Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, 62025-62043 [2023-18990]

Download as PDF lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules local transportation costs, which would not be affected by a change in the longdistance transportation costs. Id. d. The air-related costs (for both cuberelated and weight-related costs) are adjusted based on the percentage change in the proportion of Priority Mail transported on air for that zone. Id. e. The distance-related surface costs are adjusted based on the percentage change in the proportion of Priority Mail transported on surface for that zone. Id. at 4. The Postal Service states that this methodology can be updated and applied monthly to ensure that the transportation costs reflect the most recent operational conditions as operational changes occur throughout the year. Id. The Postal Service also states that there are two exceptions to this methodology. First, for any NSAs filed during January, the transportation adjustment from November will be used instead of the adjustment from December. Id. The Postal Service explains that this is because the air and surface proportions during peak season are considerably different from the rest of the fiscal year and would not be predictive of the costs that would be incurred during the first full year of the NSA. Id. Second, for Priority Mail NonPublished Rates agreements filed in Docket No. CP2020–170, instead of applying the adjustment every month, the adjustment will only be applied when the price floors are updated every year. Id. The Postal Service notes that this methodology would only be used for forward-looking financial projections, and NSA cost coverage reported during the ACR would still be calculated using the average costs for the FY. Id. at 4–5. Rationale. The Postal Service explains that due to the changes in transportation network in FY 2023, the FY 2022 costs for Priority Mail may no longer be predictive of the expected costs for Priority Mail NSAs being negotiated through the end of calendar year 2023. Id. at 5. The Postal Service states that similarly, the FY 2023 costs may also not be predictive of the costs for Priority Mail NSAs being negotiated during calendar year 2024, because of network changes scheduled to take place throughout FY 2024. Id. The Postal Service asserts that Proposal Four provides a methodology that uses current census data from PTR to adjust the base FY transportation costs to reflect the most recent operational changes, which will be an improvement in the accuracy of the projected cost coverage of NSAs. Id. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 Impact. According to the Postal Service, the proposed changes have no impact on any product-level costs such as those that would have been reported in the FY 2022 Public Cost and Revenue Analysis Report, because the proposal concerns only the reporting of Priority Mail transportation costs by zone. Id. at 5–6. The Postal Service provides the impact for each component by zone and the combined impact in Library Reference USPS–RM2023–9–NP1 under seal. Id. at 5. III. Notice and Comment The Commission establishes Docket No. RM2023–9 for consideration of matters raised by the Petition. More information on the Petition may be accessed via the Commission’s website at https://www.prc.gov. Interested persons may submit comments on the Petition and Proposal Four no later than September 29, 2023. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, Madison Lichtenstein is designated as an officer of the Commission (Public Representative) to represent the interests of the general public in this proceeding. IV. Ordering Paragraphs It is ordered: 1. The Commission establishes Docket No. RM2023–9 for consideration of the matters raised by the Petition of the United States Postal Service for the Initiation of a Proceeding to Consider Proposed Changes in Analytical Principles (Proposal Four), filed August 28, 2023. 2. Comments by interested persons in this proceeding are due no later than September 29, 2023. 3. Pursuant to 39 U.S.C. 505, the Commission appoints Madison Lichtenstein to serve as an officer of the Commission (Public Representative) to represent the interests of the general public in this docket. 4. The Secretary shall arrange for publication of this order in the Federal Register. By the Commission. Erica A. Barker, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2023–19361 Filed 9–7–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7710–FW–P PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62025 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management 43 CFR Part 2360 [BLM_HQ_FRN_MO4500173644] RIN 1004–AE95 Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Proposed rule. AGENCY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing a new rule to govern the management of surface resources and Special Areas in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR–A), consistent with its duties under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act (NPRPA), Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and other authorities. The proposed rule would revise the framework for designating and assuring maximum protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values, and would protect and enhance access for subsistence activities throughout the NPR–A. It would also incorporate aspects of the NPR–A Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) approved in April 2022. The proposed rule would have no effect on currently authorized oil and gas operations in the NPR–A. We solicit comments on all aspects of this proposed action. DATES: Please submit comments on this proposed rule to the BLM on or before November 7, 2023. The BLM is not obligated to consider any comments received after this date in making its decision on the final rule. Information Collection Requirements: This proposed rule includes existing and a proposed new informationcollection requirement that must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If you wish to comment on the information-collection requirements, please note that such comments should be sent directly to the OMB, and that the OMB is required to make a decision concerning the collection of information contained in this proposed rule between 30 and 60 days after publication of this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a comment to the OMB on the proposed information-collection revisions is best assured of being given full consideration if the OMB receives it by November 7, 2023. ADDRESSES: Mail, Personal, or Messenger Delivery: U.S. Department of the Interior, Director SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62026 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 (630), Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C St. NW, Room 5646, Washington, DC 20240, Attention: 1004–AE95. Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// www.regulations.gov. In the Searchbox, enter ‘‘RIN 1004–AE95 and click the ‘‘Search’’ button. Follow the instructions at this website. For Comments on Information— Collection Activities Written comments and suggestions on the information-collection requirements should be submitted by the date specified (see DATES) to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this specific information-collection by selecting ‘‘Currently under Review— Open for Public Comments’’ or by using the search function. If you submit comments on these informationcollection burdens, you should provide the BLM with a copy at one of the addresses shown earlier in this section, so that we can summarize all written comments and address them in the final rulemaking. Please indicate ‘‘Attention: OMB Control Number 1004–XXXX (RIN 1004–AE95) regardless of the method used to submit comments on the information collection burdens. Comments not pertaining to the proposed rule’s information-collection burdens should not be submitted to OMB. The BLM is not obligated to consider or include in the Administrative Record for the final rule any comments that are improperly directed to OMB. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Tichenor, Advisor—Office of the Director, at 202–573–0536 or jtichenor@ blm.gov with a subject line of ‘‘RIN 1004–AE95.’’ For questions relating to regulatory process issues, contact Faith Bremner at fbremner@blm.gov. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. For a summary of the proposed rule, please see the proposed rule summary document in docket BLM–2023–0006 on www.regulations.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Public Comment Procedures II. Background A. Introduction B. Brief Administrative History of the NPR–A C. Statutory Authority for Managing the NPR–A VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 D. Current Conditions E. Need for the Rule III. Section-by-Section Discussion IV. Procedural Matters I. Public Comment Procedures If you wish to comment on this proposed rule, you may submit your comments to the BLM by mail, personal or messenger delivery during regular hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except holidays, or through https://www.regulations.gov (see the ADDRESSES section). Please make your comments on the proposed rule as specific as possible, confine them to issues pertinent to the proposed rule, explain the reason for any changes you recommend, and include any supporting documentation. Where possible, your comments should reference the specific section or paragraph of the proposal that you are addressing. The BLM is not obligated to consider or include in the Administrative Record for the proposed rule comments that we receive after the close of the comment period (see DATES) or comments delivered to an address other than those listed earlier (see ADDRESSES). Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the address listed under ADDRESSES. Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. II. Background A. Introduction This proposed rule would revise the management framework for surface resources throughout the NPR–A and Special Areas in the NPR–A. The BLM has not updated this framework in the more than 45 years since the original and still current rule for management of NPR–A surface resources and Special Areas was promulgated in 1977. 42 FR 28721 (June 3, 1977). Currently, the legal standards and procedures that govern the NPR–A are scattered throughout several statutes, regulations, plans, and guidance documents. This proposed rule would provide a more comprehensive guide to managing the NPR–A. It would improve upon the existing regulations’ standards and procedures to balance oil and gas PO 00000 Frm 00041 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 activities with the protection of surface resources in the NPR–A; designate and assure maximum protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values; and maintain and enhance access for longstanding subsistence activities. The proposed rule would also implement statutory provisions that post-date the current regulations, including the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981, which directed the Secretary to ‘‘conduct an expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas’’ in the NPR–A, while ‘‘provid[ing] for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as the Secretary deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on . . . surface resources . . . .’’ Public Law 96–514, 94 Stat. 2957 (1980). The proposed rule would not affect existing leases in the NPR–A. B. Brief Administrative History of the NPR–A In the early 20th century, the Federal government established several naval petroleum reserves on public land, including the NPR–A, which President Warren G. Harding designated in 1923. Exec. Order 3797–A. The NPR–A extends from the north slope of the Brooks Range to the Arctic Coast and encompasses approximately 23 million acres of public land. In the decades that followed, the U.S. Navy began exploring for oil and gas in the NPR–A; however, by the 1970s, as Congress began debating the role of the naval petroleum reserves within the context of the nation’s changing energy needs, the NPR–A remained ‘‘largely unexplored and almost completely undeveloped.’’ H.R. Rep. No. 94–156, at 3 (1975). In 1976, Congress passed the NPRPA, which transferred management of the NPR–A to the Department of the Interior (DOI) and directed the President to prepare a study to ‘‘determine the best overall procedures’’ for exploring, developing, and transporting the reserve’s oil and gas resources. Public Law 94–258, section 105 (1976) (codified at 42 U.S.C. 6505(b)). In the NPRPA, Congress sought to strike a balance between exploration and ‘‘the protection of environmental, fish and wildlife, and historical or scenic values’’ in the NPR–A. It did so by directing the Secretary to ‘‘promulgate such rules and regulations as he [or she] deems necessary and appropriate for the protection of such values within the reserve.’’ 42 U.S.C. 6503(b). The Conference Report explained that the Act would immediately vest responsibility for protection of the NPR–A’s ‘‘natural, fish E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules and wildlife, scenic and historical values . . . in the Secretary of the Interior . . . so that any activities which are or might be detrimental to such values will be carefully controlled.’’ H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 94–942 (1976). The report stated the Conference Committee’s expectation ‘‘that the Secretary will take every precaution to avoid unnecessary surface damage and to minimize ecological disturbances throughout the reserve.’’ Id. In the same Act, Congress directed that ‘‘[a]ny exploration within the Utukok River, the Teshekpuk Lake areas, and other areas designated by the Secretary of the Interior containing any significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, or historical or scenic value, shall be conducted in a manner which will assure the maximum protection of such surface values to the extent consistent with the requirements of this Act for the exploration of the reserve.’’ 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). The Conference Report elaborated that the Act would ‘‘immediately authorize the Secretary to require that the exploration activities within these designated areas be conducted in a manner designed to minimize adverse impacts on the values which these areas contain.’’ H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 94–942 (1976). The ‘‘maximum protection’’ standard is an unusually high protective bar in comparison to other statutes granting authority to the BLM. See, e.g., 43 U.S.C. 1632; 16 U.S.C. 7202(c)(2). lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 1. Special Area Designations There are currently five Special Areas in the NPR–A that protect a wide range of significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, and scenic values. Responding to the congressional mandate to protect the values of highly sensitive areas in the NPR–A, particularly Teshekpuk Lake and the Utukok River Uplands, which the NPRPA specifically identified for protection, the Secretary in 1977 delineated the boundaries of those two congressionally designated Special Areas and also designated a third: the Colville River Special Area. 42 FR 28723 (June 3, 1977). The Secretary specifically identified the significant resource values to be protected for each of the three Special Areas: • Colville River: ‘‘The central Colville River and some of its tributaries provide critical nesting habitat for the Arctic peregrine falcon, an endangered species. The bluffs and cliffs along the Colville River provide nesting sites with the adjacent areas being utilized as food hunting areas. . . . A total area of approximately 2,300,000 acres within VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 the reserve is identified for inclusion in the Colville River special area.’’ Id. • Teshekpuk Lake: ‘‘The Teshekpuk Lake and its watershed are an important nesting, staging, and molting habitat for a large number of ducks, geese, and swans. Because of its importance to these migratory birds and numerous other waterbirds, a total of approximately 1,734,000 acres is identified as the Teshekpuk Lake special area.’’ Id. • Utukok River Uplands: ‘‘The Utukok River Uplands special area contains critical habitat for caribou. The critical decline in the population level of the western Arctic caribou herd (from 70,000 in 1975 to 35,000 in 1976) necessitates maximum protection of this area, which is ordinarily the calving territory for this herd. . . . Because of the nomadic nature of the caribou, a large area encompassing approximately 4,032,000 acres is included within this area.’’ Id. In 1999, the Secretary expanded the Colville River and Teshekpuk Lake Special Areas. The Secretary added ‘‘much of the Kikiakrorak and Kogosukruk Rivers and an area approximately two miles on either side of these rivers’’ to the Colville River Special Area, increasing its size to 2.44 million acres.1 The Secretary also added the 10,000-acre Pik Dunes Land Use Emphasis Area to the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area.2 In 2004, the Secretary designated a fourth Special Area, Kasegaluk Lagoon, which encompasses 97,000 acres. 70 FR 9096 (Feb. 24, 2005). The Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area is located in the northwestern corner of the NPR–A and includes important habitat for marine mammals, among other values.3 In 2013, the Secretary made several decisions concerning Special Areas. First, the Secretary designated a fifth Special Area: Peard Bay. The 107,000acre area was designated to ‘‘protect haul-out areas and nearshore waters for marine mammals and a high use staging and migration area for shorebirds and 1 BLM, Colville River Special Area (CRSA) Management Plan Environmental Assessment (EA) 1 (July 2008), available at https:// eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/5251/ 160692/196467/Colville_River_Special_Area_ EA.pdf; Designation of Additions to Special Areas in NPR–A; Alaska, 64 FR 16,747 (April 6, 1999). 2 64 FR 16747; BLM, NPR–A Final Integrated Activity (IAP) Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 355 (Nov. 2012), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/ 5251/41003/43153/Vol1_NPR-A_Final_IAP_ FEIS.pdf. 3 BLM, Northwest NPR–A IAP/EIS Record of Decision (ROD) 4 (Jan. 2004), available at https:// web.archive.org/web/20041204130751/https:// www.ak.blm.gov/affairs/press/pr2003/Final_ Northwest_NPR-A_ROD.pdf. PO 00000 Frm 00042 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62027 waterbirds.’’ 4 Second, the Secretary expanded the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area by 2 million acres ‘‘to encompass all the roughly 30-to-50-mile band of land valuable for bird and caribou habitat between Native-owned lands near Barrow and Native-owned lands near Nuiqsut . . . .’’ 5 Third, the Secretary expanded the Utukok River Uplands Special Area to 7.1 million acres ‘‘to more fully encompass prime calving and insect-relief habitat within the NPR–A . . . .’’ 6 Finally, the Secretary broadened the purpose of the Colville River Special Area to include the ‘‘protect[ion of] all raptors, rather than the original intent of protection for arctic peregrine falcons.’’ 7 The BLM currently manages all five Special Areas in accordance with the NPR–A IAP Record of Decision (ROD) of April 2022. The IAP provides for the management of the NPR–A, designates areas within the NPR–A for oil and gas leasing, infrastructure, and special protections, and identifies stipulations and required operating procedures to mitigate the impact of oil and gas and other permitted activities.8 The first IAP, which the BLM finalized in 1998, addressed management of the northeast NPR–A. This IAP superseded a 1983 oil and gas leasing environmental impact statement (EIS), which, until 1998, controlled leasing decisions throughout the NPR–A. In 2004 the BLM issued a separate IAP for the northwest NPR–A, and in 2013, the BLM approved an IAP that addressed activities and resources throughout the NPR–A. The current IAP, adopted in April 2022, was informed by a Final EIS issued by the agency in 2020. The EIS evaluated a range of alternatives for managing oil and gas activities and resources in the NPR–A. These alternatives were informed and shaped by extensive outreach efforts with the public and stakeholders, including: • Scoping: During the scoping period from November 21, 2018, to February 15, 2019, the BLM held eight public meetings in Alaska and received approximately 56,000 comment submissions, including form letters. • Public Review of the Draft IAP/EIS: During the comment period for the Draft IAP/EIS from November 25, 2019, 4 BLM, NPR–A IAP ROD 4 (Feb. 2013), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/ 5251/42462/45213/NPR-A_FINAL_ROD_2-2113.pdf. 5 Id. at 19. 6 Id. at 4. 7 Id. 8 BLM, NPR–A IAP ROD 2–3 (Apr. 2022), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_ projects/117408/200284263/20058238/250064420/ 2022_NPRA_IAP_ROD_508.pdf. E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62028 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules through February 5, 2020, the BLM held eight public meetings in Alaska and received more than 82,000 comments, including form letters and signed petitions. • Comments received after the Final IAP/EIS was released and prior to the ROD: In reaching the decision in the 2022 ROD, the BLM reviewed and fully considered comments received after distribution of the Final IAP/EIS on June 26, 2020. The comments did not identify any significant new circumstances or information related to environmental concerns bearing upon the proposed action or its impacts. Instead, they generally reflected concerns already raised by comments submitted during scoping and the public’s review of the Draft IAP/EIS. In addition to the above, the current IAP benefited from suggestions and careful review of the analysis in the IAP/EIS by several cooperating agencies: the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, In˜upiat Community of the Arctic Slope, National Park Service, North Slope Borough, State of Alaska, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. During the IAP/EIS process, the BLM consulted with: • Tribes as required by a Presidential Executive Memorandum dated April 29, 1994; • Communities, Tribal organizations, and Native corporations on the North Slope; • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration— Fisheries pursuant to the Endangered Species Act; and • Alaska’s State Historic Preservation Office pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act. Pursuant to Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) section 810(a)(1) and (2), the BLM also conducted hearings in North Slope communities to gather comments regarding potential impacts to subsistence use resulting from the alternatives considered in the IAP/EIS. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 2. Oil and Gas Leasing in the NPR–A In 1980, Congress authorized competitive leasing of Federal oil and gas resources in the NPR–A. Public Law 96–514 (1980) (codified at 42 U.S.C. 6506a(a)). The BLM held two NPR–A lease sales in 1982 and one each in 1983 and 1984.9 After receiving no bids during the 1984 lease sale and determining that the oil and gas industry had ‘‘little interest in another 9 U.S. Geological Survey, The NPR–A Data Archive 2 (Mar. 2001), available at https:// pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs024-01/fs024-01.pdf. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 lease sale,’’ the BLM discontinued sales in the NPR–A for the next 15 years.10 In the 1990s, following technological advances and successful development on nearby State lands, industry expressed a desire to resume leasing in the NPR–A.11 The BLM restarted lease sales in 1999 and, over the next 2 decades, held a total of 15 sales for the NPR–A. These sales initially generated considerable bonus bid revenue for the Federal government and the State of Alaska, as the BLM collected an average of $74 million in bonus bids at sales held in 1999, 2002, and 2004.12 However, bid revenue dropped off significantly as lands in the NPR–A with the highest potential for development were leased. Between 2006 and 2019, the BLM received an average of just $6 million in bonus bids per sale, and millions of acres offered for lease went unsold. Between 1999 and 2019, the BLM offered nearly 60 million acres of leases in the NPR–A but received bids on just 12 percent of that acreage.13 C. Statutory Authority for Managing the NPR–A 1. NPRPA The NPRPA is the primary source of management authority for the NPR–A. Under the NPRPA, the Secretary must ‘‘assume all responsibilities’’ for ‘‘any activities related to the protection of environmental, fish and wildlife, and historical or scenic values’’ and ‘‘promulgate such rules and regulations as he [or she] deems necessary and appropriate for the protection of such values within the reserve.’’ 42 U.S.C. 6503(b). Congress has also directed the Secretary to ‘‘conduct an expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas’’ in the NPR–A. Id. at 6506a(a). But the Secretary must ensure that all activities taken pursuant to the NPRPA ‘‘include or provide for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as the Secretary deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on the surface resources’’ throughout the NPR–A. Id. at 6506a(b). The NPRPA also authorizes the Secretary to designate Special Areas to protect ‘‘significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, or 10 BLM, Northeast NPR–A Final IAP/EIS (Aug. 1998), available at https://web.archive.org/web/ 20001018022001/http:/aurora.ak.blm.gov/npra/ final/html/contents_vol1.html. 11 Id. 12 BLM, NPR–A Sale Statistics 1999 to Present, available at https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/ files/documents/files/Oil_Gas_Alaska_NPR-A_ LeaseSale_Statistics_1999toPresent.pdf. 13 Id. PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 historical or scenic value[s]’’ in the NPR–A and provides that any ‘‘exploration’’ in Special Areas ‘‘shall be conducted in a manner which will assure the maximum protection of such surface values to the extent consistent with the requirements of this Act for the exploration of the reserve.’’ Id. at 6504(a). Congress enacted that provision in 1976, prior to its authorization of competitive leasing in 1980. As a result, that provision expressly references only ‘‘exploration’’ and not leasing or other oil and gas activities. Nonetheless, the BLM has long interpreted that language to require maximum protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values from the impacts of all oil and gas activities.14 In 1980, when Congress authorized the Secretary to lease oil and gas in the NPR–A, it expressly required the BLM to ‘‘mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on surface resources’’ throughout the NPR–A. 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b). That mandate mirrored the 1976 Conference Committee’s statement that ‘‘it . . . expected . . . the Secretary will take every precaution to avoid unnecessary surface damage and to minimize ecological disturbances throughout the reserve’’ and not solely in Special Areas. H.R. Rep. 94–942, at 21 (1976). The 1980 Act also provided that ‘‘any exploration or production undertaken pursuant to this section be in accordance with section 104(b) of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976.’’ 90 Stat. 2965. The referenced section of the NPRPA is the maximum protection provision codified at section 6504(a), and thus the maximum protection provision applies to production activities as well as exploration. In any event, it would make little sense for Congress to require maximum protection of surface values from exploration while requiring lesser protection from the greater impacts of oil and gas development. Accordingly, in the BLM’s longstanding view, reading 14 See, e.g., BLM, NPR–A Final IAP/EIS at 3–338 (June 2020), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/ public_projects/117408/200284263/20020421/ 250026625/Volume%202_Appendices%20B-Y.pdf; BLM, Northeast NPR–A IAP/EIS ROD 13 (Oct. 1998) BLM, Amendment to the Northeast NPR–A IAP/EIS ROD 22 (Jan. 2006) (‘‘Maximum protection of important surface resources is provided in Special Areas designated by the Secretary through a combination of prohibitions, restrictions, and stipulations restricting oil and gas facilities and other activities that might adversely impact wildlife habitat and subsistence use areas.’’)., available at https://web.archive.org/web/20170212030656/ https://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/ak/aktest/ planning/ne_npra_final_supplement.Par. 62144.File.dat/npra_final_app_l.pdfhttps:// web.archive.org/web/20170301153536/https:/ www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/ak/aktest/ planning/ne_npra.Par.77875.File.dat/nerod_ 122205final.pdf. E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules those two provisions (42 U.S.C. 6504(a) and 6506a(b)) together, Congress intended that BLM would provide for heightened (i.e., maximum) protection from the impacts of all oil and gas activities in Special Areas, but provide for lesser protection (mitigating reasonably foreseeable significant impacts) elsewhere throughout the Reserve. Interpreting the special areas provision (6504(a)) to apply only to exploration activities—when Congress chose not to repeal that provision when it authorized leasing,—would lead to the illogical result that BLM is required to apply a higher standard of protection for exploration, only to allow the greater impacts of oil and gas development to harm those same resources. That is, in the BLM’s longstanding view, inconsistent with Congressional intent. 2. Other Authorities Other authorities that guide management of the NPR–A include FLPMA and the ANILCA. Although Congress in 1980 exempted the NPR–A from FLPMA’s land use planning and wilderness study requirements, 42 U.S.C. 6506a(c), it did not exempt the NPR–A from FLPMA’s other mandates. Hence, the BLM must still ‘‘take any action necessary to prevent unnecessary or undue degradation’’ of all BLMadministered public lands, including within the NPR–A. 43 U.S.C. 1732(b). Under section 810 of ANILCA, the BLM must ‘‘evaluate the effect’’ of proposed oil and gas activities ‘‘on subsistence uses and needs . . . .’’ 16 U.S.C. 3120(a). If such activities will ‘‘significantly restrict subsistence uses,’’ then the BLM must hold hearings in affected communities, limit activities to ‘‘the minimal amount of public lands necessary,’’ and take ‘‘reasonable steps . . . to minimize adverse impacts upon subsistence uses and resources . . . .’’ Id. Fulfilling section 810’s requirements is of crucial importance for the NPR–A, as over 40 communities utilize its resources for subsistence purposes.15 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 D. Current Conditions Conditions in the NPR–A are changing rapidly, as the Arctic continues to warm more than twice as fast as the rest of the Earth.16 This is causing disruptions to natural ecosystems, Native communities, and 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 caribou herd, an important subsistence resource for nearby Alaska Native communities.23 Significant surface resources are found throughout the NPR–A, but are concentrated in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area and the other Special Areas. These resources include: • Caribou: Because caribou exhibit high fidelity to calving grounds, herds are identified based on the location of those grounds.24 The NPR–A contains extensive calving grounds for two herds: the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd and the Western Arctic Caribou Herd.25 During most years, the highest density of calving and post-calving use for the Teshekpuk herd occurs southeast of Teshekpuk Lake. Based on the results of a 2022 photo-census, the Teshekpuk herd population appears stable in spite of low birth rates and high harvest levels.26 The principal calving grounds of the Western Arctic herd are located in the Utukok River Uplands Special Area. After reaching a recorded peak population of 243,000 animals in the 1970s, the Western Arctic herd has declined in recent years.27 According to the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, the Western Arctic herd population now stands at roughly 164,000 animals. For this reason, the Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group recently designated the herd as ‘‘Preservative, Declining’’—a management designation that triggers harvest and other restrictions—and recommended strengthening protections for the Western Arctic’s calving grounds in the NPR–A.28 • Birds: Concentrations of shore and waterbirds in the NPR–A are among the highest in the Arctic coastal plain. In recognition of this, the National Audubon Society has identified seven Important Bird Areas in the NPR–A, including three within the Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Teshekpuk Lake Special Areas. The East 23 Id. 24 Willow 17 BLM, 15 BLM, Determination of NEPA Adequacy (DNA): NPR–A IAP 2020 Final EIS Evaluation 9 (Apr. 2022), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/ public_projects/117408/200284263/20058231/ 250064413/NPRA%20IAP%20DNA%20signed %20508.pdf. 16 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2022 Arctic Report Card, available at https://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card/ReportCard-2022. VerDate Sep<11>2014 subsistence use patterns throughout the NPR–A. Notable changes include accelerating permafrost degradation; impairment of sensitive wildlife habitat and movement corridors, particularly for caribou; alterations in plant communities; and impacts on subsistence activities.17 From a management standpoint, climate change is ‘‘introduc[ing] substantial uncertainty,’’ particularly ‘‘in predicting demographic trends of species in the area[,] and will make the predicted impacts of development more difficult to accurately assess.’’ 18 At the same time, oil and gas development is continuing in the NPR– A, and this proposed rule would have no effect on existing activities. Approximately 2.5 million acres of the NPR–A are currently leased. The bulk of existing leases are clustered within an area of high development potential between Teshekpuk Lake and the Colville River.19 Outside of this area, the NPR–A’s development potential is medium and low.20 Production is occurring on two pads in the Greater Mooses Tooth (GMT) Unit immediately west of the community of Nuiqsut. Additional development is planned in the Beartooth Unit, including under the Willow Master Development Plan (MDP), which the BLM approved on March 12, 2023. When fully built out, the Willow project will include three pads with up to 199 wells, a network of roads and pipelines, a central processing facility, and an operations center.21 In conjunction with the approval of the Willow MDP, the project proponent voluntarily agreed to relinquish approximately 68,000 acres of leases in the NPR–A, including approximately 60,000 acres in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area.22 This relinquishment, along with additional provisions adopted in the Willow MDP ROD, will create an additional buffer from exploration and development activities near the calving grounds and migratory routes for the Teshekpuk Lake Willow Master Development Plan (MDP) Supplemental EIS (SEIS) 37–38, 148–49, 415–16, 422 (Jan. 2023), available at https:// eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/109410/ 200258032/20073121/250079303/Willow %20FSEIS_Vol%201_Ch%201-Ch%205.pdf. 18 Id. at 413–14. 19 2020 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at B–3 (June 2020). 20 Id. at B–5. 21 BLM, Willow MDP ROD 3 (Mar. 2023), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_ projects/109410/200258032/20075029/250081211/ 2023%20Willow%20MDP%20Record%20of %20Decision.pdf. 22 DOI, Interior Department Substantially Reduces Scope of Willow Project (Mar. 13, 2023), available at https://doi.gov/pressreleases/interiordepartment-substantially-reduces-scope-willowproject. PO 00000 Frm 00044 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62029 MDP SEIS at 224. NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 3–180. 26 Willow MDP SEIS at 224. 27 2020 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 3–181–82; see also Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, Draft—2022 Meeting Summary 16–17, available at https://westernarcticcaribou.net/wp-content/ uploads/2023/02/2022-WACH-WG-MeetingSummary-DRAFT-for-WACHWG-approval-at-20232.14.2023.pdf. ‘‘Primary causes of mortality are predation, ‘unknown’. . . . Since 2005, the herd has had more years of decline than increase or stability, with cow mortality higher and calf recruitment lower.’’ 28 Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, Draft—2022 Meeting Summary 16–17, available at https://westernarcticcaribou.net/wp-content/ uploads/2023/02/2022-WACH-WG-MeetingSummary-DRAFT-for-WACHWG-approval-at-20232.14.2023.pdf. 25 2020 E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62030 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) has also designated the Qupa5uk EAAFP Flyway Network Site within the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area.29 The lake contains an ‘‘exceptional’’ breeding and molting ground for geese and other waterfowl, as an estimated 573,000 birds breed at the lake. The NPR–A also provides habitat for two threatened species—the spectacled eider and the Alaska breeding population of Steller’s eider— and 11 BLM Alaska special status species. Many of the bird populations breeding in the Arctic have been in decline since the 1980s; shorebirds as a group have declined by about half and land-birds by about 20 percent.30 • Fish: Fish are widely distributed in the NPR–A’s extensive network of lakes, ponds, alluvial and beaded streams, and adjacent wetlands. The most common fish species are Arctic grayling, broad whitefish, burbot, least cisco, Arctic cisco, Arctic flounder, round whitefish, humpback whitefish, and ninespine stickleback. The NPR–A also provides ‘‘essential’’ habitat for several species of Pacific salmon.31 Many fish species, particularly anadromous species, migrate both locally and extensively between major drainages to access habitats that support various life history stages.32 Most of these habitats currently exhibit few, if any, impacts from human activities.33 • Marine mammals: Eleven species of marine mammals are found in or near the NPR–A, including six cetaceans (bowhead whales, minke whales, gray whales, killer whales, beluga whales, and narwhals), four pinnipeds (pacific walrus, bearded seals, spotted seals, and ringed seals), and the polar bear; four of these species are listed as threatened or endangered under the ESA. Special Areas provide important habitat for many marine mammals, including spotted seals and walruses, which utilize haul-out areas in the Kasegaluk Lagoon and Peard Bay Special Areas, and polar bears, which are increasingly using terrestrial habitats in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area due to receding sea ice. Overall, the implications of climate change for marine mammals in the Arctic are substantial. Continued arctic warming 29 East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, Qupa5uk Flyway Network Site [EAAF133]—East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, available at https://www.eaaflyway.net/qupaluk-flywaynetwork-site-eaaf133-east-asian-australasianflyway-partnership/. 30 2020 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 3–137–46. 31 2020 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 3–122, M–2, M– 3. 32 Willow MDP SEIS at 165. 33 2020 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 3–119. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 and the resulting deterioration of sea ice pose a major threat to marine mammals and their prey in the Arctic.34 • Cultural resources: Although less than 3 percent of the NPR–A has been surveyed for cultural resources, nearly 2,000 sites have been identified. Additionally, there are 925 documented Traditional Land Use Inventory sites in the NPR–A, which are important place names, landmarks, traditional land use sites, travel routes, and other places of cultural importance to the North Slope In˜upiat. These sites have ongoing spiritual and cultural importance to residents of the North Slope. Protecting cultural resources sites, both documented and undocumented, is of concern to the In˜upiat. However, early exploration and development projects on the North Slope had a greater potential to affect cultural resources due to the less stringent regulations and identification requirements than those in place today. For example, oil exploration trails have been associated with some damage to the Qalluvuk site, a traditional fishing and hunting area that also served as a trading station in the 1930s. Other observations, testimony, and traditional knowledge from local residents have documented experiences associated with cultural resource impacts, including the potential disturbance of gravesites and camps from winter seismic exploration activities.35 • Recreation resources: The NPR–A offers numerous unique and primitive recreational opportunities, including backpacking, boating, sight-seeing, hunting, fishing, tourism, and offhighway vehicle use. Because most of the NPR–A is considered an unmodified natural environment, individual users rarely, if ever, encounter other recreationists. Guided expeditions for backpacking, sight-seeing, and hunting primarily occur in the Utukok River Uplands. Similar recreational activities also occur in the vicinity of Teshekpuk Lake and Umiat.36 Over 40 communities harvest subsistence resources from the NPR–A, including many of the resources described earlier. Six communities in particular—Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik, and Wainwright—harvest all or nearly all of their subsistence resources from the NPR–A, including large land mammals (primarily caribou or moose), furbearers and small land mammals, non-salmon fish, waterfowl, upland game birds, and vegetation. Marine mammals and 34 Id. at 3–208–222. at 3–249–51. 36 Id. at 3–319. salmon harvesting is less common in the NPR–A; instead, they are harvested in nearshore areas, such as Peard Bay, Elson Lagoon, and Kasegaluk Lagoon.37 Subsistence harvesting is the cornerstone of the traditional relationship of the In˜upiat people with their environment. Residents of communities in and around the NPR–A rely on subsistence harvests of plant and animal resources for nutrition and their cultural, economic, and social wellbeing. Activities associated with subsistence—processing; sharing; redistribution networks; cooperative and individual hunting, fishing, whaling, and gathering; and ceremonial activities—strengthen community and family social ties, reinforce community and individual cultural identity, and provide a link between contemporary Alaska Natives and their ancestors. These activities are guided by traditional knowledge based on a longstanding relationship with the environment. Traditional In˜upiaq values remain strong on the North Slope and include respect for nature, humility, love and respect for elders, cooperation, hunting traditions, knowledge of language, and family and kinship. These values are embedded within all facets of In˜upiaq society, including subsistence hunting and harvesting traditions. The ability to pass on these values through the continuation of traditional subsistence activities in traditional places is critical to maintaining In˜upiat cultural identity. Sharing is one of the core values of In˜upiaq society and culture, which serves to maintain and strengthen familial and social ties both within and between communities on the North Slope. Traditional feasts such as Nalukataq (the spring Whale Festival) and Kivgiq (the Messenger Feast) revolve around the bringing together of communities and the distribution of subsistence foods throughout the community and region. Extensive sharing networks exist between North Slope communities, and between the North Slope and other regions in Alaska. In˜upiaq people continue to identify with the places of their ancestors and return to these places to hunt, fish, camp, gather, and process wild foods. Subsistence activities help maintain the relationship between In˜upiaq people and the land, as do stories, In˜upiaq place names, trails and travel routes, and landmarks. Thus, to the In˜upiat, protection of traditional lands, waters, and the wild resources that inhabit them is essential to 35 Id. PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 4702 37 Id. Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM at 3–262. 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 maintaining cultural traditions, traditional knowledge, and identity.38 Impacts on subsistence are occurring on the North Slope with greater frequency as development expands across the region. Nuiqsut, the community closest to current oil and gas development on the North Slope, has experienced the most impacts. Subsistence impacts and concerns have also been documented for Point Lay, Wainwright, Utqiagvik, Atqasuk, and Anaktuvuk Pass. Many of these concerns are related to effects of development, including seismic activity and oil and gas-related research, pipelines, and traffic, on caribou and other terrestrial species. Overall, future infrastructure, oil and gas development, and other activities in the NPR–A area could have lasting effects on cultural practices, values, and beliefs. The potential impacts of development could result in reduced harvests, changes in uses of traditional lands, and decreased community participation in subsistence harvesting, processing, consuming, sharing, and associated rituals and feasts. Because of this, communities could experience a loss of cultural and individual identity associated with subsistence, a loss of traditional knowledge about the land, damaged social and kinship ties, and effects on spirituality associated with degradation of the NPR–A.39 The BLM solicits comments on this section. Specifically, BLM welcomes comment from the regulated community including industry, residents of communities in and around the NPR–A, and Alaskan natives and indigenous Tribes who may benefit or bear costs from this proposed rule. E. Need for the Rule The BLM is proposing this revision because the regulatory framework governing the management and protection of surface resources and Special Areas in the NPR–A needs updating. Conditions throughout the Arctic have changed dramatically since 1977, when the BLM issued the current regulations for management of surface resources and Special Areas in the NPR–A. As discussed in greater detail in Section II.D, the impacts of climate change on the NPR–A’s natural environment and Native communities are intensifying. Conditions are changing rapidly in the Arctic, making it necessary and appropriate for the BLM to develop new regulations that account for and respond to these changing conditions. Thus, the 38 Willow 39 2020 MDP SEIS at 303. NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 3–265–66, 3–280. