8-Year Boundary Error in Jonesville PUA Finally Corrected

A technical error that left a section of land out of the Jonesville Public Use Area for eight years is heading to the governor's desk for correction after unanimous votes in both legislative chambers.

Senate Bill 230, sponsored by Senator George Rauscher, a Sutton Republican, passed the House unanimously on May 15, 2026, and received Senate concurrence on May 16, 2026. The bill corrects boundary language for the Jonesville Public Use Area by including land that was omitted when the area was created in 2018.

The Alaska State Legislature established the Jonesville Public Use Area in 2018 by passing House Bill 6. The Department of Natural Resources discovered the omission only when it began drafting regulatory standards for the area. A section of land intended to be part of the public use area had been left out of the original bill.

The omission delayed full implementation of the public use area. The Department of Natural Resources cannot complete the regulatory process until the statutory boundaries are corrected.

Senate Bill 230 uses boundary language provided by the Department of Natural Resources to fix the omission. The bill aligns the legal description with the original legislative intent while continuing to protect existing land rights.

"This is a great day for Sutton and long overdue," Rauscher said. "I commend my colleagues for recognizing the importance of making the Jonesville Public Use Area whole."

The bill will now be transmitted to Governor Mike Dunleavy. Once approved, the Department of Natural Resources will be able to complete the regulatory process with the correct boundaries in statute.