The nearly 150-acre Cold War installation is located at the ancestral grounds of the Chilkoot village Tanani and should be returned to the tribe, said CIA tribal administrator Greg Stuckey. The federal government is spending millions of dollars cleaning up the site.

"We are looking at recovering the entire tank farm property. But there are 90 acres available now (clean of toxins) that we are pursuing."

Congress can deed the property over to the tribe. U.S. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, has indicated he’ll pursue a transfer to the CIA if the borough agrees, Stuckey said.

On Tuesday, Stuckey sought to persuade assembly members that the deal would be good for Haines.

"Recognizing that you would lose an income stream, we would put it back," he said, offering a percentage of revenue from future development of the site.

However, the borough also has an interest in the land, borough mayor Fred Shields said this week.

"The borough needs an upland staging area for the Lutak dock, and that’s 160 acres sitting near a deep water port."

Shields said it is premature for the borough to take action on the matter, and that more specifics are necessary.

A joint meeting between the borough assembly and CIA tribal council is tentatively scheduled for March 31, but even then, Shields said the decision is one of such import it could go beyond the assembly.

"This could be headed for a vote of the people."

Stuckey invited assembly members to put together a wish list to present to the tribal council at the March 31 meeting.

He said citizens of Haines could benefit from tribal ownership of the tank farm because the CIA could expedite the transfer and development of the lands.

"The tribe can focus every ounce of our resources to the development of this property where the borough cannot ‘drop everything’ to develop the land. The tribe’s ownership means the excess revenues from the property are reinvested in our community through our social programs and capital improvement projects."

Stuckey said CIA has no set plan for the property, but it could be part of a deep-water seaport.

"The main focus of the property is most likely going to center around the deep sea port and connecting with Canada to help them move their resources out to market."

The 90 acres available include industrial waterfront and upland acreage adjacent to the tank farm dock.

If the property is not deeded to the CIA, its transfer may be delayed a decade until the cleanup is complete and the property wends its way through the federal government’s complicated surplus process.

In addition to borough interest in the land, the local landless native group, Deishu Corporation, is seeking federal recognition and compensation and has a request in for the property.

However, an agreement between the CIA and the Deishu Corporation specifies that if a claim is offered to one of the organizations, the other will withdraw their claim.

Stuckey said the tribe’s development could benefit all of Haines. "The increased economic base will make us stronger in our requests for competitive grants and boost the dollars coming into this community from federal and state agencies. The tribe would reinvest the profits... into our social programs and to help fund the other non-profits."