Legislature(2025 - 2026)BARNES 124
05/09/2025 01:00 PM House RESOURCES
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SJR19 | |
| HB191 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 191 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SJR 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SJR 19-ANWR & NAT'L PETRO RESERVE: STATE SHARE
1:41:59 PM
CO-CHAIR BURKE announced that the first order of business would
be SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 19, Urging the United States
Congress to honor the terms of the Mineral Leasing Act and the
Alaska Statehood Act and provide the state with a 90 percent
share of all bonuses, royalties, and rentals received by the
federal government from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and
the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
1:42:27 PM
LAURA ACHEE, Staff, Senator Jesse Bjorkman, Alaska State
Legislature, introduced SJR 19 on behalf of Senator Jesse
Bjorkman, prime sponsor. She presented the sponsor statement
[hard copy included in the committee packet], summarizing the
major points of the resolution. She stated that President
Trump's Executive Order calling for opening the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and building the Alaska liquified natural
gas (AKLNG) pipeline has many people excited about seeing
increased production of Alaska's petroleum resources. However,
the U.S. Congress has gone back on the promise it made when
Alaska became a state. Alaska should receive 90 percent of the
royalty revenues from production on federal land. Senator
Bjorkman introduced SJR 19, asking congress to uphold the 90/10
promise it made in the Statehood Act. If the state of Alaska
receives its promised 90 percent share, there will be more
revenue to meet the needs of Alaskans including public safety,
roads, schools, and the permanent fund dividend (PFD).
1:43:47 PM
CO-CHAIR BURKE spoke regarding mitigation funding for both the
state and impacted communities. In current law, Congress has
required that 50 percent of all federal lease revenues,
including bonuses, rentals, and royalties, must go to the state
of Alaska, and that those funds must go to support the most
directly impacted communities. She stated that for communities
such as Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Wainwright, and Utqiagvik the funds
are not optional but rather are essential. They support the
infrastructure and public services needed to live safely and
sustainably in a region heavily impacted by industrial activity.
Without that support, the communities are left to bear the
impacts of oil and gas development on their communities without
the resources to respond. In the 1980's when the state diverted
these funds elsewhere, the North Slope communities took that
matter to court and won. The ruling reaffirmed the state must
fund the impacted communities first before allocating money to
the permanent fund, school trust, or general fund. She stated
that she supported the resolution and would like to see that
additional 40 percent for all Alaskans but emphasized the
importance of honoring the places where the impacts of the oil
industry are most felt. It is not only legal compliance but is
also fair and honors the state's commitment to the people in the
North Slope region which has and continues to generate so much
wealth for the state and its people.
CO-CHAIR BURKE announced SJR 19 would be held over.