Notice of Availability of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Integrated Activity Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement, 64919 [2019-25513]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 227 / Monday, November 25, 2019 / Notices
• BLM Alaska Public Information
Center (Public Room), 222 University
Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
[20X.LLAK930000.L13100000.DP0000.
LXSSL0550000]
Notice of Availability of the National
Petroleum Reserve in Alaska
Integrated Activity Plan Draft
Environmental Impact Statement
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended, and the Naval
Petroleum Reserves Production Act of
1976 (NPRPA), as amended, the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM), Alaska
State Office, has prepared the Draft
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)
for the Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for
the National Petroleum Reserve in
Alaska (NPR–A) and by this notice is
announcing the opening of the public
comment period. The BLM is also
announcing that it will hold public
meetings on the Draft EIS and
subsistence-related hearings to receive
comments on the Draft EIS and the
potential to impact subsistence
resources and activities.
DATES: Comments on the Draft EIS may
be submitted in writing until 60 days
after the Environmental Protection
Agency’s publication of Notice of
Availability of the Draft EIS in the
Federal Register. The BLM will hold
public meetings in: Anaktuvuk Pass,
Anchorage, Atqasuk, Fairbanks,
Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik and
Wainwright. A public hearing on
subsistence resources and activities will
occur in conjunction with the public
meeting for the Draft EIS in the
potentially affected communities of
Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut,
Utqiagvik, Point Lay and Wainwright.
The dates, times, and locations, of the
meetings will be announced through
local news media, newspapers, and the
BLM website.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by any of the following methods:
• Website: https://www.blm.gov/
programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-indevelopment/alaska/npr-a-iap-eis;
• Mail to: BLM, Alaska State Office,
Attention—NPR–A IAP/EIS, 222 West
7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, AK
99513–7599;
• Hand Delivery: BLM Alaska Public
Information Center (Public Room), 222
W 7th Avenue (First Floor), Anchorage,
Alaska; or
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:31 Nov 22, 2019
Jkt 250001
Stephanie Rice, 907–271–3202; by mail:
Bureau of Land Management, 222 West
7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, AK
99513–7599. You may also request to be
added to the mailing list for the EIS.
Documents pertaining to the EIS may be
examined at https://www.blm.gov/alaska
or at the BLM Alaska State Office, BLM
Alaska Public Information Center
(Public Room), 222 West 7th Avenue
(First Floor), Anchorage, Alaska.
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 BLM
prepared a new IAP/EIS to determine
the appropriate management of all BLM
managed lands in the NPR–A in a
manner consistent with existing
statutory direction and Secretarial Order
3352. Secretarial Order 3352 directed
the development of a schedule to
‘‘effectuate the lawful review and
development of an IAP for the NPR–A
that strikes an appropriate balance of
promoting development while
protecting surface resources.’’ The
NPRPA, as amended, and its
implementing regulations require oil
and gas leasing in the NPR–A and the
protection of surface values consistent
with exploration, development and
transportation of oil and gas. The IAP
will serve to inform BLM’s management
of the NPR–A for all permissible uses.
Specifically, the IAP/EIS considers and
analyzes the environmental impact of
various management alternatives,
including the areas to offer for oil and
gas leasing, and the indirect impacts
that could result in consideration of the
hypothetical development scenario. The
alternatives analyze various terms and
conditions (i.e., lease stipulations and
required operating procedures) to
permittees in the NPR–A, to properly
balance oil and gas development and
other activities with protection of
surface resources. The lands comprising
the NPR–A are approximately 23
million acres.
The purpose of the public comment
period is to inform the public of the
availability of the Draft EIS and solicit
comments from the public. Information
received during the public comment
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00100
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
64919
period will be used to develop the Final
EIS.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information, be
advised that your entire comment,
including your identifying information,
may be made publicly available at any
time. While you may ask us in your
comments to withhold your personal
identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we
will be able to do so.
The BLM has worked with interested
parties to identify the management
decisions best suited to local, regional,
and national needs and concerns, as
well as to develop a range of alternatives
that examines how best to balance
development with protecting surface
resources. Future on-the-ground actions
requiring BLM approval, including
potential exploration and development
proposals, would require further NEPA
analysis based on the site-specific
proposal. Potential applicants would be
subject to the terms of the new IAP/EIS
Record of Decision; however, the BLM
Authorized Officer may require
additional site-specific terms and
conditions before authorizing any oil
and gas activity based on the project
level NEPA analysis.
Section 810 of ANILCA requires BLM
to evaluate the effects of the alternatives
presented in the Draft EIS on
subsistence activities, and to hold
public hearings if it finds that any
alternative may significantly restrict
subsistence uses. The preliminary
evaluation of subsistence impacts
indicates that certain alternatives
analyzed in the Draft EIS and the
associated cumulative impacts may
significantly restrict subsistence uses.
