BLM Takes Historic Action to Settle Alaska’s Land Pattern for All Alaskans

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Today, the Bureau of Land Management took historic action to reduce the State of Alaska’s overselections toward its statehood entitlement by more than 5 million acres. This is a key step in the BLM’s continued partnership with the state and all Alaskans as the bureau works to fulfill statehood entitlements and settle Alaska’s land pattern. These acres—which include more than 4 million acres of selections and nearly 1 million acres of top filings—were initially identified through a separate public process managed by the Alaska Department of Natural Resources.    

Alaskans who depend upon federal public lands, including federally qualified subsistence users, will benefit from today’s action. It immediately opens more than 4 million additional acres of land to the Federal Subsistence priority under the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, addressing one of the most significant consequences of overselections. This action also is a win for Alaska’s mining sector, opening 4 million acres to potential staking of federal mining claims.   

“Today’s action represents a historic step forward in our work to deliver on promises made more than 50 years ago,” said BLM Alaska State Director Kevin Pendergast. “We will continue working with the state, Alaska Native Corporations, tribes, and other partners to make progress on all land entitlements and bring certainty to Alaskans.” 

The Alaska Statehood Act of 1959 and associated acts authorized the transfer of 105 million acres of federal land to the State of Alaska. To date, the BLM has conveyed over 96% of that to the state, and approximately 3.8 million acres remain in its entitlement.  

Prior to today’s actions, the state had more than 13 million acres of selections and nearly 5 million acres of top filings. Top filings reflect the state’s future interest in lands that were unavailable at the time they made their statehood selections. The Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, or ANILCA, and the Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act allow the state to maintain excess selections up to 125% of its entitlement, but over time the state’s selections have exceeded that threshold.   

Now that the state’s overselections have been significantly reduced, BLM has made great progress in fulfilling Alaska’s land pattern and unlocking Alaska’s resource potential, as set forth in Executive Order 14153, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” The BLM will continue its more than 50-year effort to deliver on the largest federal land transfer effort ever undertaken in the United States, ensuring that promises made are promises kept in the Native Allotment Act of 1906, the Alaska Statehood Act, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, and the Dingell Act. The Department of the Interior has also taken action to revoke withdrawals that have frozen progress on statehood entitlements, such as the Dalton Corridor withdrawal revoked earlier this year. Collectively, these efforts bring certainty to lands statewide, benefitting all Alaskans.