Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan Amendment, Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Ring of Fire Resource Management Plan-Haines Planning Area, Alaska, 74508-74510 [2012-30160]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Land Management

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 241 (Friday, December 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74508-74510]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30160]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLAKA01000.L16100000.DQ0000.LXSS086L0000]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Resource Management Plan 
Amendment, Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Ring of Fire 
Resource Management Plan--Haines Planning Area, Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a 
Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment/Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Ring of Fire RMP for the Haines Planning 
Area and by this notice is announcing the opening of the comment 
period.

DATES: To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must receive 
written comments on the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS within 90 days 
following the date of publication of this Notice in the Federal 
Register. The BLM will announce future meetings or hearings and any 
other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through 
public notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Ring of Fire RMP--
Haines Planning Area Amendment by any of the following methods:
     Email: BLM_AK_ROF_AMEND@blm.gov.
     Fax: 907-267-1267.
     Mail: BLM-Anchorage Field Office, Attention: Haines 
Amendment, 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99507.

Copies of the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS are available at the 
Anchorage Field Office at the above address; or, on the Anchorage Field 
Office's Planning

[[Page 74509]]

Web site: https://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/planning.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Molly Cobbs, Anchorage District 
Planning and Environmental Coordinator, 907-267-1221, mcobbs@blm.gov, 
or in writing at the address above. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above 
individual during normal business hours. FIRS is available 24 hours a 
day, 7 days a week, to leave a question with the above individual. You 
will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Planning Area is located in southeast 
Alaska, and consists of approximately 320,000 acres of BLM-managed 
public lands located in two main blocks or parcels. The north block is 
located northwest of Skagway along the United States-Canada border and 
the south block is located southwest of the city of Haines along the 
boundary of Glacier Bay National Park. The Planning Area encompasses 
the cities of Haines and Skagway.
    The Anchorage Field Office began a scoping process for this RMP 
Amendment and Draft EIS on March 26, 2009, with the publication of the 
Notice of Intent in the Federal Register (74 FR 13222). The formal 
scoping period ended June 26, 2009. Public meetings were held during 
the scoping period in the communities of Haines, Skagway, and 
Anchorage. The majority of comments received discussed wildlife and 
wildlife habitat, particularly mountain goats, as a reason to create an 
Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). Several comments were 
also offered in support of maintaining the existing Monitoring and 
Control Area. Other comments focused on whether or not to change the 
Special Recreation Management Area (SRMA) designation. Based on the 
BLM's management concerns and input received from cooperating agencies; 
other Federal, State, and local agencies; and the public during the 
scoping period, the Draft RMP Amendment and Draft EIS evaluate 
potential impacts on wildlife populations from recreation activities 
occurring on BLM-managed lands in the Planning Area. Additionally, the 
Draft EIS includes, but is not limited to, analysis of noise impacts 
from helicopters; impacts on recreational opportunities and 
experiences; and impacts to Lands with Wilderness Characteristics from 
helicopters. Permitted recreation activities and helicopter landings in 
the planning area include commercial filming, glacier landing tours, 
and helicopter-supported ski and winter trekking excursions. In 2002, a 
Monitoring and Control Area was established in the northwest portion of 
the north block. Commercial helicopter landings were prohibited within 
the Monitoring and Control Area boundary in order to provide a source 
of consistent monitoring data when adaptive management changes were 
necessary. Originally, the Monitoring and Control Area consisted of 
112,790 acres; however, after recent land conveyances to the State of 
Alaska and Native Corporations, the area now consists of 98,000 acres.
    The 2008 Ring of Fire RMP Record of Decision (ROD) designated an 
SRMA in the north block of the Planning Area. At the time the ROD was 
completed, the BLM assumed that most of the BLM-managed lands in the 
south block would be conveyed to the State and the SRMA boundary was 
not extended to the south block. Due to recent policy changes in the 
BLM's focus and use of SRMAs, this planning effort reevaluates whether 
to retain this designation or to change it to an Extensive Recreation 
Management Area (ERMA) designation.
    The Ring of Fire RMP ROD also deferred to a subsequent planning 
effort evaluation of whether any ACECs should be designated in the 
Haines Planning Area. The BLM has now evaluated the resources in the 
Planning Area to determine whether any areas meet the ACEC relevance 
and importance criteria found in 43 CFR 1610.7-2 and BLM Manual for 
ACECs (MS-1613). The BLM determined that none of the areas in the 
Planning Area meet the ACEC relevance and importance criteria and 
therefore the Draft RMP Amendment/Draft EIS does not contain any 
proposed ACEC designations. Although some areas in the Planning Area 
contain exceptional scenery as well as populations of mountain goats 
and bald eagles, the areas do not have more than locally significant 
qualities when compared to similar resources in the region. The 
wildlife populations, scenery, and natural processes in the Planning 
Area are typical of all of Southeast Alaska, and are not unique to the 
region. Designation of an ACEC in the Planning Area is addressed in the 
Draft EIS as an Alternative Considered but Eliminated from Further 
Study.
    Permitting helicopter and other organized flight excursions in the 
project area is one of the primary administrative actions of BLM in the 
Planning Area. As of 2011, two helicopter operators are authorized for 
up to 2,400 summer landings annually in the Haines Block SRMA (north 
block only). However, at least two additional helicopter operators have 
also requested landing authorizations on BLM-managed lands in the 
Planning Area. All requests for winter landing authorizations are 
currently on hold pending the outcome of this planning effort.
    Four alternatives were analyzed in the Draft EIS:
    Alternative A, the No Action Alternative, is a continuation of 
existing management. The SRMA designation would be retained in the 
north block, as would the Monitoring and Control Area. A total of 2,400 
summer landings would be permitted in the project area annually.
    Under Alternative B, the SRMA designation would be retained in the 
north block and would be expanded to include the south block. The 
Monitoring and Control Area would be eliminated. A maximum of 7,500 
summer and winter landings would be permitted in the project area 
annually.
    Under Alternative C, the SRMA designation would be changed to an 
ERMA designation and would be extended to all BLM-managed lands in the 
Planning Area. The Monitoring and Control Area would be retained for a 
period of 5 years from the signing of the ROD to provide a control area 
for mountain goat studies conducted jointly by the BLM and the Alaska 
Department of Fish and Game. After the 5-year period expires, the 
Monitoring and Control Area would be eliminated and landing permit 
applications would be accepted for site-specific NEPA review prior to 
the issuance of any new authorizations. A maximum of 4,000 summer and 
winter landings would be permitted annually.
    Alternative D is the BLM's preferred alternative. Under Alternative 
D, the SRMA designation would be changed to an ERMA as described for 
Alternative C. The Monitoring and Control Area would be retained for 5 
years and would then be eliminated as described for Alternative C. A 
maximum of 6,000 summer and winter landings would be permitted 
annually.
    The 2009 Notice of Intent identified the associated NEPA document 
for the plan amendment as a Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement. Instead, the associated NEPA document is a Draft 
Environmental Impact Statement and will be referred to as such from 
this point forward.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment-including your

[[Page 74510]]

personal identifying information-may be made publicly available at any 
time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Following the public comment period, comments will be used to 
prepare the Final Environmental Impact Statement. The BLM will respond 
to each substantive comment by making appropriate revisions to the 
document or explaining why a comment did not warrant a subsequent 
change.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2.

Ted A. Murphy,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 2012-30160 Filed 12-13-12; 8:45 am]
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