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 proposed rule would direct the BLM to regularly address changing conditions. Among other things, it would require the BLM to conduct an evaluation of Special Areas at least once every 5 years and update Special Area designations to include new resource values. It also would require the BLM to account for any uncertainty concerning the effects of proposed activities. New and revised standards and procedures are also needed to ensure that the BLM is fulfilling its statutory duties under the NPRPA, FLPMA, and other authorities to the best of its ability. For example, the BLM has a responsibility to ‘‘provide for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as the Secretary deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects [of oil and gas activities] on the surface resources’’ throughout the NPR–A.’’ 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b). The current regulations, however, provide little detail on the standards and procedures the BLM should use to implement these important requirements. The BLM also has an obligation to ‘‘assure the maximum protection of . . . surface values’’ within Special Areas ‘‘to the extent consistent with the requirements of [the NPRPA] for the exploration of the reserve.’’ 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). The proposed rule would improve upon the standards and procedures that implement this requirement. For example, the current regulations identify specific measures the BLM may take to assure maximum protection but provide no further guidance on the evaluation and selection of such measures. In addition, the current regulations do not reflect the full management regime for the NPR–A. This proposed rule would provide a more comprehensive guide to managing the NPR–A. Currently, the applicable legal standards and procedures are scattered throughout several statutes, regulations, plans, and guidance documents. For example, the existing regulations do not integrate with the use of IAPs, which BLM has used either on a regional or area wide basis for the NPR–A for over two decades. Although the BLM is not required to plan for the use of the NPR– A, see 42 U.S.C. 6506a(c), it has chosen to produce the IAP through a public process and has analyzed it in an Environmental Impact Statement. The IAP allocates land uses in the NPR–A and details oil and gas lease stipulations and infrastructure restrictions for Special Areas. The overlay of a regulatory regime to govern the NPR–A, including the development and use of PO 00000 Frm 00046 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62031 IAPs, would enhance consistency and certainty, particularly with respect to protection of surface resources and Special Areas. III. Section-by-Section Discussion The proposed rule would change the section designations from the current regulations to implement Office of the Federal Register requirements. Some provisions of the existing regulations would not change; we do not discuss those provisions here. Section 2361.1 Purpose Section 2361.0–1 would be redesignated to § 2361.1. The existing provision states that the purpose of the regulations is ‘‘to provide procedures for the protection and control of environmental, fish and wildlife, and historical or scenic values’’ in the NPR– A. As proposed, § 2361.1 would establish a two-part purpose for the rule to more accurately and completely reflect the scope of the regulations. The first purpose would be to provide standards and procedures to implement 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b), which requires the Secretary to ensure that ‘‘[a]ctivities undertaken pursuant to this Act include or provide for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as [she] deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on the surface resources of the [NPR–A].’’ The second purpose outlined in this section would be to provide standards and procedures to implement 42 U.S.C. 6504(a), under which any exploration in Special Areas ‘‘shall be conducted in a manner which will assure the maximum protection of such surface values to the extent consistent with the requirements of this Act for the exploration of the [NPR–A].’’ The standards and procedures to implement these two provisions would also fulfill BLM’s mandate to take action necessary to prevent unnecessary or undue degradation under FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 1732(b). Section 2361.0–2 Objectives The existing § 2361.0–2 states the objectives of the regulations. We propose to remove this section because our proposed revision of § 2361.1 would make it redundant. Section 2361.3 Authority Section 2361.0–3 would be redesignated to § 2361.3. The existing provision lists the NPRPA as the statutory authority for the regulations. We propose to add the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. L. 96–514), which E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62032 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules amended the NPRPA and instructed the Secretary to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on the surface resources in the NPR–A. Section 2361.4 Responsibility Section 2361.0–4 would be redesignated to § 2361.4. This section would modify the existing statement that, under the NPRPA, the BLM is responsible for managing surface resources in the NPR–A to add that BLM is now also responsible for managing the subsurface mineral resources in the NPR–A. It would also add that the BLM is responsible for assuring maximum protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values. Paragraph (b) would be deleted because the U.S. Geological Survey is no longer responsible for managing exploration in the NPR–A. Secretarial Order 3071, 47 FR 4751 (Feb. 2, 1982); Secretarial Order 3087, 48 FR 8982–83 (Mar. 2, 1983). Section 2361.5 Definitions Section 2361.0–5 would be redesignated to § 2361.5. In this section, the BLM would update the definition for ‘‘exploration’’ to ensure consistency with NPRPA’s definition of ‘‘petroleum.’’ 42 U.S.C. 6501. The BLM would also update the definition of ‘‘Special Areas’’ for consistency with other proposed changes to the regulations. Finally, the BLM would also incorporate a new definition for ‘‘Indigenous Knowledge,’’ consistent with the guidance set forth in the Memorandum issued by the Council on Environmental Quality’s Office of Science and Technology Policy on November 30, 2022.40 New definitions would also be added for ‘‘Integrated Activity Plan,’’ ‘‘infrastructure,’’ and ‘‘significant resource value.’’ lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 Section 2361.6 Effect of Law Section 2361.0–7 would be redesignated to § 2361.6. The BLM is proposing to update this section to conform to existing legal authorities, including adding provisions to implement the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981, Public Law 96–514 (Dec. 12, 1980), 94 Stat. 2957, 2964, in revised paragraph (a), and the Barrow Gas Field Transfer Act of 1984, Public Law 98– 366 (July 17, 1984), 98 Stat. 468, 470, in new paragraph (b)(4). 40 Council on Environmental Quality, Guidance for Federal Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge (Nov. 30, 2022), available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/ 2022/12/OSTP-CEQ-IK-Guidance.pdf. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 Section 2361.7 Severability This proposed new section would establish that if any provision of part 2360 is invalidated, then all remaining provisions would remain in effect. The various components of the proposed rule are distinct. For example, many of the proposed provisions would simply update the regulations to bring them more into line with the BLM’s statutory duties. Those updates would function independently of the rest of the proposed rule. The procedural requirements in proposed § 2361.10(b) for protecting surface resources in the NPR–A also would stand alone, as would the codification of existing Special Areas in § 2361.20, the procedural requirements in § 2361.30, and other provisions. Section 2361.10 Resources Protection of Surface Section 2361.1 would be redesignated to § 2361.10, and the title would be changed from ‘‘protection of the environment’’ to ‘‘protection of surface resources’’ to more closely track with the BLM’s statutory authority under 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b), which directs the BLM to ‘‘provide for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as the Secretary deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on the surface resources of the [NPR–A].’’ The proposed rule would establish new standards and procedures for managing and protecting surface resources in the NPR–A from the reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects of oil and gas activities. In 1980, Congress authorized the Secretary to mitigate those effects through ‘‘necessary or appropriate’’ ‘‘conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions.’’ 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b). Existing paragraph (a) requires the authorized officer to take action ‘‘to mitigate or avoid unnecessary surface damage and to minimize ecological disturbance throughout the reserve to the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act for the exploration of the reserve.’’ We propose to amend paragraph (a) to mirror the statutory language. As amended, paragraph (a) also would provide further clarification by recognizing that, in some circumstances, the BLM may delay or deny proposed activities that would cause reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on surface resources. Existing paragraph (b) would be deleted. It concerns coordination between the BLM and the U.S. PO 00000 Frm 00047 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 Geological Survey, which is no longer relevant because the Geological Survey is no longer responsible for managing exploration in the NPR–A. Paragraph (b) in the proposed rule would spell out new procedures for protecting surface resources in the NPR– A. As explained above, Congress assigned the BLM the duty to protect the surface resources in the NPR–A, but BLM regulations do not fully explain the scope of that duty. The proposed rule would fill that gap. In paragraph (b)(1), the proposed rule would direct the BLM to manage oil and gas activities in accordance with the IAP. In doing so, the proposed rule would enshrine longstanding BLM practice into regulations. As explained above, the NPR–A is exempt from FLPMA’s planning requirements. Nonetheless, since 1998, the BLM has prepared several IAPs to primarily govern oil and gas activities in the NPR– A. The IAP is a form of land use plan that ‘‘addresses a narrower range of multiple use management than a resource management plan.’’ 41 In the BLM’s experience, the IAP provides an invaluable means of evaluating management options, engaging the public, and guiding decision-making, consistent with the BLM’s duties under NPRPA and the National Environmental Policy Act. Accordingly, the proposed rule would require the BLM to maintain an IAP, which would help guide BLM use authorizations in the NPR–A but would give way to the regulations in the event of a conflict. Paragraph (b)(2) would require the BLM, in each decision concerning oil and gas activity in the NPR–A, to adopt measures to mitigate the reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on surface resources, taking particular care with surface resources that support subsistence. The BLM would do so by documenting for each decision its consideration of effects and how those effects informed the choice of mitigation measures. Paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) would specify that the BLM’s effects analysis would include any reasonably foreseeable effects, including indirect effects (those that are ‘‘later in time or farther removed in distance’’), cumulative effects (those ‘‘that result from the incremental effects of proposed activities when added to the effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions’’), and ‘‘any uncertainty concerning the nature, scope, and duration of potential effects.’’ For example, if the BLM determined that a proposed lease sale’s effects on subsistence resources—when 41 2013 E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM NPR–A IAP ROD at 17. 08SEP1 lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules added to the effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions—could be significantly adverse, then under this proposed section, the BLM would need to adopt measures to mitigate those effects. Existing paragraphs (c) and (d) would be deleted. Existing paragraph (c) requires the BLM to take maximum protection measures on all actions within Special Areas and identify the boundaries of Special Areas on maps. It also describes some requirements that may constitute ‘‘maximum protection measures.’’ Existing paragraph (d) concerns designation of new Special Areas. This material would be addressed in §§ 2361.20, 2361.30, and 2361.40. Moving this material to those new sections would provide clarification by focusing § 2361.10 on protection of surface resources throughout the NPR–A. Proposed new paragraph (c) would clarify that for surface resources in Special Areas, the BLM also would have to comply with the provisions governing Special Areas in §§ 2361.20 through 2361.60. Moving the provisions concerning Special Areas to different sections makes that cross-reference necessary. Proposed new paragraph (d) would require the BLM to include in each oiland gas-related decision or authorization, ‘‘such terms and conditions that provide the Bureau with sufficient authority to fully implement the requirements of this subpart.’’ That provision would ensure that the BLM incorporates into decision documents whatever language is necessary to enable it to implement any final rule. Existing paragraph (e)(1) provides that ‘‘the authorized officer may limit, restrict, or prohibit use of and access to lands within the Reserve, including special areas.’’ The existing rule conditions that authority by requiring it to be exercised ‘‘consistent with the requirements of the Act and after consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies and Native organizations.’’ The proposed rule would specify that the authorized officer has that authority ‘‘regardless of any existing authorization.’’ That added language would clarify that existing authorizations would not prevent the BLM from limiting, restricting, or prohibiting access to the NPR–A consistent with the requirements of the Act. The proposed rule would retain the condition that exercises of that authority must be consistent with the NPRPA, and it would add ‘‘and applicable law’’ to clarify that the authorized officer cannot contradict other legal requirements. Instead of requiring the authorized VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 officer to consult with ‘‘Native organizations,’’ the proposed rule would provide more specificity by requiring consultation with federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations. Consistent with the BLM’s duty under NPRPA and ANILCA, paragraph (e)(1) would also be amended to allow the authorized officer to limit, restrict, or prohibit use of and access to the NPR–A to protect subsistence uses and resources. Existing paragraph (f) would be amended to recognize the breadth of Federal laws that apply to the management and protection of historical, cultural, and paleontological resources in the NPR–A. Section 2361.20 Existing Special Areas The existing regulations only identify the Colville River, Teshekpuk Lake, and Utukok River Uplands Special Areas by name (43 CFR 2361.1(c)); they do not account for the Kasegaluk Lagoon and Peard Bay Special Areas. Further, the current regulations do not identify or describe the significant resource values associated with each Special Area. Under the NPRPA, the BLM must assure maximum protection of each of these values consistent with exploration of the Reserve. In pursuit of that obligation, this new § 2361.20 would incorporate all five of the existing Special Areas into part 2360 and would identify the significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, and scenic values that are associated with each of them. The proposed rule would require any lands designated as a Special Area to continue to be managed as such for the alreadyidentified values and any additional values identified through the process set forth in new § 2361.30. The existing regulations (43 CFR 2361.1(c)) require the boundaries of the Special Areas to be depicted on maps available for public inspection in the BLM’s Fairbanks District Office. New § 2361.20 would specify that a map of each Special Area is available at the Arctic District Office, which is now the BLM office that oversees the NPR–A. The BLM would also publish and maintain copies of these maps on its website. The following briefly summarizes the existing Special Areas: • Colville River Special Area: The Colville River Special Area covers 2.44 million acres along the southeastern boundary of the NPR–A. The Special Area encompasses the Colville River and two of its main tributaries—the Kogosukruk and Kikiakrorak rivers— which collectively provide ‘‘one of the most significant regional habitats for raptors in North America’’ and ‘‘the PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62033 North Slope’s single most important area of raptor nesting habitat.’’ 42 Many other bird species utilize the river corridors, including shorebirds, loons, waterfowl, inland dwelling sea birds, and several unique trans-Beringian migrant passerines.43 The Special Area also ‘‘support[s] the highest concentration of . . . moose on Alaska’s North Slope,’’ 44 ‘‘contains world-class paleontological deposits[,] and is an important corridor for subsistence and recreational activities.’’ 45 Finally, the Special Area includes ‘‘numerous sites from prehistoric and historic era human activity.’’ 46 • Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area: The Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area, which encompasses approximately 97,000 acres, borders the Chukchi Sea in the northwestern corner of the NPR–A. It is ‘‘rich in wildlife, including migratory birds’’ and has especially ‘‘high values for marine mammals.’’ 47 The Special Area also ‘‘features tidal flats that are rare on the North Slope.’’ 48 These natural resources contribute to an ecosystem that is ‘‘unique . . . for the arctic coast.’’ 49 Subsistence activities take place in the lagoon, which also ‘‘offer[s] primitive recreation experiences, including kayak and small boat paddling along the coast.’’ 50 • Peard Bay Special Area: The Peard Bay Special Area also borders the Chukchi Sea along the northern boundary of the NPR–A. The Special Area covers 107,000 acres and includes ‘‘haul-out areas and nearshore waters for marine mammals and a high use staging and migration area for shorebirds and waterbirds.’’ 51 • Teshekpuk Lake Special Area: The Teshekpuk Lake Special Area includes 3.65 million acres in the northeastern corner of the NPR–A. Teshekpuk Lake provides ‘‘important nesting, staging, and molting habitat for a large number of ducks, geese, and swans,’’ ‘‘prime calving and insect-relief habitat’’ for the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, and ‘‘overwintering habitat for fish.’’ 52 ‘‘Of 42 2013 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 270, 355. EA at 19. 44 2013 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 355. 45 1998 Northeast NPR–A IAP Final EIS. 46 CRSA EA at 25. 47 2013 NPR–A IAP Final EIS at 17. 48 Id. 49 Id. 50 2004 Northwest NPR–A IAP ROD at 4. 51 2013 NPR–A IAP ROD at 4. 52 43 FR 28723; BLM, Northeast NPR–A Final Amended IAP/EIS 3–29 (Jan. 2005), available at https://web.archive.org/web/20060303123155/ https://www.ak.blm.gov/nenpraeis/Final AmendedIAPEIS/Volume%201/ Chapter%203%20Affected%20Environment.pdf; 2022 NPR–A IAP ROD at 5. 43 CRSA E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62034 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules particular sensitivity are lands nearest Teshekpuk Lake that are the most heavily used by calving caribou and molting geese. . . .’’ 53 The Special Areas ‘‘is of special importance to subsistence users because of the caribou and fish resources in the area and longstanding subsistence use of the area.’’ 54 Additionally, the Special Area includes the Pik Dunes—‘‘an unusual geologic feature’’ that ‘‘provide (1) insect-relief habitat for caribou, (2) habitat for several uncommon plant species, and (3) data critical to understanding major climatic fluctuations over the last 12,000 years.’’ 55 • Utukok River Uplands Special Area: The Utukok River Uplands encompasses 7.1 million acres in the southwestern corner of the NPR–A. The Special Area includes ‘‘prime calving and insect-relief habitat’’ and ‘‘the most intensely used summer movement area’’ for the Western Arctic Caribou Herd.56 ‘‘This large herd disperses widely in the winter, wandering within reach of subsistence hunters from over forty villages in northwest Alaska.’’ 57 The Special Area also includes ‘‘grizzly bear habitat’’ and ‘‘important wilderness characteristics.’’ 58 Section 2361.30 Special Areas Designation and Amendment Process While the existing regulations anticipate that the Secretary may identify new Special Areas, they do not specify procedures for designating and amending Special Areas. In the past, the BLM has typically designated Special Areas, and received Special Area recommendations from the public and stakeholders, through the IAP revision and amendment process. Enumerating procedures for designating and amending Special Areas in the regulations would provide clarity for stakeholders and ensure that the BLM fulfills its statutory obligation to assure maximum protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values. This proposed new section would, for the first time, provide standards and procedures for designating and amending Special Areas. Paragraph (a) would require the BLM, at least once every 5 years, to evaluate lands in the 53 2013 NPR–A IAP ROD at 20. Northeast NPR–A IAP/EIS ROD (Oct. 1998), available at https://web.archive.org/web/ 20001210191000/http:/aurora.ak.blm.gov/npra/ final/html/rodtitle.html. 55 Northeast National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Draft IAP/EIS, 62 FR 65440 (Dec. 12, 1997); Northeast NPR–A Final Amended IAP/EIS at 2–7. 56 2013 NPR–A IAP ROD at 21; 2022 NPR–A IAP ROD at 5. 57 2013 NPR–A IAP ROD at 22. 58 1998 Northeast NPR–A IAP Final EIS; 2013 NPR–A IAP ROD at 22. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 54 BLM, VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 NPR–A for significant resource values and designate new Special Areas or update existing Special Areas by expanding their boundaries, recognizing the presence of additional significant resource values, or requiring additional measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource values. The BLM believes that a 5-year timeframe is reasonable considering how rapidly conditions across the Arctic are changing; it is also consistent with the agency’s timeframe for similar land use planning evaluations.59 Paragraph (a)(2) would allow, but not require, the BLM to conduct this evaluation through the IAP amendment process. Paragraph (a)(3) would require the BLM to rely on the best available scientific information, including Indigenous Knowledge, and the best available information concerning subsistence uses and resources. Paragraph (a)(4) would require the BLM to provide meaningful opportunities for public participation in the evaluation process, including review and comment periods and, as appropriate, public meetings. Existing § 2361.1(d) concerns the submission, content, and public review of recommendations for additional Special Areas. Proposed paragraph (a)(4) would retain the basic contours of that provision but provide additional specificity. It would allow the public to participate in the evaluation process, including by recommending new Special Areas, new significant resource values for existing Special Areas, and measures to assure maximum protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values. The proposed rule would require the BLM to evaluate and respond to such recommendations. Similar to existing § 2361.1, proposed paragraph (a)(4) would specify that Special Area recommendations should describe the size and location of the lands, significant resource values, and measures necessary to assure maximum protection of those values. Paragraph (a)(5) would allow the authorized officer to implement interim measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource values in lands under consideration for designation as a Special Area. This provision would assist the BLM in fulfilling its statutory duty to protect Special Areas. Paragraph (a)(6) would require that the BLM base decisions to designate Special Areas solely on whether significant resource values are present 59 See BLM Land Use Planning Handbook H– 1601–1 34 (Mar. 2005) (directing the BLM to evaluate land use plans ‘‘at a minimum every five years’’), available at https://www.ntc.blm.gov/krc/ uploads/360/4_BLM%20Planning% 20Handbook%20H-1601-1.pdf. PO 00000 Frm 00049 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 and would prohibit the BLM from considering the existence of measures to protect or otherwise administer those values. For example, if lands not within a Special Area contained important caribou calving habitat and those lands were already subject to certain protections under the IAP, the BLM would not be permitted to consider those protections during the decisionmaking process for the proposed designation or update. This change is needed to align the regulations with the NPRPA, which authorizes the Secretary to designate Special Areas based on the presence of ‘‘any significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, or historical or scenic value . . . .’’ 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). Paragraph (a)(7) would require the BLM, when designating a Special Area or recognizing the presence of additional significant resource values in an existing Special Area, to adopt measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource values. That provision mirrors the BLM’s statutory responsibility under the NPRPA. 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). Paragraph (a)(7) would provide needed clarification by specifying that those measures would supersede any inconsistent provisions in the IAP. Paragraph (a)(8) would incorporate the requirement of existing § 2361.1(c) that the BLM publish in the Federal Register a legal description of any new Special Area. The proposed rule also would require the BLM to publish in the Federal Register a summary of the significant resource values supporting the Special Area designation. Rather than requiring publication in local newspapers as the current regulations require, the proposed rule would require the BLM to maintain maps of the Special Areas on its website. We believe those proposals would provide more effective public notice. Section 2361.30(b) would establish a framework for removing lands from Special Area designations. Because Congress identified the Utukok River Uplands and Teshekpuk Lake Special Areas in the NPRPA and required them to be managed to protect surface resources, the BLM cannot remove lands from those Special Area designations absent statutory authorization. See Public Law 94–258, sec. 104(b), 90 Stat. 304 (1976). For other Special Areas, the proposed rule would allow the BLM to remove lands from a Special Area designation only when the significant resource values that supported the designation are no longer present (e.g., if important wildlife habitat that supported the designation was no longer present). That provision is consistent E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules with the BLM’s statutory duty to ‘‘assure the maximum protection of such surface values consistent with the requirements of [the NPRPA] for the exploration of the reserve.’’ Id. Before removing lands from a Special Area designation, paragraph (b) would require the BLM to provide the public with the opportunity to review and comment on its proposed decision and consult with federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations. Finally, the proposed rule would require the BLM to document its consideration of those comments. Those requirements would assure public participation in the dedesignation process. Section 2361.40 Management of Oil and Gas Activities in Special Areas As noted above, the proposed rule would enhance the specificity of the current regulations on the mechanisms for assuring maximum protection of significant resource values in Special Areas. The current regulations paraphrase the maximum protection requirement of the NPRPA and provide examples of measures that the BLM could potentially take to assure maximum protection. See 43 CFR 2361.1(c). This proposed new section would establish new standards and procedures for achieving maximum are closed, including most of the Teshekpuk Lake and Utukok River Uplands Special Areas. The map also shows areas that are open to leasing, but subject to no surface occupancy and areas that are outside the BLM’s subsurface authority. Map 4 shows the areas of the NPR–A that are available and unavailable for new infrastructure. The map shows that new infrastructure is prohibited on approximately 8.3 million acres of the NPR–A, limited to ‘‘essential’’ infrastructure on approximately 3.3 million acres, and permitted on approximately 10.8 million acres. The BLM is considering including in the final rule the following definition for the term ‘‘essential,’’ which resembles provisions of Lease Stipulation K–12 from the 2022 IAP ROD: ‘‘Essential means the proposed infrastructure is necessary for development and production on a valid existing onshore or offshore lease and no other feasible and prudent option is available.’’ The BLM requests feedback on this approach, as well as any additional recommendations on defining this term. The restrictions identified on Maps 2 and 4 that would apply to new oil and gas leases and infrastructure are detailed in the 2022 IAP ROD and summarized in the following table.60 Stipulation Objective K–1—River Setbacks .......................................... Minimize the disruption of natural flow patterns and changes to water quality; the loss of spawning, rearing, and over-wintering habitat for fish; and impacts to subsistence cabins and campsites, among other purposes. Minimize the disruption of natural flow patterns and changes to water quality; the loss of spawning, rearing or over wintering habitat for fish; and the disruption of subsistence activities, among other purposes. Protect fish and wildlife habitat; preserve air and water quality; and minimize impacts to subsistence activities and historic travel routes on the major coastal waterbodies. K–2—Deep Water Lakes .................................... K–4—Kogru River, Dease Inlet, Admiralty Bay, Elson Lagoon, Peard Bay, Wainwright Inlet/ Kuk River, and Kasegaluk Lagoon, and their associated islands. K–5—Coastal Setback Areas .............................. K–6—Goose Molting Area .................................. K–8—Brant Survey Area ..................................... K–9—Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Habitat Area ..... K–10—Teshekpuk Corridor. Lake Caribou Movement K–11—Southern Caribou Calving Area .............. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values, with a specific focus on addressing the impacts of oil and gas activities. Of note, this section would affirmatively establish that assuring maximum protection of significant resource values is the management priority for Special Areas. Under proposed paragraph (a), the BLM would need to comply with this standard and adopt maximum protection measures for each significant resource value associated with a Special Area. Paragraph (b) would require the BLM take such steps to avoid the adverse effects of proposed oil and gas activities on the significant resource values of Special Areas, including by conditioning, delaying action on, or denying proposals for activities. Paragraph (c) of this section would require oil and gas leasing and new infrastructure to conform to the land use allocations and restrictions identified on maps 2 and 4 of the 2022 IAP ROD that are published along with the final rule, unless the BLM makes revisions in accordance with § 2361.30 of these regulations. Map 2 shows the areas of the NPR–A that are open and closed to oil and gas leasing. The map reflects that approximately 11.8 million acres are open to leasing subject to the terms and conditions detailed in the IAP, while approximately 11 million acres 62035 K–12—Colville River Special Area ...................... K–13—Pik Dunes ................................................ 60 2022 Protect coastal waters and their value as fish and wildlife habitat; minimize hindrance or alteration of caribou movement within caribou coastal insect-relief areas; and prevent impacts to subsistence resources and activities, among other purposes. Minimize disturbance to molting geese and loss of goose molting habitat in and around lakes in the Goose Molting Area. Minimize the loss or alteration of habitat for, or disturbance of, nesting and brood rearing brant in the Brant Survey Area. Minimize disturbance and hindrance of caribou, or alteration of caribou movements through portions the Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Habitat Area that are essential for all season use, including calving and rearing, insect-relief, and migration. Minimize disturbance and hindrance of caribou, or alteration of caribou movements (that are essential for all season use, including calving and rearing, insect-relief, and migration) in the area extending from the eastern shore of Teshekpuk Lake eastward to the Kogru River. Minimize disturbance and hindrance of caribou, or alteration of caribou movements (that are essential for all season use, including calving and post calving, and insect-relief) in the area south/southeast of Teshekpuk Lake. Prevent or minimize loss of raptor foraging habitat. Retain unique qualities of the Pik Dunes, including geologic and scenic uniqueness, insect-relief habitat for caribou, and habitat for several uncommon plant species. NPR–A IAP ROD at A–6 to A–21. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 PO 00000 Frm 00050 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62036 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules Stipulation Objective K–14—Utukok River Uplands Special Area ........ Minimize disturbance and hindrance of caribou, or alteration of caribou movements through the Utukok River Uplands Special Area that are essential for all season use, including calving and rearing, insect-relief, and migration. Several of the restrictions utilize the term ‘‘permanent oil and gas facilities,’’ which is defined on page A–3 of the 2022 IAP ROD to mean: lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 Permanent Facilities include production facilities, pipelines, roads, airstrips, production pads, docks and other bottomfounded structures, seawater-treatment plants, and other structures associated with an oil and gas operation that occupy land for more than one winter season; also included are material sites such as sand and gravel, and ‘‘temporary platforms’’ if those platforms are used for production rather than exploration. Exploration wellheads and seasonal facilities such as ice roads and ice pads are excluded, even when the pads are designed for use in successive winters. This definition does not include over-summering ice pads for exploration purposes. The BLM is considering incorporating this definition into the rule and requests feedback on this approach. The purpose of requiring leasing and infrastructure in Special Areas to conform to IAP maps 2 and 4 is to codify the existing protections and restrictions from the 2022 IAP ROD. As explained above, the BLM developed that land use plan through a lengthy public planning process involving all stakeholders, which stretches back to the development of the 2013 IAP ROD. The 2022 IAP ROD, which is based in large part on the framework set forth in the 2013 IAP ROD, incorporates aspects of the 2020 IAP ROD, and reflects nowsettled expectations about the use of the NPR–A. It also reflects what the BLM views as the floor of protections for the NPR–A that grew out of the public planning process. By incorporating the two maps into any final rule, the BLM intends to incorporate the land use allocations, restrictions, and stipulations from the 2022 IAP ROD into the rule without reprinting a lengthy text. We seek public comment in particular on whether this approach accomplishes that goal effectively and efficiently. Do the maps convey sufficient information? Are there additional definitions that should be included in the rule? Is there a better way to accomplish our goal? Paragraph (c) also would establish a presumption against leasing and new infrastructure on lands in Special Areas that are allocated as available for those activities. That presumption could be overcome if specific information is available to the BLM that clearly VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 demonstrates that those activities can be conducted with no or minimal adverse effects on the significant resource values of the Special Area. The intensive process that led to the IAP resulted in a comprehensive plan for protection of the Special Areas in the NPR–A. To fulfill the BLM’s statutory duty to assure maximum protection for those areas’ significant resource values, the BLM believes that plan should be treated as a regulatory floor, and additional activities should only be allowed when maximum protection is assured. The proposed definition of ‘‘infrastructure’’ in § 2361.5(g) would exclude ‘‘exploratory wells that are drilled in a single season; infrastructure in support of science and public safety; and construction, renovation, or replacement of facilities on existing gravel pads at previously disturbed sites where the facilities will promote safety and environmental protection.’’ These exceptions were specifically analyzed and adopted in the 2022 IAP ROD. Proposed § 2361.40(d) would establish three additional exceptions to the oil and gas leasing and new infrastructure prohibitions in paragraph (c). The first exception would permit leasing and infrastructure solely to address drainage of Federal oil and gas resources. Drainage occurs ‘‘when a well that is drilled or is in production adjacent to Federal or Indian leases or unleased lands is potentially draining Federal or Indian oil and gas resources.’’ BLM MS– 3160. Surface disturbing activities would be prohibited on any lease tract issued for this purpose. The exception for drainage of Federal oil and gas resources is included because the regulations expressly provide for leasing of tracts that are subject to drainage in order to prevent loss of United States oil and gas resources and potential royalties. See 43 CFR 3130.3. Nosurface-occupancy leases are an option the BLM may elect to use when the surface management agency has determined that surface oil and gas facilities and operations would pose an unacceptable risk to the surface resources. The second exception would permit the construction of new infrastructure, including roads, transmission lines, and pipelines, that would primarily benefit communities in and around the NPR–A or would support subsistence activities. The BLM PO 00000 Frm 00051 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 would still need to adopt measures to assure maximum protection of any significant resource values affected by that infrastructure. We propose to include that exception because communities in and around the NPR–A must have some infrastructure to survive and thrive. The third exception would allow the BLM to approve new infrastructure if essential to support exploration or development of a valid existing lease and no practicable alternatives exist that would have less adverse impact on significant resource values of the Special Area. That exception is necessary to accommodate the rights of current leaseholders. Proposed paragraph (e) would require the BLM to document and consider any uncertainty regarding potential adverse effects on Special Areas and ensure that its actions account for such uncertainty. That provision will help fulfill the BLM’s statutory mandate to assure maximum protection for Special Areas’ significant resource values. Proposed paragraph (f) would require the BLM to prepare a Statement of Adverse Effect whenever it cannot avoid adverse effects on a Special Area. In each statement, the BLM would need to describe the significant resource values that may be affected; the nature, scope, and duration of the effects; measures the BLM evaluated to avoid those effects; a justification for not requiring those measures; and measures it would require to minimize and mitigate the adverse effects on significant resource values. The BLM will require mitigation of adverse effects on significant resource values of Special Areas that cannot be avoided or minimized. Measures the BLM may require include compensatory mitigation. Such measures will be developed, evaluated, and, as necessary, adopted in project-specific analyses. Proposed paragraphs (g) and (h) would require the BLM to provide the public with an opportunity to review and comment on any Statement of Adverse Effect and consult with federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations that have ties to the area. Finally, proposed paragraph (i) would require the BLM to include in each oiland gas-related decision or authorization ‘‘terms and conditions that provide the Bureau with sufficient authority to fully implement the requirements of this section.’’ That E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules provision would ensure that the BLM incorporates into decision documents the necessary language to implement any final rule. The BLM seeks feedback on whether this proposed rule would ‘‘assure the maximum protection’’ of significant resource values in Special Areas ‘‘to the extent consistent with the requirements of [the NPRPA] for the exploration of the reserve.’’ See 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 Section 2361.50 Management of Subsistence Uses Within Special Areas The BLM recognizes the overriding importance of subsistence resources to communities in and around the NPR–A. There are over 40 communities that use the NPR–A or the resources it supports for subsistence purposes, including six with significant connections: Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik, and Wainwright.61 All of these communities ‘‘rely on . . . subsistence resources for their physical, traditional, and social existence,’’ and many of these resources, including caribou, fish, and waterfowl, are concentrated in Special Areas.62 Accordingly, this new section would require the BLM to manage Special Areas to protect and support fish and wildlife and their habitats and the associated subsistence use of those areas by rural residents as defined in 50 CFR 100.4, the Department of the Interior’s subsistence management regulations for public lands in Alaska. Additionally, this section would require the BLM to provide appropriate access to and within Special Areas for subsistence purposes while still assuring maximum protection of the significant resource values of the Special Areas. Section 2361.60 Co-Stewardship Opportunities in Special Areas This proposed new section would encourage the BLM to explore costewardship opportunities for Special Areas, including co-management, collaborative and cooperative management, and Tribally led stewardship. This provision would advance the Federal government’s commitment to strengthening the role of Tribal governments in Federal land management. (Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships, January 26, 2021; Joint Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters, Order No. 3403, November 15, 2021.) 61 2022 62 2022 NPR–A IAP DNA at C–3–4. NPR–A IAP ROD at 11. VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 Section 2361.70 Use Authorizations Section 2361.2 would be redesignated to § 2361.70. Existing paragraph (a) states that all use authorizations require approval from the authorized officer ‘‘[e]xcept for petroleum exploration which has been authorized by the Act.’’ The proposed rule would omit that exception. The NPRPA of 1976 authorized the Federal government to conduct exploration activities; those activities did not require approval by an authorized officer. Since the 1980 amendments initiated a competitive oil and gas leasing program, all oil and gas activities are conducted by oil and gas companies and require authorization from a BLM authorized officer. No substantive changes are proposed to § 2361.70(b). The BLM would modify § 2361.70(c) for clarity purposes, and would update § 2361.70(d) to recognize its duties to protect surfaces resources and assure maximum protection of Special Areas’ significant resource values in the NPR–A. Section 2361.80 and Occupancy Unauthorized Use Section 2361.3 would be redesignated to § 2361.80. No substantive changes would be made to this section. IV. Procedural Matters Regulatory Planning and Review (Executive Orders (E.O.) 12866, as Amended by E.O 14094, and 13563) E.O. 12866, as amended by E.O. 14094, provides that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the OMB will review all significant regulatory actions. OIRA has determined that this proposed rule is significant. E.O. 13563 reaffirms the principles of E.O. 12866 while calling for improvements in the Nation’s regulatory system to promote predictability, to reduce uncertainty, and to use the best, most innovative, and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends. The Executive order directs agencies to consider regulatory approaches that reduce burdens and maintain flexibility and freedom of choice for the public where these approaches are relevant, feasible, and consistent with regulatory objectives. E.O. 13563 emphasizes further that regulations must be based on the best available science and that the rulemaking process must allow for public participation and an open exchange of ideas. We have developed this proposed rule in a manner consistent with these requirements. PO 00000 Frm 00052 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62037 Regulatory Flexibility Act This proposed rule will not have a significant economic effect on a substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The BLM is not required to prepare an Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis with this proposed rule. The BLM welcomes public comments on the impact of this proposed rule on small businesses. The Small Business Administration (SBA) has developed size standards to carry out the purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. The size standards can be found in 13 CFR 121.201. For a specific industry identified by the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), small entities are defined by the SBA as an individual, limited partnership, or small company considered at ‘‘arm’s length’’ from the control of any parent company, which meet certain size standards. The proposed rule is most likely to affect business currently operating in the oil and gas sector in the NPR–A. There are eight active lessees in NPR– A. SBA size standards identify small business in the crude petroleum extraction (NAICS 211120) and natural gas extraction (NAICS 211130) industries to be those with 1,250 or fewer employees. Some of the eight active lessees meet the SBA criteria for small businesses, which is less than a substantial number of small entities potentially affected. Further, the proposed rule will not affect existing leases and therefore would not have a significant economic impact on small businesses holding these leases. Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) The proposed rule would not have a significant or unique effect on State, local, or Tribal governments or the private sector. The proposed rule contains no requirements that would apply to State, local, or Tribal governments. The costs that the proposed rule would impose on the private sector are below the monetary threshold established at 2 U.S.C. 1532(a). A statement containing the information required by the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) (2 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) is therefore not required for the proposed rule. This proposed rule is also not subject to the requirements of section 203 of UMRA because it contains no regulatory requirements that might significantly or uniquely affect small governments, because it contains no requirements that apply to such E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62038 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules governments, nor does it impose obligations upon them. Takings (E.O. 12630) This proposed rule would not affect a taking of private property or otherwise having taking implications under E.O. 12630, as it recognizes and is consistent with valid existing rights, including oil and gas leases. This proposed rule would revise the BLM’s current management framework for surface resources and Special Areas in the NPR–A. The BLM has not substantially updated this framework since the early 1980s. A takings implication assessment is not required. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 Federalism (E.O. 13132) Under the criteria in section 1 of Executive Order 13132, this proposed rule does not have sufficient federalism implications to warrant the preparation of a federalism summary impact statement. A federalism impact statement is not required. We welcome public comments on the impact this proposed rule could have on the State of Alaska. The proposed rule would not have a substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship between the Federal Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the levels of government. It would not apply to States or local governments or State or local governmental entities. The proposed rule would affect the relationship between operators, lessees, and the BLM, but it does not directly impact the States. Therefore, in accordance with Executive Order 13132, the BLM has determined that this proposed rule does not have sufficient federalism implications to warrant preparation of a Federalism Assessment. Civil Justice Reform (E.O. 12988) This proposed rule complies with the requirements of E.O. 12988. More specifically, this proposed rule meets the criteria of section 3(a), which requires agencies to review all regulations to eliminate errors and ambiguity and to write all regulations to minimize litigation. This proposed rule also meets the criteria of section 3(b)(2), which requires agencies to write all regulations in clear language with clear legal standards. Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments (E.O. 13175 and Departmental Policy) The Department strives to strengthen its government-to-government relationship with Indian Tribes through a commitment to consultation with VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 Indian Tribes and recognition of their right to self-governance and Tribal sovereignty. The BLM evaluated this proposed rule under the Department’s consultation policy and under the criteria in E.O. Order 13175 to identify possible effects of the rule on federally recognized Indian Tribes. Since the BLM is responsible for balancing the reserve’s oil and gas resources with the protection of surface resources in the NPR–A, the proposed rule may have significance to Alaska Native Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Corporations. On August 25, 2023, the BLM sent a letter to each federally registered Alaska Tribe and Alaska Native Corporation informing them of the rulemaking effort. The letter recognized the unique and vital input of Alaska Natives and offered opportunities for participation throughout the rulemaking process. The BLM will continue to engage in outreach efforts to ensure Alaska Natives are advised of the mechanisms by which they can participate, including opportunities for individual government-to-government consultation regarding the proposed rule. Paperwork Reduction Act The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501–3521) generally provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and notwithstanding any other provision of law, a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. Collections of information include requests and requirements that an individual, partnership, or corporation obtain information, and report it to a Federal agency. See 44 U.S.C. 3502(3); 5 CFR 1320.3(c) and (k). This proposed rule contains an information collection requirement that is subject to review by OMB under the PRA. This information collection is located in § 2361.30(a)(4). One of the key principles of the proposed rule is the inclusion of stakeholder and public notice and participation in the designation and removal of lands to be included in a Special Area. To help ensure that the BLM receives the information needed to inform its decision to include lands in a Special Area, § 2361.30(a)(4) includes a list of criteria that should be addressed when a member of the public recommends lands for such a designation. This information includes the following: • The size and location of the recommended lands; • The significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, or scenic resource values that PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 are present within or supported by the recommended lands; • Measures that may be necessary to assure maximum protection of those values; and • Any other pertinent information. The BLM has submitted a request to OMB for this information collection requirement under the requirements of 5 CFR 1320.11, Clearance of collections of information in proposed rules. The estimated burden associated with this information-collection is outlined as follows. OMB Control Number: 1004–XXXX. Title of Collection: Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska—Recommendations for Special Reserve Areas (43 CFR 2361.30). Form Number: None. Type of Review: New collection (Request for new OMB Control Number). Respondents/Affected Public: Persons who wish to recommend lands to be designated as a SA in the NPR–A. Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. Frequency of Collection: On occasion; at least once every 5 years. Number of Respondents: 100. Annual Responses: 100. Estimated Average Response time: 15 hours. Annual Burden Hours: 1,500. Annual Burden Cost: None. If you want to comment on the informationcollection requirements of this proposed rule, please send your comments and suggestions on this information collection by the date indicated in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections as previously described. National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) This proposed rule meets the criteria set forth at 43 CFR 46.210(i) for a Departmental categorical exclusion in that this proposed rule is ‘‘of an administrative, financial, legal, technical, or procedural nature.’’ They do not involve any of the extraordinary circumstances listed in 43 CFR 46.215. Effects on the Energy Supply (E.O. 13211) Under Executive Order 13211, agencies are required to prepare and submit to OMB a Statement of Energy Effects for significant energy actions. This statement is to include a detailed statement of ‘‘any adverse effects on energy supply, distribution, or use (including a shortfall in supply, price increases, and increase use of foreign supplies)’’ for the action and reasonable alternatives and their effects. Section 4(b) of Executive Order 13211 defines a ‘‘significant energy action’’ as E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 ‘‘any action by an agency (normally published in the Federal Register) that promulgates or is expected to lead to the promulgation of a final rule or regulation, including notices of inquiry, advance notices of proposed rulemaking, and notices of proposed rulemaking: (1)(i) that is a significant regulatory action under E.O. 12866 or any successor order, and (ii) is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the supply, distribution, or use of energy; or (2) that is designated by OIRA as a significant energy action.’’ This proposed rule would not have a significant effect on the Nation’s energy supply. It would restate existing statutory standards and establish a procedural framework for ensuring that the BLM meets those standards. It also would codify land use restrictions that already are legally binding in the 2022 IAP ROD. Further, the proposed rule would presume, in proposed § 2361.40(c), that oil and gas leasing or infrastructure on lands allocated as available for such activities ‘‘should not be permitted unless specific information available to the Bureau clearly demonstrates that those activities can be conducted with no or minimal adverse effects on significant resource values.’’ That presumption merely implements the BLM’s existing statutory duty to assure maximum protection of the significant resource values in Special Areas. 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). Therefore, the proposed rule would not change the supply, distribution, or use of energy. The BLM welcomes public comments on the impact of this proposed rule on future energy production. Clarity of This Regulation (E.O.s 12866, 12988, and 13563) We are required by E.O.s 12866 (section 1(b)(12)), 12988 (section 3(b)(1)(B)), and 13563 (section 1(a)), and by the Presidential Memorandum of June 1, 1988, to write all rules in plain language. This means that each rule must: (a) Be logically organized; (b) Use the active voice to address readers directly; (c) Use common, everyday words and clear language rather than jargon; (d) Be divided into short sections and sentences; and (e) Use lists and tables wherever possible. If you feel that we have not met these requirements, send us comments by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. To better help the BLM revise the proposed rule, your comments should be as specific as possible. For example, you should tell us the numbers of the sections or paragraphs VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 that you find unclear, which sections or sentences are too long, the sections where you feel lists or tables would be useful, etc. Laura Daniel-Davis, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management. List of Subjects in 43 CFR Part 2360 Alaska, Oil and gas activity, Protection of surface resources, Tribes, Special Areas. ■ For the reasons set out in the preamble, the Bureau of Land Management proposes to revise 43 CFR part 2360 as follows: PART 2360—NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA Subpart 2361—Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Sec. 2361.1 Purpose. 2361.3 Authority. 2361.4 Responsibility. 2361.5 Definitions. 2361.6 Effect of law. 2361.7 Severability. 2361.10 Protection of surface resources. 2361.20 Existing Special Areas. 2361.30 Special Areas designation and amendment process. 2361.40 Management of oil and gas activities in Special Areas. 2361.50 Management of subsistence uses within Special Areas. 2361.60 Co-stewardship opportunities in Special Areas. 2361.70 Use authorizations. 2361.80 Unauthorized use and occupancy. Subpart 2362 [Reserved] Authority: 42 U.S.C. 6501 et seq. and 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq. § 2361.1 Purpose. The purpose of the regulations in this subpart is to provide procedures for protection and control of the environmental, fish and wildlife, and historical and scenic values of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, including mitigating the significantly adverse effects of oil and gas activities on the surface resources of the Reserve and assuring maximum protection of significant resource values in Special Areas pursuant to and consistent with the provisions of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (90 Stat. 303; 42 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.), Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (94 Stat. 2371, 16 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), and other applicable authorities. § 2361.3 Authority. The statutory authority for these regulations is the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, as amended by the Department of the PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62039 Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. L. 96–514). § 2361.4 Responsibility. The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the surface and subsurface management of the Reserve, including protecting surface resources from environmental degradation and assuring maximum protection of significant resource values in Special Areas. The Act authorizes the Bureau to prepare rules and regulations necessary to carry out surface management and protection duties. § 2361.5 Definitions. As used in this subpart, the term: Act means the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (as amended and codified at 42 U.S.C. 6501–6508). Authorized officer means any employee of the Bureau of Land Management who has been delegated the authority to perform the duties of this subpart. Bureau means the Bureau of Land Management. Exploration means activities conducted on the Reserve for the purpose of evaluating petroleum resources, including crude oil, gases (including natural gas), natural gasoline, and other related hydrocarbons, oil shale, and the products of any such resources. