James Brooks, Alaska Beacon

Changes to federal subsistence management are still possible through a newly started regulation review process.

According to a notice published Dec. 15 in the Federal Register, the Interior Department is conducting “a targeted review” of the program mandated by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA).

The decision has implications for mining and drilling projects on private and federal lands, experts say.

Hoffman has served in the state Capitol, representing Southwest Alaska, since 1987. As he prepares to leave office, he said he thinks the state’s biggest unresolved issue is the affordability of living in Alaska, particularly with regard to the cost of energy.

According to a public notice published on June 6, the board will meet in July in Anchorage to consider changing the state’s predator control program to allow the killing of “brown and black bears in addition to wolves to aid in the recovery of the Mulchatna caribou herd.”

The Alaska House of Representatives is backing the preservation of a multibillion-dollar federal aid program that subsidizes internet access for rural schools, clinics, and households.