Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Willow Master Development Plan Oil and Gas Prospect, Alaska, 38725-38726 [2018-16783]

Download as PDF daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 152 / Tuesday, August 7, 2018 / Notices and Outlet in Alaska’’ (Draft Summary Report). To file comments by mail, send to: RDI Program Manager (AK–942), Division of Lands and Cadastral, BLM Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513. To submit comments by email, send to anichols@blm.gov. Copies of the State’s application, supporting evidence, the Draft Summary Report, and comments, including names and street addresses of commenters, will be available for public review at the BLM Alaska Public Information Center (Public Room), 222 West 8th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska, during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angie Nichols, RDI Program Manager, 222 West 7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513; 907–271–3359; anichols@ blm.gov; or visit the BLM RDI website at https://www.blm.gov/programs/landsand-realty/regional-information/alaska/ RDI/bristol-bay. People who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay System (FRS) at 1–800– 877–8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or a question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On Sept. 7, 2016, the State filed an application (AA–94269) for an RDI pursuant to Section 315 of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) and the regulations contained in 43 CFR subpart 1864 for the lands underlying the Egegik River, Becharof Lake, and Ruth Lake and Outlet. The State asserts that these waterbodies were navigable at the time of Alaska Statehood. As such, the State contends that ownership of the lands underlying this river system automatically passed from the United States to the State in 1959 at the time of Statehood under the Equal Footing Doctrine; the Submerged Lands Act of 1953; the Alaska Statehood Act; and other title navigability law. Section 315 of FLPMA authorizes the BLM to issue an RDI when it determines that a record interest of the United States in lands has terminated by law or is otherwise invalid, and a disclaimer will help remove a cloud on title to such lands. The State’s application is for an RDI for all submerged lands underlying the portions described below of the Egegik River, Becharof Lake, and Ruth Lake and Outlet. Specifically, these are Becharof Lake: All submerged lands and bed up to and including the ordinary VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:54 Aug 06, 2018 Jkt 244001 high water lines of Becharof Lake upstream from its outlet within section 5, township 25 south, range 46 west, Seward Meridian, Alaska; Egegik River: All submerged lands and bed of the Egegik River lying between the ordinary high water lines of the left and right banks of the Egegik River, beginning at the outlet of Becharof Lake, downstream to the limit of tidal influence; Unnamed outlet Ruth Lake: All submerged lands up to and including the ordinary high water lines of Unnamed outlet of Ruth Lake upstream from its outlet at Becharof Lake within section 5, township 30 south, range 42 west, Seward Meridian, Alaska, upstream to Ruth Lake; and Ruth Lake: All submerged lands and bed up to and including the ordinary high water lines of Ruth Lake upstream from its outlet within section 9, township 30 south, range 42 west, Seward Meridian, Alaska. The State listed the coverage area on the USGS 1:63,360 series topographic maps as follows: Naknek A–1 through A–3, Karluk C–6, D–6 and Ugashik C– 1 and D–1, D–2, D–3. Over time, the precise location of the submerged lands described above may vary between townships due to the ambulatory nature of these water bodies. An RDI is a legal document through which the BLM disclaims the United States’ interest in, or ownership of, specified lands, but the disclaimer does not grant, convey, transfer, or renounce any title or interest in the lands, nor does it release any tax, judgment, or lien. This Notice of Application is to inform the public of the pending application and the State’s supporting evidence, as well as to provide the opportunity to comment or provide additional information to the BLM. The BLM will not make a final decision on the merits of the State’s application before November 5, 2018. During this 90-day period, interested parties may comment on the State’s application, AA–94269, and supporting evidence. Interested parties may also comment on the BLM’s Draft Summary Report, which is available on the BLM’s RDI website (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT above). Copies of the State’s application, supporting evidence, the Draft Summary Report, and comments, including names and street addresses of commenters, will be available for public review at the BLM Alaska Public Information Center (Public Room), 222 West 8th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska, during regular business hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personally PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 38725 identifiable information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personally identifiable information— may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. If the BLM determines the State’s evidence and any additional information the agency receives concerning the State’s application is sufficient to reach a favorable determination, and neither the records nor a valid objection discloses a reason not to disclaim, the BLM may decide to approve the application for the RDI. Authority: 43 CFR 1864.2. Erika L. Reed, Deputy State Director, Division of Lands and Cadastral, Alaska. [FR Doc. 2018–16858 Filed 8–6–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [18X.LLAK930100.L51010000.000000 .LVRWL18L1090] Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the Willow Master Development Plan Oil and Gas Prospect, Alaska Bureau of Land Management, Interior ACTION: Notice of Intent. AGENCY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska State Office, Anchorage, Alaska, intends to prepare a Master Development Plan Environmental Impact Statement (MDP/ EIS) for the Willow oil and gas prospect within the Bear Tooth Unit of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR–A). DATES: This Notice initiates the public scoping process for the Willow oil and gas prospect MDP/EIS. Comments on issues, impacts, and potential alternatives to be analyzed may be submitted in writing until September 6, 2018. The BLM will hold public scoping meetings in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Nuiqsut, and Utqiagvik. The dates, times, and locations of scoping meetings will be announced through local news media, newspapers, and the BLM Alaska website. Any Federal, state, local SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\07AUN1.SGM 07AUN1 daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES 38726 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 152 / Tuesday, August 7, 2018 / Notices agency, or Tribe that is interested in serving as a cooperating agency for the development of the MDP/EIS is asked to submit such requests to the BLM by September 6, 2018. