PUBLIC NOTICE
Requesting Input on Proposed Relinquishment
of State Entitlement Lands
Comment Period Ends 3:30 PM, April 28, 2025
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is proposing to relinquish the State’s Statehood Act entitlement land selection of the surface estate while retaining oil, gas, and mineral interests for a Native Allotment near Paxson, located in Section 27, Township 22 South, Range 12 East, Fairbanks Meridian, Alaska. A location map is available attached to this notice. The allotment contains approximately 160 acres. The lands are not currently owned by the State, they are under Federal management and ownership. The purpose of relinquishment is to facilitate conveyance of Dingell Act allotment application # AA-97037.
The 2019 John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act (Dingell Act) (Pub. L. 116-9) provides that eligible Alaska Native Vietnam Veterans may apply for allotments of up to 160 acres of land from vacant, unappropriated, and unreserved land that the State has selected pursuant to 6(b) of the Alaska Statehood Act, and that the State agrees to voluntarily relinquish. In accordance with the Act, the State is considering relinquishing the surface estate, including sand and gravel, identified above.
Alaska Statute (AS) 38.05.035 allows for disposals of interests in state lands, and AS 38.05.945 provides procedures for notice of those disposals.
This notice and any future decisions on this proposed action are available on the State of Alaska online public notice portal: http://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/. For assistance in obtaining documents by an alternative method, to request auxiliary aids, services, or special accommodations, contact DNR’s Public Information Centers on State work days, Monday through Friday, between 10:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. in Anchorage at (907) 269-8400, Fairbanks at (907) 451-2705, Southeast Land Office in Juneau at (907) 465-3400, TTY: 711 for Alaska Relay or 1-800-770-8973, or go to http://dnr.alaska.gov/commis/pic/ for additional contact information. Individuals who require special assistance must request assistance from the Public Information Center in Anchorage no later than 4:00 p.m., April 21, 2025.
The public is invited to submit comments regarding the proposed relinquishment. If commenting on more than one proposed action, separate comments should be submitted for each proposed action. The deadline for public comment is 3:30 PM, Monday, April 28, 2025. Only persons from whom the Department of Natural Resources receives timely, written comments during the identified comment period will be eligible to file an appeal of the decision. Written comments may be received by email or postal mail. To submit comments or for direct inquiries, contact Meiglan Ray at meiglan.ray@alaska.gov or by phone at +1 (907) 269-8697.
After public input is considered, the decisions will be issued without further notice. A copy of the decisions will be sent to any persons who provided input, and a copy will be posted on the States online public notice portal http://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/. To subscribe to the State’s online public notice portal, visit the link and set up an email or RSS subscription using available criteria.
DNR reserves the right to waive technical defects in this notice.