Speak Up on Proposed North Slope Data Center Development

 

Comment Deadline: June 15, 2026 

The State of Alaska is considering a proposal to lease approximately 640 acres of state land on the North Slope for a large-scale, natural gas-powered data center and energy facility. The project could include power generation infrastructure, natural gas delivery systems, transportation improvements, communications infrastructure, gravel extraction, worker housing, and future expansion opportunities. 

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers recognizes the important role resource development plays in Alaska's economy. However, projects of this scale deserve a thorough and transparent review that fully evaluates impacts to fish, wildlife, habitat, public access, hunting and angling opportunities and subsistence resources. 

Why Hunters and Anglers Should Pay Attention 

The proposed facility is being evaluated as a single project footprint, but its long-term impacts could extend well beyond the immediate lease area. Major questions remain regarding: 

  • - Impacts to caribou movement and seasonal habitat use 

  • - Effects on migratory birds and other Arctic wildlife 

  • - Increased industrial infrastructure across the North Slope 

  • - Public access  

  • - Impacts to hunting and angling 

  • - Future industrial expansion enabled by the project 

  • - Long-term energy and natural gas policy implications for Alaska 

 

Alaska's North Slope supports world-class hunting, fishing, recreation, and subsistence opportunities. These public resources deserve the same level of consideration as the economic benefits being proposed. 

We encourage decision-makers to conduct a rigorous cumulative impacts analysis that considers associated infrastructure and future development and evaluates impacts to wildlife, habitat connectivity, hunting, fishing, and recreation. Public access and public benefits, including jobs, revenue generation, and any public costs or incentives need to be clearly quantified and projected. BHA advocates for transparency regarding long-term energy use, natural gas consumption, and development alternatives. Our goal is to maintain fish, wildlife, access and opportunity, subsistence, and public land values as central considerations throughout the review process. 

Take Action 

Hunters, anglers, and public land users deserve a seat at the table when decisions of this magnitude are being considered. 

Submit your comments to the Alaska Department of Natural Resources before the June 15 deadline and ask for a transparent review that fully considers wildlife, public access, subsistence resources, and cumulative impacts. 

View the public notice here: 
https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=223817 

Responsible development requires sound science, transparency, and a full accounting of what is at stake for Alaska's fish, wildlife, and public lands.