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues related to the scope of the proposed Willow MDP/EIS by any of the following methods: • Email: BLM_AK_Willow_ Comments@blm.gov. • Mail: Willow MDP/EIS Scoping Comments, Bureau of Land Management, 222 West 7th Avenue, Stop #13, Anchorage, AK 99513. Requests for information regarding the Willow MDP/EIS and cooperating agency requests may be mailed to: Attn: Willow MDP/EIS, 222 West 7th Avenue, Stop #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99517. You may also request to be added to the mailing list for the MDP/EIS. Documents and other information pertaining to the MDP/EIS are available on the BLM Alaska website at https:// www.blm.gov/alaska. You may examine documents pertinent to this proposal at the BLM Alaska Public Room, Arctic District Office, 222 University Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, and at the BLM Alaska Public Information Center, Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Ave., Anchorage, Alaska 99513. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ferris Couture, BLM Alaska State Office, 907–271–1306. People who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. (ConocoPhillips) initiated discussions with the BLM regarding potential development of its recently announced Willow oil and gas prospect, which is located on Federal oil and gas leases ConocoPhillips holds within the Bear Tooth Unit of the NPR–A approximately 30 air miles west of the Native Village of Nuiqsut. The BLM manages approximately 23 million acres comprising the NPR–A, located on Alaska’s North Slope. On May 10, 2018, ConocoPhillips submitted a letter requesting the development of the Willow prospect through a MDP/EIS. The letter, available on the BLM Alaska website, includes a description of the foreseeable infrastructure and activity associated VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:54 Aug 06, 2018 Jkt 244001 with the proposed Willow prospect development and a map of the proposed area of development. Analyzing the entire proposed Willow development in a single MDP/EIS will allow the BLM to make determinations of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) adequacy when individual applications for permits to drill are submitted. This is expected to result in a quicker and more efficient process for the approval of applications for permits to drill. The MDP/EIS will analyze the environmental impacts and appropriate mitigation measures to reduce adverse effects to surface resources of the proposed Willow prospect which would involve the construction, operation, and maintenance of an oil and gas development project which may include: One central processing facility, an infrastructure pad, up to five drill pads with up to fifty wells on each pad, access and infield roads, an airstrip, pipelines, a gravel mine, and a temporary island to support module delivery via sealift barges. The MDP/EIS will be prepared in accordance with recently issued Executive Orders and Secretarial guidance on streamlining and improving the NEPA and other regulatory processes. At present, the BLM has identified the following preliminary issues for evaluation in the MDP/EIS, impacts to: Subsistence use and access; biological resources, including caribou, polar bears, spectacled and Stellar eiders, yellow billed loons, and fisheries; social and cultural resources; air quality and climate; and aquatic resources. The BLM will use NEPA public participation guidelines to assist the agency in satisfying the public involvement requirements under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108), pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). The information about historic and cultural resources within the area potentially affected by the Willow development project will assist the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to cultural resources in the context of both NEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personally identifiable information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 The BLM will consult with federally recognized Tribes on a government-togovernment basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 and other policies. Tribal concerns will be given appropriate consideration. Federal, state, local agencies, and Tribes that may be interested in or substantially affected by the proposal that the BLM is evaluating are invited to request participation in the development of the MDP/EIS as cooperating agencies. Appropriate cooperating agencies are those with jurisdiction by law and/or those that can offer special expertise in the development of the MDP/EIS. Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7. Karen E. Mouritsen, Acting State Director, Alaska. [FR Doc. 2018–16783 Filed 8–6–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION Sunshine Act Meetings TIME AND DATE: 9:00 a.m., August 20, 2018. On board MISSISSIPPI V at City Front, Caruthersville, Missouri. STATUS: Open to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: (1) Summary report by President of the Commission on national and regional issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Commission programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries; (2) District Commander’s overview of current project issues within the St. Louis and Memphis Districts; and (3) Presentations by local organizations and members of the public giving views or comments on any issue affecting the programs or projects of the Commission and the Corps of Engineers. TIME AND DATE: 9:00 a.m., August 21, 2018. PLACE: On board MISSISSIPPI V at Beale Street Landing, Memphis, Tennessee. STATUS: Open to the public. MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: (1) Summary report by President of the Commission on national and regional issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Commission programs and projects on the Mississippi River and its tributaries; (2) District Commander’s overview of current project issues within the Memphis District; and (3) Presentations by local organizations and members of the public giving views or comments on any PLACE: E:\FR\FM\07AUN1.SGM 07AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 7, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38725-38726]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-16783]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[18X.LLAK930100.L51010000.000000.LVRWL18L1090]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Willow Master Development Plan Oil and Gas Prospect, Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production 
Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Alaska 
State Office, Anchorage, Alaska, intends to prepare a Master 
Development Plan Environmental Impact Statement (MDP/EIS) for the 
Willow oil and gas prospect within the Bear Tooth Unit of the National 
Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A).

