Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource Management Plan, 54919-54920 [2019-22250]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 198 / Friday, October 11, 2019 / Notices
Dated: September 20, 2019.
John Bravacos,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for
Community Planning and Development.
[FR Doc. 2019–22333 Filed 10–10–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210–67–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[19X.LLAKA02000.L16100000.
DS0000.LXSS043L0000.241A]
Notice of Availability of the Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Haines Amendment to the Ring of
Fire Resource Management Plan
AGENCY:
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
Notice of availability.
jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with NOTICES
ACTION:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 as amended, and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976 as
amended, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM), Glennallen Field
Office, Glennallen, Alaska, has prepared
the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Haines
Amendment to the Ring of Fire
Resource Management Plan (RMP) for
the BLM-managed public lands in the
Haines area of Alaska and, by this
notice, is announcing its availability.
DATES: Planning regulations state that
any person who meets the conditions as
described in the regulations at 43 CFR
1610.5–2 may protest the BLM’s Final
EIS/Proposed Haines Amendment to the
Ring of Fire RMP. A person who meets
the conditions and files a protest must
file the protest within 30 days of the
date that the Environmental Protection
Agency publishes its Notice of
Availability in the Federal Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies or notification of the
electronic availability of the Final EIS/
Proposed Haines Amendment to the
Ring of Fire RMP are being sent to
affected Federal, State, Tribal, and local
government agencies and other
stakeholders. Copies of the Final EIS/
Proposed RMP are available for public
inspection at BLM Glennallen Field
Office, Milepost 186.5 Glenn Highway,
Glennallen, AK 99588; BLM Alaska
Public Information Center, Federal
Building, 222 West 7th Avenue,
Anchorage, AK 99513; Haines Borough
Public Library, 111 3rd Ave., Haines,
AK 99827; Municipality of Skagway
Borough, 700 Spring Street, Skagway,
AK 99840; BLM Anchorage District
Office, 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage, AK
99507; and Alaska Resources Library
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:56 Oct 10, 2019
Jkt 250001
and Information Services, 3211
Providence Drive, Suite 111, Anchorage,
AK 99507. A link to the BLM’s
ePlanning page with the Final EIS/
Proposed RMP can be found at
www.blm.gov/alaska/rof-hainesamendment. All protests must be in
writing and mailed to one of the
following addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210),
Attention: Protest Coordinator, P.O. Box
71383, Washington, DC 20024–1383.
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director
(210) Attention: Protest Coordinator, 20
M Street SE, Room 2134LM,
Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bruce Loranger, BLM Anchorage District
Office, telephone: 907–267–1221, email:
bloranger@blm.gov. 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, 7 days a week,
to leave a message or question with the
above individual. You will receive a
reply during normal business hours.
The
Haines Planning Area encompasses
approximately 920,000 acres in
Southeast Alaska, bounded by the
Canadian Border to the north and west,
Glacier Bay National Park to the
southwest, and the Tongass National
Forest to the south and east. This
Planning Area consists mainly of steep
and remote mountainous terrain, with
bedrock and glaciers that restrict road
and trail access. Of the total acreage
within the Planning Area, the BLM
manages approximately 316,000 acres.
