Availability of Record of Decision Selecting a Route for the Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Road Through the Kobuk National Preserve, Alaska; Terms and Conditions Accompanying That Decision, and Final Environmental and Economic Analysis of the Impacts of Proposed Routes Within the Preserve, 47240 [2020-16906]
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47240
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 150 / Tuesday, August 4, 2020 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–AKRO–GAAR]
Availability of Record of Decision
Selecting a Route for the Ambler
Mining District Industrial Access Road
Through the Kobuk National Preserve,
Alaska; Terms and Conditions
Accompanying That Decision, and
Final Environmental and Economic
Analysis of the Impacts of Proposed
Routes Within the Preserve
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
As required by law, the
Department of the Interior (DOI) and the
Department of Transportation (DOT)
have jointly agreed upon a route for the
issuance of the right-of-way across the
Western (Kobuk River) unit of the Gates
of the Arctic National Preserve for the
proposed Ambler Mining District
Industrial Access Road, based on the
Final Environmental and Economic
Analysis.
SUMMARY:
The
Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act (ANILCA) established
the Gates of the Arctic National Preserve
(Preserve). Section 201(4) of that Act
also required that the Secretary of the
Interior permit access for surface
transportation from the Dalton Highway
to the Ambler Mining District through
the Preserve, and for the Secretaries of
the Interior and Transportation to
jointly agree upon the route. The Act
further required the two Secretaries to
prepare an Environmental and
Economic Analysis (EEA) for the
purpose of determining the most
desirable route for the right-of-way
through the Preserve, in lieu of an
Environmental Impact Statement, and
exempted the EEA from judicial review.
The EEA and related activities were to
be triggered by the filing of an
application for such a right-of-way.
The Alaska Industrial Development
and Export Authority (AIDEA), a public
corporation of the State of Alaska, has
applied for a right-of-way for an
industrial access road through the
Preserve. The proposed route is 26 miles
within the Preserve and 211 miles in
total (the Northern Alignment). The EEA
also analyzed an alternative route that is
18 miles within the Preserve and 228
miles in total (the Southern Alignment).
The National Park Service (NPS), in
cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA), prepared the
EEA. A draft of the document was
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:14 Aug 03, 2020
Jkt 250001
issued for public comment on August
23, 2019, for a comment period that
originally extended through October 7,
2019. Based on feedback from the
public, this was extended until October
29, 2019. NPS also attended 12 public
meetings sponsored by BLM, one in
Fairbanks, one in Washington, DC, and
10 in rural Alaska communities possibly
impacted by the road.
NPS received slightly under 3,000
comments. The NPS analyzed all pieces
of correspondence received during the
comment period when preparing the
final EEA. The comments assisted in
identifying sections of the draft EEA,
including proposed terms and
conditions, that required refinement and
revision. It also aided in organizing,
clarifying, and addressing technical
information within the final EEA.
The Record of Decision (ROD),
informed by the EEA, determined the
Northern Alignment to be the most
economically feasible and prudent
alternative with less severe impacts
allowing for construction, operation,
maintenance, and reclamation of the
private industrial access road. The
selected route would impact fewer
wetlands, would have less adverse
impacts on fish, subsistence, wild and
scenic rivers and would have greater
economic feasibility.
Due to the need for the overall road
to traverse land managed by the Bureau
of Land Management (BLM) and the
need for other federal permits, including
a Clean Water Act section 404 permit
from the Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), the full project is subject to
NEPA, with BLM and USACE jointly
undertaking that analysis. The
subsistence impact analysis required by
ANILCA Section 810 is found in the
BLM/USACE joint ROD (JROD), as are
the results of consultations required
under other applicable laws. The JROD
determined that the Northern Alignment
was the least environmentally damaging
practicable alternative and would not be
contrary to the public interest. Full
details are in the final DOI/DOT ROD
and EEA, including required permit
terms and conditions, which are
available at https://
parkplanning.nps.gov/Ambler.
This is a final decision.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 410hh(4); 43 CFR
36.13(a).
George Wallace,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and
Parks.
[FR Doc. 2020–16906 Filed 8–3–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312–52–P
PO 00000
Frm 00081
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Natural Resources Revenue
[Docket No. ONRR–2011–0012; DS63644000
DRT000000.CH7000 201D1113RT]
Major Portion Prices and Due Date for
Additional Royalty Payments on Indian
Gas Production in Designated Areas
That Are Not Associated With an Index
Zone
Office of Natural Resources
Revenue, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
regulations governing valuation of gas
produced from Indian leases, the Office
of Natural Resources Revenue (ONRR) is
publishing this notice in the Federal
Register to notify industry of ONRR’s
determination of the major portion
prices applicable to calendar year 2018
and the date by which a lessee must pay
any additional royalties due under
major portion pricing.
