Federal Judge Allows Transfer of Over 2 Million Acres of Public Land to Alaska

A federal judge in Anchorage denied a bid by environmental nonprofits to stop the U.S. Interior Department from transferring ownership of more than 2 million acres of public land along the Dalton Highway corridor to Alaska. The judge dismissed claims challenging the transfer of 1.38 million acres due to tentative approval and Alaska's sovereign immunity, and denied an injunction for the remaining 700,000 acres, finding the nonprofits unlikely to succeed on the merits.