The size of the Planning Area has
changed since the 2008 signing of the
Ring of Fire RMP Record of Decision
(ROD) due to the conveyance of several
sections of BLM-managed lands to the
State of Alaska. The purpose of this
planning effort is to identify which
designations, associated management
practices, and implementation actions
best fulfill the resource and multipleuse needs within the Haines Planning
Area. It is also intended to evaluate an
Area of Critical Environmental Concern,
as required by the Ring of Fire RMP
ROD. In addition, this planning effort
considered the results of a multi-year,
BLM-funded study of goat and bear
habitat in the Haines area by the Alaska
Department of Fish and Game,
completed in 2017. This amendment
revises the applicable portions of the
Ring of Fire RMP and provides a plan
which is consistent with evolving law,
regulations, and policy.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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Frm 00087
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
54919
The BLM conducted public outreach
to inform the public and answer
questions regarding the Proposed
Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire
RMP/EIS. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to
prepare the Draft RMP Amendment/
Draft EIS was published in the Federal
Register in March 2009. The NOI
initiated a 90-day formal scoping period
that lasted until June 26, 2009. Public
meetings were held during the scoping
period in the communities of Haines,
Skagway, and Anchorage. In 2018, an
additional 60-day public outreach that
closed May 30 was offered and public
meetings were held in the communities
of Haines, Skagway, and Juneau. In
addition to both public meetings, BLM
consulted with and solicited comments
from local, state, and federal
governments, special interest groups,
and Native American tribes. In May of
2019, the Supplemental Draft EIS for the
Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire
Resource Management Plan was
published for a 90-day public comment
period. An open house was held in
Haines on June 20, 2019. Additional
consultation and cooperating agency
meetings were held in Haines in June
2019. Public involvement is further
described in Chapter 5 of the Final EIS.
Instructions for filing a protest
regarding the Final EIS/Proposed Haines
Amendment to the Ring of Fire RMP
may be found in the ‘‘Dear Reader’’
letter and at 43 CFR 1610.5–2. All
protests must be in writing and mailed
to the appropriate address, as set forth
in the ADDRESSES section above.
Emailed protests will not be accepted as
valid protests unless the protesting
party also provides the original letter by
either regular or overnight mail
postmarked by the close of the protest
period. Under these conditions, the
BLM will consider the emailed protest
as an advance copy and it will receive
full consideration. If you wish to
provide the BLM with such advance
notification, please direct emails to
protest@blm.gov.
Before including your phone number,
email address, or other personal
identifying information in your protest
you should be aware that your entire
protest—including your personal
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your protest to
withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
E:\FR\FM\11OCN1.SGM
11OCN1
54920
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 198 / Friday, October 11, 2019 / Notices
(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 3120(a); 40 CFR
1506.6(b))
Chad B. Padgett,
Acting State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2019–22250 Filed 10–10–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[19XL.LLIDB03000.DF0000.LFHFFR650000.
241A.4500136018]
Notice of Availability for the Tri-State
Fuel Breaks Project Draft
Environmental Impact Statement,
Idaho and Oregon
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
jbell on DSK3GLQ082PROD with NOTICES
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act of 1976, as
amended, the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) Boise District
Office, Boise, Idaho, and the BLM Vale
District Office, Vale, Oregon, have
prepared a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) titled Tri-state Fuel
Breaks Project Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DOI–BLM–ID–B000–
2015–0001–EIS) (Draft EIS) and, by this
notice, are announcing the opening of
the comment period.
DATES: To ensure that comments will be
considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Draft EIS
within 45 days following the date the
Environmental Protection Agency
publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register. The BLM will
announce future meetings or hearings
and any other public-participation
activities at least 15 days in advance
through public notices, media releases,
and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
related to the Draft EIS by any of the
following methods:
• Email: blm_id_tristate@blm.gov.
• Fax: 208–384–3489.
• Mail: 3948 South Development
Ave., Boise, ID 83705.
The Draft EIS and accompanying
background documents are available on
the project website: https://go.usa.gov/
xPruu.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Lance Okeson, Project Lead, telephone:
208–384–3300; 3948 South
Development Ave., Boise, ID 83705;
email: blm_id_tristate@blm.gov. Contact
Mr. Okeson to have your name added to
our mailing list. Persons who use a
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:56 Oct 10, 2019
Jkt 250001
telecommunications device for the deaf
(TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to
contact Mr. Okeson during normal
business hours. FRS is available 24
hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a
message or a question. You will receive
a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Southwest
Idaho, southeast Oregon, and northern
Nevada (the Tri-state area) comprise one
of the largest intact strongholds of
Greater Sage-grouse habitat in the
Northern Great Basin. This area
supports habitat for big game and other
sagebrush-obligate species and provides
for a variety of multiple-use activities.
