee a transfer. The Secretary could waive charges, including payments for services. The transfer authority would end seven years after enactment.