Therefore, the BLM will hold public
hearings on subsistence resources and
activities in conjunction with the public
meeting on the Draft EIS in the
potentially affected communities of
Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Point Lay,
Nuiqsut, Utqiagvik and Wainwright.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 3120(a); 40 CFR
1506.6(b).
Chad B. Padgett,
State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2019–25513 Filed 11–22–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P
E:\FR\FM\25NON1.SGM
25NON1
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Page 64919]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25513]
[[Page 64919]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[20X.LLAK930000.L13100000.DP0000.LXSSL0550000]
Notice of Availability of the National Petroleum Reserve in
Alaska Integrated Activity Plan Draft Environmental Impact Statement
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 Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of
1976 (NPRPA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska
State Office, has prepared the Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the National Petroleum
Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A) and by this notice is announcing the opening
of the public comment period. The BLM is also announcing that it will
hold public meetings on the Draft EIS and subsistence-related hearings
to receive comments on the Draft EIS and the potential to impact
subsistence resources and activities.
DATES: Comments on the Draft EIS may be submitted in writing until 60
days after the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of Notice
of Availability of the Draft EIS in the Federal Register. The BLM will
hold public meetings in: Anaktuvuk Pass, Anchorage, Atqasuk, Fairbanks,
Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik and Wainwright. A public hearing on
subsistence resources and activities will occur in conjunction with the
public meeting for the Draft EIS in the potentially affected
communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Utqiagvik, Point Lay
and Wainwright. The dates, times, and locations, of the meetings will
be announced through local news media, newspapers, and the BLM website.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Website: https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/plans-in-development/alaska/npr-a-iap-eis;
Mail to: BLM, Alaska State Office, Attention--NPR-A IAP/
EIS, 222 West 7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, AK 99513-7599;
Hand Delivery: BLM Alaska Public Information Center
(Public Room), 222 W 7th Avenue (First Floor), Anchorage, Alaska; or
BLM Alaska Public Information Center (Public Room), 222
University Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Rice, 907-271-3202; by mail:
Bureau of Land Management, 222 West 7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, AK
99513-7599. You may also request to be added to the mailing list for
the EIS. Documents pertaining to the EIS may be examined at https://www.blm.gov/alaska or at the BLM Alaska State Office, BLM Alaska Public
Information Center (Public Room), 222 West 7th Avenue (First Floor),
Anchorage, Alaska.
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 BLM prepared a new IAP/EIS to determine
the appropriate management of all BLM managed lands in the NPR-A in a
manner consistent with existing statutory direction and Secretarial
Order 3352. Secretarial Order 3352 directed the development of a
schedule to ``effectuate the lawful review and development of an IAP
for the NPR-A that strikes an appropriate balance of promoting
development while protecting surface resources.'' The NPRPA, as
amended, and its implementing regulations require oil and gas leasing
in the NPR-A and the protection of surface values consistent with
exploration, development and transportation of oil and gas. The IAP
will serve to inform BLM's management of the NPR-A for all permissible
uses. Specifically, the IAP/EIS considers and analyzes the
environmental impact of various management alternatives, including the
areas to offer for oil and gas leasing, and the indirect impacts that
could result in consideration of the hypothetical development scenario.
The alternatives analyze various terms and conditions (i.e., lease
stipulations and required operating procedures) to permittees in the
NPR-A, to properly balance oil and gas development and other activities
with protection of surface resources. The lands comprising the NPR-A
are approximately 23 million acres.
The purpose of the public comment period is to inform the public of
the availability of the Draft EIS and solicit comments from the public.
Information received during the public comment period will be used to
develop the Final EIS.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information, be advised that your entire
comment, including your identifying information, may be made publicly
available at any time. While you may ask us in your comments to
withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
The BLM has worked with interested parties to identify the
management decisions best suited to local, regional, and national needs
and concerns, as well as to develop a range of alternatives that
examines how best to balance development with protecting surface
resources. Future on-the-ground actions requiring BLM approval,
including potential exploration and development proposals, would
require further NEPA analysis based on the site-specific proposal.
Potential applicants would be subject to the terms of the new IAP/EIS
Record of Decision; however, the BLM Authorized Officer may require
additional site-specific terms and conditions before authorizing any
oil and gas activity based on the project level NEPA analysis.
Section 810 of ANILCA requires BLM to evaluate the effects of the
alternatives presented in the Draft EIS on subsistence activities, and
to hold public hearings if it finds that any alternative may
significantly restrict subsistence uses. The preliminary evaluation of
subsistence impacts indicates that certain alternatives analyzed in the
Draft EIS and the associated cumulative impacts may significantly
restrict subsistence uses. Therefore, the BLM will hold public hearings
on subsistence resources and activities in conjunction with the public
meeting on the Draft EIS in the potentially affected communities of
Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Point Lay, Nuiqsut, Utqiagvik and Wainwright.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 3120(a); 40 CFR 1506.6(b).
Chad B. Padgett,
State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2019-25513 Filed 11-22-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JA-P