Multiple science-based assessments
dating back to 2010 have identified the
project area as a landscape particularly
threatened by wildfire and the
consequent spread of invasive annual
grasses. The 2010 Rapid Eco-regional
Assessment of the Northern Basin and
Range and Snake River Plain identified
the Tri-state area as being at high risk
for large-scale wildfires. Wildfires in
this remote area can grow quickly and
affect hundreds of thousands of acres of
sage-steppe habitat and working
landscapes within a matter of days. The
2012 Long Draw Fire (558,198 acres),
the 2014 Buzzard Complex Fire
(395,747 acres), the 2015 Soda Fire
(285,360 acres), the 2018 Martin Fire
(435,569 acres), and the 2018 Sugar Loaf
Fire (233,462 acres)—all of which were
in or near the project area—each
impacted over a hundred thousand
acres within 24 hours.
The shrub-steppe landscapes within
this area represent one of the most
imperiled ecosystems in the United
States. The Secretary of the Interior’s
2017 Wildland Fire Directive requires
incorporation of fuels management into
resource management planning.
Secretarial Order 3372 calls for active
management of public lands to reduce
the risk of catastrophic wildfire to
America’s forests and rangelands.
Management of wildfire has been
identified as one of the key issues for
maintaining sage-grouse populations in
sagebrush-dominated landscapes.
Purpose and Need
The purpose of the proposed BLM
action is to provide safe areas and
strategic opportunities in the Tri-state
area to more rapidly and effectively
protect sagebrush-steppe habitat and
other natural and cultural resources and
socioeconomic values from wildfires by
creating and maintaining fuel breaks
along a network of established roads
through mechanical, biological,
chemical, and prescribed fire
PO 00000
Frm 00088
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
treatments. Fuel breaks reduce fuel
accumulations and disrupt fuel
continuity to modify fire behavior and
provide for firefighter safety and
efficiency, in order to reduce the spread
of wildfire across the sagebrush-steppe
ecosystems within the project area.
Alternatives
Under the No Action Alternative
(Alternative 1), a fuel-break network
would not be created. Fuels adjacent to
roadways would not be treated to
reduce fuel accumulations and disrupt
fuel continuity. Fire suppression
personnel would continue to use
existing paved and other improved BLM
and county roads and natural
topographic features to hold and control
wildfire.
Under all action alternatives, fuel
breaks would only be implemented
alongside existing roads. Fuel breaks
would extend up to, but no farther than,
200 feet from both sides of roadways.
Environmental constraints such as
adjacent vegetation, terrain, soil type,
and resource concerns would dictate
width (≤200 feet) and treatment type in
a given area. The methods for fuel break
creation and maintenance analyzed in
the Draft EIS include mowing, hand
cutting, seeding (including seedbed
preparation techniques), herbicide
treatment, prescribed fire (e.g., pile
burning), and targeted grazing. These
methods may be implemented in
combination or as stand-alone
treatments as necessary to meet the
treatment objectives. Depending on
available funding, implementation
could occur over 15 years.
Alternative 2 contains the highest
number and density of fuel breaks of all
action alternatives. The BLM would
implement and maintain a fuel break
network along approximately 1,539
miles of existing roads: 731 miles in
Idaho and 808 miles in Oregon. No fuel
breaks would be constructed in
designated wilderness. Fuel breaks may
be established along the non-wilderness
side of boundary roads adjacent to
designated wilderness. Fuel breaks may
be established along boundary roads
surrounding lands with wilderness
characteristics and wilderness study
areas (WSAs).
Alternative 3 was developed to
protect natural resources and
socioeconomic values from large
wildfires while minimizing impacts to
social and cultural resources.
Alternative 3 emphasizes avoidance of
cultural resources and limiting impacts
to special management areas (e.g.,
wilderness and WSAs) and lands with
wilderness characteristics. The fuelbreak network would span 1,063 miles
E:\FR\FM\11OCN1.SGM
11OCN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 198 (Friday, October 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54919-54920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22250]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[19X.LLAKA02000.L16100000.DS0000.LXSS043L0000.241A]
Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact
Statement for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource
Management Plan
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969 as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976
as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Glennallen Field
Office, Glennallen, Alaska, has prepared the Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource
Management Plan (RMP) for the BLM-managed public lands in the Haines
area of Alaska and, by this notice, is announcing its availability.
