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News from the Alaska State Legislature, the Office of Senator Myers
For Immediate Release: May 05, 2025

Senate Requests the U.S. Adhere to Mineral Leasing Act

Senator Robert Myers   Web Site    Send Email

Today, the Alaska State Senate unanimously passed SJR 19, urging the U.S. Congress to honor the terms of the Mineral Leasing Act and the Alaska Statehood Act by providing the state with the agreed upon share of royalties, rentals, and bonuses from the production and sales of natural resources on federal lands.

According to an amendment to the Mineral Leasing Act and the Alaska Statehood Agreement, Alaska is supposed to receive 90% of royalties collected from the development of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPR-A). However, the federal government has consistently reduced the payments for the past 30 years, resulting in the current payment being 50% of royalties.

“Considering that the federal government already owns 62% of Alaska lands – for context, that percentage is 0.8% for New York and 2.2% for Pennsylvania – the importance of upholding the 90/10 terms for ANWR and NPR-A is paramount,” said Senator Shelley Hughes (R – Palmer), a Resources Committee member.

The vast amount of land owned by the federal government severely impacts Alaska’s ability to collect revenue from our resources. These agreements were enacted to ensure Alaska is paid its fair share and to decrease its dependency on the federal government. Currently, Alaska undertakes the burden of development while receiving minimal return within our own economy.

According to Senator Robb Myers (R – North Pole), “Alaska was established to rely on resource development for state revenue. If the federal government will not abide by the original agreement on mineral royalty splits, it should not be surprised at how reliant we are on federal funding.” The Resources Committee member continued, “They are cutting our legs out from underneath us.”

The 50% share collected from the current royalties is designated exclusively to our local governments, affecting public safety, infrastructure, energy, and more. Considering the state government is currently facing a deficit of nearly $2 billion dollars – severely impacting local governments – adherence to the agreement and payment of the royalties is necessary to our future.

According to Senator Mike Shower (R – Wasilla), “It is long past time the federal government honor its promise.” The Senate Minority Leader continued, “Tens of billions of dollars of potential public and private sector development, local and state revenue, jobs, and growth are at stake.”

The Senate Republican Caucus is grateful the Trump Administration has committed to unleashing Alaska’s potential and encouraging investment, however, without the proper adherence to the Mineral Leasing Act and Alaska Statehood Act, the benefits reaped from the expansions of resource development will be limited.

The Senate Republican Caucus strongly supports SJR 19 and desires to halt the payment reductions. We are proud to join with our colleagues in the Senate Majority to encourage the U.S. Congress to uphold the promises of our forebearers and follow the law as it was written.

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