In Alaska, rural living complicates access to Real ID

By BECKY BOHRER
Associated Press
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) – In rural Alaska, the closest state motor vehicle office is often a pricey plane ride away. And that is complicating efforts by residents to get new federal identification cards for commercial air travel starting this fall. The state official whose department oversees the Division of Motor Vehicles has downplayed the need for the new Real ID cards, citing alternatives requiring less stringent documentation, such as passports or military or tribal IDs. But just months before the Oct. 1 deadline, frustrated rural and Native leaders say the state has a responsibility to provide equal access to services.