SJR 19-ANWR & NAT'L PETRO RESERVE: STATE SHARE  4:56:48 PM CHAIR GIESSEL announced the consideration of 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. 4:57:15 PM SENATOR JESSE BJORKMAN, District D, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, paraphrased the sponsor statement for SJR 19: [Original punctuation provided.] SJR 19 ANWR & Nat'l Petro Reserve: State Share  Version G Sponsor Statement April 10, 2025 With the release of President Donald J. Trumps Executive Order, "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential," Alaskans are optimistic that we'll see increased production of our petroleum and mining resources. However, this enthusiasm is tempered because Congress has gone back on its promise to provide Alaska with 90 percent of the royalty revenues from production on federal land. Alaska's present and future revenues are also weighed down by the write- offs against State taxes that oil companies can claim for activity on federal lands and necessary upgrades to Alaska's aging infrastructure to support production activity. When Congress was deliberating granting Alaska statehood, there was recognition that our large, remote state wouldn't have enough of a population and industrial base to be self-sufficient. In exchange for taking on the financial responsibility of providing public services, Alaska was promised 90 percent of the royalties from production on federal lands in both the Alaska Statehood Act of 1958 and an amendment to the Mineral Act of 1920. It was also acknowledged at the time the Statehood Act was under consideration that some of the most valuable land in Alaska, in particular the Naval Petroleum Reserve (now the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska) and the Arctic Wildlife Range (now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), had been reserved by the federal government and was not available for the state to select. With roughly two-thirds or more of the North Slope under federal control, Alaska's ability to determine its own revenue stream has been severely impacted. Senate Joint Resolution 19 asks Congress to uphold the promise made in the Alaska Statehood Act to provide 90 percent of the revenues from production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and to extend that promise to production in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. This will allow the state to support the programs and infrastructure projects necessary for the petroleum industry and provide services for our citizens. 4:59:34 PM SENATOR HUGHES expressed appreciation for SJR 19. She opined that this is an important issue and noted that Alaska has a higher percentage of federal lands than most other states - an estimated 60-65 percent. She contrasted this with states such as New York, where less than 1 percent of the land is federally owned. She opined that what SJR 19 proposes is the least the federal government can do, and it is the right thing to do. 5:00:27 PM CHAIR GIESSEL held SJR 19 in committee.