DATES: This Notice initiates the public scoping process for the Willow 
oil and gas prospect MDP/EIS. Comments on issues, impacts, and 
potential alternatives to be analyzed may be submitted in writing until 
September 6, 2018. The BLM will hold public scoping meetings in 
Anchorage, Fairbanks, Nuiqsut, and Utqiagvik. The dates, times, and 
locations of scoping meetings will be announced through local news 
media, newspapers, and the BLM Alaska website. Any Federal, state, 
local

[[Page 38726]]

agency, or Tribe that is interested in serving as a cooperating agency 
for the development of the MDP/EIS is asked to submit such requests to 
the BLM by September 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues related to the scope of 
the proposed Willow MDP/EIS by any of the following methods:
     Email: [email protected].
     Mail: Willow MDP/EIS Scoping Comments, Bureau of Land 
Management, 222 West 7th Avenue, Stop #13, Anchorage, AK 99513.
    Requests for information regarding the Willow MDP/EIS and 
cooperating agency requests may be mailed to: Attn: Willow MDP/EIS, 222 
West 7th Avenue, Stop #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99517. You may also 
request to be added to the mailing list for the MDP/EIS.
    Documents and other information pertaining to the MDP/EIS are 
available on the BLM Alaska website at https://www.blm.gov/alaska.
    You may examine documents pertinent to this proposal at the BLM 
Alaska Public Room, Arctic District Office, 222 University Avenue, 
Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, and at the BLM Alaska Public Information 
Center, Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Ave., Anchorage, Alaska 
99513.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ferris Couture, BLM Alaska State 
Office, 907-271-1306. People who use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-
8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The 
FRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to leave a message 
or question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. (ConocoPhillips) 
initiated discussions with the BLM regarding potential development of 
its recently announced Willow oil and gas prospect, which is located on 
Federal oil and gas leases ConocoPhillips holds within the Bear Tooth 
Unit of the NPR-A approximately 30 air miles west of the Native Village 
of Nuiqsut. The BLM manages approximately 23 million acres comprising 
the NPR-A, located on Alaska's North Slope.
    On May 10, 2018, ConocoPhillips submitted a letter requesting the 
development of the Willow prospect through a MDP/EIS. The letter, 
available on the BLM Alaska website, includes a description of the 
foreseeable infrastructure and activity associated with the proposed 
Willow prospect development and a map of the proposed area of 
development. Analyzing the entire proposed Willow development in a 
single MDP/EIS will allow the BLM to make determinations of National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) adequacy when individual applications 
for permits to drill are submitted. This is expected to result in a 
quicker and more efficient process for the approval of applications for 
permits to drill.
    The MDP/EIS will analyze the environmental impacts and appropriate 
mitigation measures to reduce adverse effects to surface resources of 
the proposed Willow prospect which would involve the construction, 
operation, and maintenance of an oil and gas development project which 
may include: One central processing facility, an infrastructure pad, up 
to five drill pads with up to fifty wells on each pad, access and 
infield roads, an airstrip, pipelines, a gravel mine, and a temporary 
island to support module delivery via sealift barges.
    The MDP/EIS will be prepared in accordance with recently issued 
Executive Orders and Secretarial guidance on streamlining and improving 
the NEPA and other regulatory processes. At present, the BLM has 
identified the following preliminary issues for evaluation in the MDP/
EIS, impacts to: Subsistence use and access; biological resources, 
including caribou, polar bears, spectacled and Stellar eiders, yellow 
billed loons, and fisheries; social and cultural resources; air quality 
and climate; and aquatic resources.
    The BLM will use NEPA public participation guidelines to assist the 
agency in satisfying the public involvement requirements under Section 
106 of the National Historic Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108), 
pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3).
    The information about historic and cultural resources within the 
area potentially affected by the Willow development project will assist 
the BLM in identifying and evaluating impacts to cultural resources in 
the context of both NEPA and Section 106 of the National Historic 
Preservation Act.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personally identifiable information in your comment, you should 
be aware that your entire comment--including your personally 
identifiable information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personally 
identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that 
we will be able to do so.
    The BLM will consult with federally recognized Tribes on a 
government-to-government basis in accordance with Executive Order 13175 
and other policies. Tribal concerns will be given appropriate 
consideration.
    Federal, state, local agencies, and Tribes that may be interested 
in or substantially affected by the proposal that the BLM is evaluating 
are invited to request participation in the development of the MDP/EIS 
as cooperating agencies. Appropriate cooperating agencies are those 
with jurisdiction by law and/or those that can offer special expertise 
in the development of the MDP/EIS.

    Authority:  40 CFR 1501.7.

Karen E. Mouritsen,
Acting State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2018-16783 Filed 8-6-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-JA-P

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