The DNR Commissioner is set to appear before the Senate Natural Resources Committee on October 26th.

Updated 11/4/2026

On Wednesday, October 14th, the Alaska State Senate Natural Resources Committee (SNRC) convened in Anchorage to discuss concerns about recent proposals for Charitable and Public Use conveyances from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) and requested the appearance of the DNR Commissioner to address their concerns and answer questions. The two land conveyances the SNRC cited as particularly concerning are the proposed transfer of nearly 20,000 acres near Houston, AK, and the conveyance of over 800 acres near Point MacKenzie.  

Committee Concerns 

The proposed land conveyance from the DNR to AIDEA in Houston is the committee’s primary concern due to its size: nearly 20,000 acres being transferred using the public and charitable use clause to convey such large pieces of land that are generally leased or sold, not transferred at no cost to the recipient and typically used for small parcels for churches, parks, or other public projects/structures. The other major question is why the DNR waived the transfer's reversionary provision, which allows the DNR to retake ownership of the land if it is not used; the DNR did not waive this clause for the 800-plus acres proposed for conveyance to AIDEA near Point MacKenzie. This raises an obvious question the committee seeks to answer: why the difference? Since AIDEA has not outlined any specific plans for the land in Houston, it seems important that the DNR retains the reversionary clause. Since this clause has been waived and AIDEA has no plan for the land, the committee has questions about whether this qualifies as an appropriation of land that should be run through the legislature, not executive appointees or actions.  BHA covered in our previous blog the Houston land conveyance, where the DNR also waived its authority to conduct environmental assessments and monitoring of lands it conveys in charitable and public-use cases. We at the Alaska chapter of BHA would like the committee to question this waiver as well. The committee also referenced a recent land lease by the University of Alaska (which is private and may lease or convey lands at its discretion) to flesh out how much value the DNR was transferring to AIDEA by giving AIDEA the lands rather than leasing them, as is typical under the public and charitable use clause. The number is staggering; given that the University leases roughly 800 acres of land for over $500K/ year, the committee applied a similar theoretical value to the land in Houston and concluded that the DNR was giving up roughly $14 million in potential general fund revenue by transferring the land rather than leasing it. What plan for this land does AIDEA have that qualifies for more than $14 million per year in charitable and public good to justify taking this land away from the public, hunters, and anglers? 

It is of note that the Commissioner of the DNR has been asked, multiple times by the Senate Resources Committee, to supply information and appear at Committee hearings, and has not yet done so. He has recently agreed to be present at the October 26th hearing, which the public can tune in to once it is posted here. For now (as of October 16th, 2026), you can watch the October 14th meeting and review the minutes.  

Update from 11/4/2026

October 26th Resource Committee Hearing 

On October 26th, the Commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) appeared before the State Senate Resources Committee at the request of Senate Majority Leader Cathy Giessel, R-Anchorage, who chairs the committee.  

The chair and committee questioned the commissioner about recent DNR decisions to convey over 20,000 acres in the Mat-Su Valley to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) through noncompetitive sales under the Public and Charitable Use provision (hereafter referred to as provision 8-10). The chair and committee asked whether AIDEA had approached the DNR about the proposed transfers of nearly 20,000 acres (about the area of Manhattan) in Houston, AK, and over 800 acres (about the area of Central Park in New York City) near Point MacKenzie, and the DNR commissioner confirmed that AIDEA initiated discussions with the DNR. When asked by the committee if there were any limits to how much land the DNR could convey to AIDEA using this provision 8-10, the commissioner acknowledged it was a fair question given that the parcel in Houston is larger than previous conveyances, but that question would be for the judicial branch to decide if a conveyance were challenged in court, while acknowledging that larger transfers need to be tied to a direct community benefit, such as decreased power costs or more readily available healthcare. The committee questioned how the transfer in Houston could meet that stipulation, and the commissioner offered no clear answer. The committee expressed a concern that the reversionary clause had been waived for the Houston land transfer, meaning the DNR forever gives up its right to reclaim these lands from AIDEA if it fails to use them in accordance with the 8-10 provision, especially when there are no clear outlines for how AIDEA will develop the land if it is awarded. The commissioner stated that this choice was made to make it easier for AIDEA to secure funding for any projects on the land, and that as soon as ground is broken on an 8-10 project, the benefit to the public is considered fulfilled in the eyes of the department and the lender when the reversionary clause is waived, which would not be the case if the clause remained on the property.  

One notable exchange occurred when the committee asked whether the proposed conveyances were being undertaken at the direction of the Governor’s Office. The commissioner did not directly confirm that they were but described the conveyances and potential development projects as consistent with the governor’s broader agenda to develop Alaska’s public lands. He explained that, when parcels are available and potentially eligible for transfer to the private sector for development that could serve the public good, the administration believes those opportunities should be pursued. 

The Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunter & Anglers continues to oppose the transfer of the nearly 20,000 acres (about the area of Cleveland, Ohio) in Houston on the basis that it comes at the cost of public land hunting and recreational access for a project or projects that have yet to be defined, and we reject the premise that unplanned, hypothetical, private development should be valued above existing access and opportunity to our shared public resources. We are glad the Senate Resources Committee has met with the Commissioner and appreciate his participation in the process, and we continue to advocate for increased transparency in the decision-making process around these proposed conveyances. We will keep our members updated as this issue continues to unfold.  

The Alaska Chapter of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers previously covered the proposed Houston Land Transfer and the importance of that land to hunters and the public in the Mat-Su Valley in our blog post here.