DATES: The due date to pay additional
royalties based on the major portion
prices is October 5, 2020.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Calculation of Prices Information:
Robert Sudar, Manager, Market &
Spatial Analytics, ONRR, at (303) 231–
3511, or email to Robert.Sudar@
onrr.gov; mailing address—Office of
Natural Resources Revenue, P.O. Box
25165, MS 64310B, Denver, Colorado
80225–0165.
Reporting Information: Lee-Ann
Martin, Program Manager, Reference &
Reporting Management, ONRR, at (303)
231–3313, or email to Leeann.Martin@
onrr.gov; mailing address—Office of
Natural Resources Revenue, P.O. Box
25165, MS 63300B, Denver, Colorado
80225–0165.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Minerals Management Service (MMS),
published a final rule titled
‘‘Amendments to Gas Valuation
Regulations for Indian Leases,’’ which
became effective January 1, 2000, 64 FR
43506, (Aug. 10, 1999). Those gas
valuation regulations apply to all Indian
(Tribal or allotted) oil and gas leases
except for leases on the Osage Indian
Reservation. Secretarial Order 3299, as
amended on August 29, 2011, created
ONRR and delegated to it the ‘‘royalty
and revenue management function of
the Minerals Management Service.’’
The regulations require ONRR to
publish major portion prices for each
designated area that is not associated
with an index zone for each production
month, as well as the due date to submit
any additional royalty payments. 30
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\04AUN1.SGM
04AUN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 150 (Tuesday, August 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 47240]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16906]
[[Page 47240]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS-AKRO-GAAR]
Availability of Record of Decision Selecting a Route for the
Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Road Through the Kobuk
National Preserve, Alaska; Terms and Conditions Accompanying That
Decision, and Final Environmental and Economic Analysis of the Impacts
of Proposed Routes Within the Preserve
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: As required by law, the Department of the Interior (DOI) and
the Department of Transportation (DOT) have jointly agreed upon a route
for the issuance of the right-of-way across the Western (Kobuk River)
unit of the Gates of the Arctic National Preserve for the proposed
Ambler Mining District Industrial Access Road, based on the Final
Environmental and Economic Analysis.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Alaska National Interest Lands
Conservation Act (ANILCA) established the Gates of the Arctic National
Preserve (Preserve). Section 201(4) of that Act also required that the
Secretary of the Interior permit access for surface transportation from
the Dalton Highway to the Ambler Mining District through the Preserve,
and for the Secretaries of the Interior and Transportation to jointly
agree upon the route. The Act further required the two Secretaries to
prepare an Environmental and Economic Analysis (EEA) for the purpose of
determining the most desirable route for the right-of-way through the
Preserve, in lieu of an Environmental Impact Statement, and exempted
the EEA from judicial review. The EEA and related activities were to be
triggered by the filing of an application for such a right-of-way.
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), a
public corporation of the State of Alaska, has applied for a right-of-
way for an industrial access road through the Preserve. The proposed
route is 26 miles within the Preserve and 211 miles in total (the
Northern Alignment). The EEA also analyzed an alternative route that is
18 miles within the Preserve and 228 miles in total (the Southern
Alignment).
The National Park Service (NPS), in cooperation with the U.S.
Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
prepared the EEA. A draft of the document was issued for public comment
on August 23, 2019, for a comment period that originally extended
through October 7, 2019. Based on feedback from the public, this was
extended until October 29, 2019. NPS also attended 12 public meetings
sponsored by BLM, one in Fairbanks, one in Washington, DC, and 10 in
rural Alaska communities possibly impacted by the road.
NPS received slightly under 3,000 comments. The NPS analyzed all
pieces of correspondence received during the comment period when
preparing the final EEA. The comments assisted in identifying sections
of the draft EEA, including proposed terms and conditions, that
required refinement and revision. It also aided in organizing,
clarifying, and addressing technical information within the final EEA.
The Record of Decision (ROD), informed by the EEA, determined the
Northern Alignment to be the most economically feasible and prudent
alternative with less severe impacts allowing for construction,
operation, maintenance, and reclamation of the private industrial
access road. The selected route would impact fewer wetlands, would have
less adverse impacts on fish, subsistence, wild and scenic rivers and
would have greater economic feasibility.
Due to the need for the overall road to traverse land managed by
the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the need for other federal
permits, including a Clean Water Act section 404 permit from the Army
Corps of Engineers (USACE), the full project is subject to NEPA, with
BLM and USACE jointly undertaking that analysis. The subsistence impact
analysis required by ANILCA Section 810 is found in the BLM/USACE joint
ROD (JROD), as are the results of consultations required under other
applicable laws. The JROD determined that the Northern Alignment was
the least environmentally damaging practicable alternative and would
not be contrary to the public interest. Full details are in the final
DOI/DOT ROD and EEA, including required permit terms and conditions,
which are available at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/Ambler.
This is a final decision.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 410hh(4); 43 CFR 36.13(a).
George Wallace,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 2020-16906 Filed 8-3-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
