Committee reviews resolution urging Congress to honor statehood revenue promise for ANWR and federal lands

Senate staff presented Senate Joint Resolution 19 on April 14, a measure urging Congress to honor revenue treatment tied to Alaska's entry to statehood for oil and mineral production on federal lands.

Laura Asha, staff to Senator Jesse Bjorkman, told the Senate Resources Committee that the Alaska Statehood Act included provisions meant to direct a large share of revenues from mineral production to Alaska. "In the Alaska Statehood Act, they provided for 90% of revenues from production of minerals, including oil and gas, on federal lands be paid to the state of Alaska," Asha said, and argued the resolution "urges Congress to hold to that promise."

Committee members discussed the current revenue sharing framework. A senator observed that "the present situation... it's a 50 50 split and that 50% is a pass through to impacted communities on federal land," and Asha responded that the split varies by region and statute. She said ANWR historically was part of the Statehood Act and its revenue split has been changed in more recent legislation to a 50/50 split, while the National Petroleum Reserve‑Alaska (NPRA) was not part of the Statehood Act and has a different legislative history. Asha also said Senator Bergman requested language be added during drafting to note the 90/10 split where historically applicable.

The committee received no public testimony on SJR 19. Members set an amendment deadline of Wednesday, April 16, at 5 p.m., and the resolution was set aside for further consideration. The record does not show a committee vote on the measure during this session.