BLM cuts Alaska's statehood land overselections by more than 5 million acres

The Bureau of Land Management on Tuesday reduced the State of Alaska's statehood overselections by more than 5 million acres. The cut covers more than 4 million acres of selections and nearly 1 million acres of top filings. Overselections are claims beyond what the state is still owed.

BLM said the action immediately opens more than 4 million acres to the federal subsistence priority under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and 4 million acres to potential staking of federal mining claims. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources says state-selected land falls outside ANILCA's definition of public land, so the rural subsistence preference does not apply until the state relinquishes the selection. The state says any use of land it gives up must comply with federal management plans and public land orders.

Before Tuesday, the state held more than 13 million acres of selections and nearly 5 million acres of top filings, which mark its future interest in land that was unavailable when it made its statehood selections. ANILCA and the Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act let the state keep selections up to 125 percent of its remaining entitlement. The state must give up selections above that threshold, or the Interior secretary must reject them. BLM said the state had exceeded that threshold.

BLM said the acres were first identified through a separate public process run by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. The state listed 5.7 million acres of selections it could give back in September and took public comment from Sept. 25 to Oct. 26. It cut the list to about 5.2 million acres on Oct. 6. Its maps show 18 locations, including the Kotzebue Peninsula, the Noatak River and the West Ambler access corridor. BLM's release does not say which lands were cut.

The state's project page, last updated Oct. 27, listed no decision on these lands. The state says it will hold more than 10 million acres of claims while it finishes the process.

How much land the state is still owed depends on who is counting. An August state notice of upcoming relinquishment put the remaining entitlement at roughly 3.2 million acres. BLM says the Alaska Statehood Act and related laws authorized transferring 105 million acres and that it has conveyed more than 96 percent, leaving about 3.8 million.

BLM tied the action to Executive Order 14153, "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential." The Department of the Interior's February order revoking the Dalton Corridor withdrawal let about 2.1 million acres of top filings become state selections. As part of that revocation, BLM said then, the state committed to a good faith plan to relinquish excess statehood selections. A BLM decision document says the order took effect March 27, making the lands available for appropriation, including selection by Alaska.

In July, BLM said the last 3.8 million statehood acres are the hardest, because many are top filings on land that is currently unavailable. BLM Alaska State Director Kevin Pendergast said the agency will keep working with the state, Alaska Native corporations, tribes and other partners on all land entitlements.