Congress recklessly rejects management plan for Central Yukon
Gates of the Arctic National Park, AK
Carl Johnson
Move nullifies millions of acres designated for conservation
WASHINGTON D.C. (Oct. 9, 2025) — In a controversial move, Congress today rolled back a Bureau of Land Management plan in the Central Yukon planning area of Interior Alaska that included 3.6-million acres of conservation designations supported and, in many cases, proposed by Alaska Native communities.
The passed resolution, sponsored by Rep. Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska, tossed out the entirety of the Central Yukon Resource Management Plan, a community-driven and science-based plan developed over ten years and approved by the BLM in 2024, which took a balanced approach to subsistence users, development, and areas of critical environmental concern.
This unprecedented congressional move prohibits resource management plan direction in the Central Yukon that is “substantially the same” as that in the disapproved plan from being adopted in the future, throwing public land management in Interior Alaska into uncharted territory.
In response to the news, Matt Jackson, Alaska senior director for The Wilderness Society, issued the following statement:
“This is a reckless action by Congress to cancel local land-management plans in a way that completely ignores Alaskans’ input and their way of life. Politicians who don’t understand our rural communities are dictating how our shared public lands should be managed and stealing the freedom of Tribes and local communities to shape their own future and the future of generations to come.”
contact: chelsi_moy@tws.org
