Alaska lists 5.7 million acres of land selections it could give back to federal ownership

Alaska could give up claims to roughly 5.7 million acres it selected but never received under statehood, an area about the size of New Jersey. If it does, that land would stay federal, and rural Alaskans would gain a federal subsistence hunting and fishing priority there that doesn't apply while the state holds the claim.

The Department of Natural Resources listed the acreage as candidates for relinquishment in a statewide public notice posted Friday, the first such total the agency has published. No land has been released yet.

Federal law requires the state to shed some of its claims. Alaska was granted about 105 million acres at statehood and holds title to about 102 million. By the department's count, it is still owed about 3.2 million acres. The Bureau of Land Management puts the remainder closer to 3.8 million, though the gap may reflect timing: BLM conveyed about 1.4 million acres in the Dalton Utility Corridor on May 6, which it said fulfilled more than 96 percent of the state's entitlement.

Under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Alaska's pending selections can exceed what it is still owed by no more than 25 percent. On 3.2 million acres, that caps selections at 4 million acres. The Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act says the state must relinquish anything over that limit, and if it doesn't, the Interior secretary must reject the excess. Top filings, claims the state has layered onto land that isn't currently available, don't count toward the cap. Counting those, the state's claims total more than 19 million acres. In recent decisions, the department has said it will consider relinquishing lower-priority lands to reduce its over-selection.

Once relinquished, the land returns to the public domain under BLM management, and the department's own explainer says "the provisions of ANILCA Title VIII will apply." That includes the federal priority for rural subsistence users and guaranteed access for subsistence. On federal public lands, the Federal Subsistence Board can restrict hunting by people who don't qualify for that priority. In 2024, for example, it closed federal lands in Unit 23 in Northwest Alaska to caribou hunting by people who aren't federally qualified subsistence users.

Part of the acreage sits along the Dalton Highway north of the Yukon River, where Public Land Order 7966 partially revoked two 1970s federal land withdrawals in February, opening about 2.1 million acres.

Friday's notice includes maps of the candidate lands but has no comment deadline. The public will get to comment later on specific parcels. Questions go to the department's Lacy Hamner at 907-269-8509.