Dunleavy proposes letting Alaskans trade in PFD for state land vouchers

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has proposed letting Alaskans convert their oil-wealth fund checks into vouchers that could be used toward buying state land. His administration sees this idea as consistent with a constitutional provision encouraging settlement of state lands. The vouchers would be worth twice the value of the dividend calculation in state law, regardless of whether the calculation was followed to pay actual dividends. If the lands program had been in place last year, the value of a land voucher would have been $5,820. State Sen. John Coghill says Dunleavy’s approach seems novel. But he says legislators should first resolve debate over the dividend.