Alaska D-1 Withdrawals

Congress passes the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), setting aside over 100 million acres of public lands for inclusion in National Parks, Refuges, Conservation Areas, Recreation Areas, National Forest, and National Wild and Scenic River Systems.  These new conservation system units include lands that had been previously withdrawn as D-1’s, and added to existing parks, refuges, forests, and wild and scenic river systems created by prior different withdrawals. ANILCA also includes provisions that call for the review of some D-1 lands for partial revocation, or to allow certain uses. Based on the BLM’s analysis, the Secretary issues PLOs on approximately 10 million acres statewide; the new PLOs have the effect of partially revoking (i.e. allowing for additional uses on the withdrawn lands) prior D-1withdrawals.   

Congress passes the Alaska Land Transfer Acceleration Act (ALTAA). Section 207 of ALTAA directs the Secretary of the Interior to review the D-1 withdrawals to determine if any portion of the withdrawn lands can be opened for other purposes  under the public land laws. At this stage, the original more than 158 million acres of D-1 withdrawals remain in place, though some have already been modified, and some overlap the ANILCA-created conservation areas described above. Nearly 57 million acres of these D-1’s are on BLM-managed lands.  

The BLM submits its ALTAA Section 207 report to Congress, recommending revocation of the D-1 withdrawals on approximately 50.1 million acres of BLM-managed land. In the report, the BLM recommends that its land use planning process be used to address review of these withdrawals.  

The BLM develops resource management plans and records of decision for all BLM-managed lands in Alaska. Each resource management plan analyzes potential revocation of D-1 withdrawals as described in the BLM’s ALTAA Sec. 207 report, and most provide recommendations to the Secretary of the Interior to revoke the D-1 withdrawals.

The Secretary of the Interior revokes D-1 withdrawals in Goodnews Bay area, and opens approximately 230,000 acres to normal BLM management under all public land and mining laws, as recommended by BLM in the Bay Resource Management Plan.  This is the first area in the state where D-1 withdrawals are completely revoked. Since revocation occurred, these lands have been managed for multiple use by the BLM, and some of the land has been conveyed to the State. Though the history of these lands includes historic mining, there has not been any new uses permitted in the area since revocation occurred. 

The Secretary of the Interior revokes D-1 withdrawals in the Fortymile region of the Eastern Interior planning area and the Bering Glacier region of the East Alaska planning area, consistent with the recommendations made by the BLM in their respective resource management plans. These D-1 withdrawals had covered approximately 1.4 million acres. Since revocation occurred, these lands have been under normal BLM management under all public land and mining laws, and some of the land has been conveyed to Alaska Native Corporations under ANCSA. There has not been any significant industry development in the area. 

In January 2021, the Secretary signs and publishes Public Land Order 7899, which would have revoked D-1 withdrawals within the Kobuk-Seward Peninsula planning area, consistent with the recommendations in the resource management plan.  At the same time, the Secretary signs four public land orders (7900 – 7903), to revoke D-1 withdrawals within the Ring of Fire, Bay, Bering Sea – Western Interior, and East Alaska planning areas, consistent with the recommendations in their respective management plans; however, those public land orders are never published in the Federal Register.  In total, those five public land orders would have revoked D-1 withdrawals on approximately 28 million acres across all five planning areas. 

In April 2021, the Department of the Interior defers (i.e. takes action to pull it back from the Federal Register before the effective date) the opening order for Public Land Order 7899 (Kobuk-Seward Peninsula), and does not publish the four remaining public land orders, pending further review. 

As an initial step in the review, the BLM completes an environmental assessment to open lands within the five planning areas to selection under the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program (ANVLAP).  This analysis results in new PLOs 7912 and 7929, which partially revoke D-1 withdrawals to open approximately 28 million acres specifically to selection by eligible applicants under the ANVLAP. 

 BLM analyzes the impacts of opening lands in the 2021 public land orders (7899, 7900, 7901, 7902, and 7903) in the ANCSA 17(d)(1) Withdrawals Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).  The Secretary at the time signs a decision selecting the no action alternative, and publishes Public Land Order 7947, rescinding all five public land orders from 2021, thus keeping the approximately 28 million acres as continued “D-1 withdrawals.” Learn more about that decision and review supporting documents on the BLM National NEPA Register project webpage. 

Separately, BLM publishes Public Land order 7952, opening over 11 million additional acres in the Central Yukon planning area for selection by qualified applicants under the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program. 

In January 2025, Executive Order 14153—”Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential”—directs the Department to evaluate changes to D-1 withdrawals, including to Public Land Order 5150 and to open the lands evaluated in the 2024 EIS.  

In February 2026, BLM published Public Land Order 7966, revoking PLOs 5150 and 5180, and opening 2.1 million acres of lands within the Dalton Utility Corridor north of the Yukon River. 

The BLM is currently undertaking a process, which includes consultation with local tribes and entities. If DOI fulfills the direction provided in Executive Order 14153, these 28 million acres – like all of BLM’s multiple use lands generally – would be available for the full range of uses under BLM’s multiple use mandate under the public land and mining laws.