DATES: Planning regulations state that any person who meets the
conditions as described in the regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-2 may
protest the BLM's Final EIS/Proposed Haines Amendment to the Ring of
Fire RMP. A person who meets the conditions and files a protest must
file the protest within 30 days of the date that the Environmental
Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: Copies or notification of the electronic availability of the
Final EIS/Proposed Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire RMP are being
sent to affected Federal, State, Tribal, and local government agencies
and other stakeholders. Copies of the Final EIS/Proposed RMP are
available for public inspection at BLM Glennallen Field Office,
Milepost 186.5 Glenn Highway, Glennallen, AK 99588; BLM Alaska Public
Information Center, Federal Building, 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage,
AK 99513; Haines Borough Public Library, 111 3rd Ave., Haines, AK
99827; Municipality of Skagway Borough, 700 Spring Street, Skagway, AK
99840; BLM Anchorage District Office, 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage, AK
99507; and Alaska Resources Library and Information Services, 3211
Providence Drive, Suite 111, Anchorage, AK 99507. A link to the BLM's
ePlanning page with the Final EIS/Proposed RMP can be found at
www.blm.gov/alaska/rof-haines-amendment. All protests must be in
writing and mailed to one of the following addresses:
Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator,
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210) Attention: Protest
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Loranger, BLM Anchorage District
Office, telephone: 907-267-1221, email: [email protected]. 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, 7
days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual.
You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Haines Planning Area encompasses
approximately 920,000 acres in Southeast Alaska, bounded by the
Canadian Border to the north and west, Glacier Bay National Park to the
southwest, and the Tongass National Forest to the south and east. This
Planning Area consists mainly of steep and remote mountainous terrain,
with bedrock and glaciers that restrict road and trail access. Of the
total acreage within the Planning Area, the BLM manages approximately
316,000 acres. The size of the Planning Area has changed since the 2008
signing of the Ring of Fire RMP Record of Decision (ROD) due to the
conveyance of several sections of BLM-managed lands to the State of
Alaska. The purpose of this planning effort is to identify which
designations, associated management practices, and implementation
actions best fulfill the resource and multiple-use needs within the
Haines Planning Area. It is also intended to evaluate an Area of
Critical Environmental Concern, as required by the Ring of Fire RMP
ROD. In addition, this planning effort considered the results of a
multi-year, BLM-funded study of goat and bear habitat in the Haines
area by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, completed in 2017. This
amendment revises the applicable portions of the Ring of Fire RMP and
provides a plan which is consistent with evolving law, regulations, and
policy.
The BLM conducted public outreach to inform the public and answer
questions regarding the Proposed Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire
RMP/EIS. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the Draft RMP Amendment/
Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register in March 2009. The NOI
initiated a 90-day formal scoping period that lasted until June 26,
2009. Public meetings were held during the scoping period in the
communities of Haines, Skagway, and Anchorage. In 2018, an additional
60-day public outreach that closed May 30 was offered and public
meetings were held in the communities of Haines, Skagway, and Juneau.
In addition to both public meetings, BLM consulted with and solicited
comments from local, state, and federal governments, special interest
groups, and Native American tribes. In May of 2019, the Supplemental
Draft EIS for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource
Management Plan was published for a 90-day public comment period. An
open house was held in Haines on June 20, 2019. Additional consultation
and cooperating agency meetings were held in Haines in June 2019.
Public involvement is further described in Chapter 5 of the Final EIS.
Instructions for filing a protest regarding the Final EIS/Proposed
Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire RMP may be found in the ``Dear
Reader'' letter and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing
and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES
section above. Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid protests
unless the protesting party also provides the original letter by either
regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest
period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the emailed
protest as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If
you wish to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please
direct emails to [email protected].
Before including your phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your protest you should be aware
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
[[Page 54920]]
(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 3120(a); 40 CFR 1506.6(b))
Chad B. Padgett,
Acting State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2019-22250 Filed 10-10-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JA-P
