The Silver State Must Learn from Alaska’s Successful Universal Basic Income System
Since 1982, Alaska has paid every resident a yearly Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD), funded by investments from past oil revenues.
The PFD is just another form of universal basic income (UBI): it goes to all residents, requires only proof of residency, and is paid in cash—though the amount changes each year based on investment returns. In recent years, the dividend ranged from about $1,000 to over $3,200 per person.
The program is popular, helps reduce poverty, and makes Alaska one of the most economically equal states in the U.S.
Key lessons from Alaska’s model:
1. Resource dividends are effective and widely supported by the public.
2. You don’t need to be rich in natural resources to have a dividend—any valuable resource, from land to pollution rights, can fund one.
3. It’s essential for communities to claim a share when common resources are privatized, as Alaska did with oil.
4. The goal shouldn’t be to sell resources as fast as possible, but to manage them for long-term public benefit—including environmental protection.
5. Universal programs like the PFD are more resilient because everyone benefits, making them harder to cut.
6. Funding dividends through resource payments means no single group feels unfairly targeted, which helps avoid political opposition.
Alaska’s PFD shows it’s possible to fund direct payments to people by charging fair prices for the use of shared resources.
With creativity and public will, Nevada can learn from Alaska’s PFD.
GM aims to become a top US producer of lithium to be used in electric vehicles.
The Lithium Americas deal is the latest example of the administration seeking direct involvement in the domestic mining sector, following the Pentagon’s move in July to make a $400mn investment in US rare earths producer MP Materials, located in southern Nevada.
These arrangements are known as a golden share for the government. How about a golden share for The People in the form of a UBI?
The deal with GM gives the US carmaker exclusive rights to the first stage of lithium production at Thacker Pass for 20 years.
Why didn’t the Trump administration negotiate a universal basic income funded by profits from Thacker Pass, for example?
Why didn’t Rep. Mark Amodei fight for his constituents in Nevada’s 2nd Congressional District rather than acting like a colonial administrator extracting our state’s resources for foreigners?
Progressives and liberals primarily advocate for UBI as a powerful anti-poverty measure that can provide an income floor for all citizens, empower individuals (particularly economic dependents like stay-at-home parents), improve public health, and increase bargaining power for workers.
They also see it as a necessary policy to mitigate potential mass unemployment caused by automation and a means to address historical wealth inequities and a lack of resources for many.
Conversely, conservatives and libertarians often support UBI as a replacement for the existing complex, means-tested welfare system, arguing that a single, unconditional cash payment is more administratively efficient, less bureaucratic, and reduces overall government waste and administrative costs.
They view the no-strings-attached nature of UBI as a way to promote personal responsibility, respect individual dignity and autonomy by allowing people to make their own spending and investment choices, and believe that it could even enhance work incentives by lowering effective marginal tax rates for those near the poverty line.
Across the board, supporters see the universal and unconditional nature of the policy as a key strength, circumventing the stigma and "poverty traps" associated with traditional welfare programs.
A universal basic income or Nevada Permanent Fund Dividend funded by investments from lithium revenues is the way forward.
Gamaliel “Gamy” Zavala Enriquez earned a B.S. in political science from ASU and an MPA in policy at UNR. Gamy has 10 years of experience as a campaign manager and activist in Nevada. Editorial assistance provided by a generative AI tool for grammar and clarity.