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) means a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, practices, and beliefs developed by Tribes and Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with the environment. It is applied to phenomena across biological, physical, social, and cultural systems. IK can be developed over millennia, continues to develop, and includes understanding based on evidence acquired through direct contact with the environment and long-term experiences, as well as extensive observations, lessons, and skills passed from generation to generation. IK is developed by Indigenous Peoples including, but not limited to, Tribal Nations, American Indians, and Alaska Natives. Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) means a land use management plan that governs the management of all BLMadministered lands and minerals throughout the Reserve. Infrastructure means a structure or improvement that is not built for use by subsistence hunters, trappers, fishers, berry-pickers, and other subsistence users to facilitate subsistence activities and that is not ephemeral, such as snow or ice roads. Infrastructure includes E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62040 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules pipelines, gravel drilling pads, and other improvements built to support commercial oil and gas activities, but it does not include exploratory wells that are drilled in a single season; infrastructure in support of science and public safety; and construction, renovation, or replacement of facilities on existing gravel pads at previously disturbed sites where the facilities will promote safety and environmental protection. Reserve means those lands within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (prior to June 1, 1977, designated Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4) which was established by Executive order, dated February 27, 1923, except for tract Numbered 1 as described in Public Land Order 2344 (the Naval Arctic Research– Laboratory—surface estate only) dated April 24, 1961. Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior. Significant resource value means any subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, or scenic value identified by the Bureau as supporting the designation of a Special Area. Special Areas means areas within the Reserve identified by the Secretary or by statute as having significant resource values and that are managed to assure maximum protection of such values, to the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act for the exploration of the Reserve. Use authorization means a written approval of a request for use of land or resources. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 § 2361.6 Effect of law. (a) Subject to valid existing rights, and except as provided by the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. L. 96–514), all lands within the exterior boundaries of the Reserve are reserved and withdrawn from all forms of entry and disposition under the public land laws, including the mining and mineral leasing laws, and all other acts. (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, the Secretary is authorized to: (1) Make dispositions of mineral materials pursuant to the Act of July 31, 1947 (61 Stat. 681), as amended (30 U.S.C. 601), for appropriate use by Alaska Natives and the North Slope Borough. (2) Make such dispositions of mineral materials and grant such rights-of-way, licenses, and permits as may be necessary to carry out the Secretary’s responsibilities under the Act. (3) Convey the surface of lands properly selected on or before December 18, 1975, by Native village corporations VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1601, et seq.). (4) Grant such rights-of-way to the North Slope Borough, under the provisions of title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1761 et seq.) or section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act, as amended (30 U.S.C. 185), as may be necessary to permit the North Slope Borough to provide energy supplies to villages on the North Slope. (c) All other provisions of law heretofore enacted and actions heretofore taken reserving such lands as a Reserve shall remain in full force and effect to the extent not inconsistent with the Act. (d) To the extent not inconsistent with the Act, all other public land laws are applicable. § 2361.7 Severability. If a court holds any provision of the regulations in this part or their applicability to any person or circumstances invalid, the remainder of these regulations and their applicability to other people or circumstances will remain unaffected. § 2361.10 Protection of surface resources. (a) In administering the Reserve, the Bureau must protect surface resources by adopting whatever conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions it deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects of proposed activities. Such conditions, restrictions, or prohibitions may involve conditioning, delaying action on, or denying some or all aspects of proposed activities, and will fully consider community access and other infrastructure needs, after consultation with the North Slope Borough and consistent with § 2361.6. (b) The Bureau will use the following procedures to protect surface resources from the reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects of proposed activities: (1) The Bureau will maintain an Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) addressing management of all BLMadministered lands and minerals throughout the Reserve. When issuing a use authorization, the Bureau must conform to the IAP and these rules. To the extent there is any inconsistency between the IAP and these rules, the rules govern; (2) In each decision concerning proposed activity in the Reserve, the Bureau will document consideration of, and adopt measures to mitigate, reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on fish and wildlife, PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 water, cultural, paleontological, scenic, and any other surface resource. The Bureau will take particular care to account for, and mitigate adverse effects on, surface resources that support subsistence uses and needs; (3) In assessing effects of a decision concerning proposed activity in the Reserve, the Bureau will identify and evaluate any reasonably foreseeable effects of its decision, including effects that are later in time or farther removed in distance, and effects that result from the incremental effects of the proposed activities when added to the effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions; and (4) The Bureau will document its consideration of any uncertainty concerning the nature, scope, and duration of potential effects on surface resources of the Reserve and shall ensure that any conditions, restrictions, or prohibitions on proposed activities account for and reflect any such uncertainty. (c) When affected surface resources are located in Special Areas, the Bureau must comply with the procedures and requirements of §§ 2361.20 through 2361.60. (d) The Bureau must include in each decision and authorization related to proposed activity in the Reserve such terms and conditions that provide the Bureau with sufficient ability to fully implement the requirements of this subpart. (e)(1) To the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act, the terms of any applicable existing authorization, and applicable law, and after consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, federally recognized Tribes, and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, the authorized officer may limit, restrict, or prohibit the use of or access to lands within the Reserve, including Special Areas. Upon proper notice, as determined by the authorized officer, such actions may be taken to protect fish and wildlife breeding, nesting, spawning, lambing or calving, or migrations; subsistence uses and resources; and other environmental, scenic, or historic values. (2) The consultation requirement in § 2361.1(e)(1) is not required when the authorized officer determines that emergency measures are required. (f) No site, structure, object, or other values of historical, cultural, or paleontological character, including, but not limited to, historic and prehistoric remains, fossils, and artifacts, shall be injured, altered, destroyed, or collected without authorization under an appropriate Federal permit and without E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules compliance with applicable law governing cultural items, archaeological resources, and historic properties. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 § 2361.20 Existing Special Areas. Any lands within the Reserve designated as a Special Area as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], will continue to be managed as a Special Area except as modified pursuant to § 2361.30, including: (a) Colville River Special Area. The Colville River Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Colville River Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30: (1) Important habitat for raptor species, including, but not limited to, the Arctic peregrine falcon; (2) Important habitat for other bird species, including, but not limited to, neotropical migratory birds, shorebirds, loons, waterfowl, inland dwelling sea birds, and passerines; (3) Important habitat for moose; (4) Important habitat for fish; (5) Important subsistence activities; (6) Important recreational activities; (7) World-class paleontological deposits; and (8) Significant cultural resources, including numerous sites from the prehistoric and historic eras. (b) Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area. The Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30: (1) Important habitat for marine mammals; (2) Unique ecosystem for the Arctic Coast; (3) Opportunities for primitive recreational experiences; (4) Important habitat for migratory birds; and (5) Important subsistence activities. (c) Peard Bay Special Area. The Peard Bay Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for public inspection at the VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 Arctic District Office. The Peard Bay Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30: (1) Haul-out areas and nearshore waters for marine mammals; and (2) High-use staging and migration areas for shorebirds and waterbirds. (d) Teshekpuk Lake Special Area. The Teshekpuk Lake Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Teshekpuk Lake Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30: (1) Important nesting, staging, and molting habitat for a large number of migratory and other waterbirds; (2) Important caribou habitat; (3) Important shorebird habitat; (4) Subsistence hunting and fishing activities; (5) Pik Dunes; and (6) Overwintering habitat for fish. (e) Utukok River Uplands Special Area. The Utukok River Uplands Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Utukok River Uplands Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30: (1) Important habitat for the Western Arctic Caribou Herd; (2) Subsistence hunting activities; (3) Grizzly bear habitat; and (4) Important wilderness values. § 2361.30 Special Areas designation and amendment process. (a) The Bureau must evaluate lands within the Reserve for the presence of significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, or scenic values and shall designate lands as Special Areas containing such values in accordance with the following procedures: (1) At least once every 5 years, the Bureau must evaluate and determine whether to: (i) Designate new Special Areas; (ii) Expand existing Special Areas; (iii) Recognize the presence of additional significant resource values in existing Special Areas; or PO 00000 Frm 00056 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 62041 (iv) Require additional measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource values within existing Special Areas. (2) The Bureau may, but is not required to, conduct the evaluation and otherwise designate and amend Special Areas through amendment of the IAP. (3) Throughout the evaluation process, the Bureau must rely on the best available scientific information, including Indigenous Knowledge, as well as the best available information concerning subsistence uses and resources within the Reserve. (4) The Bureau must provide the public and interested stakeholders with notice of, and meaningful opportunities to participate in, the evaluation process, including the opportunity to recommend lands that should be considered for designation as a Special Area, significant resource values that the Bureau should consider recognizing for existing Special Areas, and measures that the Bureau should consider requiring to assure maximum protection of significant resource values within Special Areas. The Bureau will evaluate and respond to recommendations that are made in completing its evaluation. Such recommendations should identify and describe: (i) The size and location of the recommended lands; (ii) The significant resource values that are present within or supported by the recommended lands; (iii) Measures that may be necessary to assure maximum protection of those values; and (iv) Any other pertinent information. (5) If, at any point during the evaluation process, the authorized officer determines that interim measures are required to assure maximum protection of significant resource values in lands under consideration for designation as a Special Area, the authorized officer may implement such measures during the period for which the lands are under consideration. (6) The Bureau must base its decisions to designate lands as Special Areas solely on the presence of significant resource values and must not consider the existence of measures that have been or may be adopted to protect or otherwise administer those values. (7) When the Bureau designates lands as Special Areas or recognizes the presence of additional significant resource values in existing Special Areas, the Bureau must adopt measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource values. Once adopted, these measures become part of and supersede inconsistent provisions of the IAP then in effect for the Reserve. E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 62042 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules (8) For any lands designated as a Special Area, the Bureau will publish a legal description of those lands in the Federal Register, along with a concise summary of the significant resource values that support the designation. The Bureau will also maintain a map of the Special Area on its website. (b) The Bureau may not remove lands from the Teshekpuk Lake and Utukok River Uplands Special Areas unless directed to do so by statute. The Bureau may remove lands within other Special Areas only when all of the significant resource values that support the designation are no longer present. When determining whether to remove lands from a Special Area designation, the Bureau must: (1) Prepare a summary of its proposed determination, including the underlying factual findings; (2) Provide the public and interested stakeholders with the opportunity to review and comment on the proposed determination; (3) Consult with any federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations that use the affected Special Area for subsistence purposes or have historic or cultural ties to the Special Area; and (4) Issue a determination that documents how the views and information provided by the public, federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, federally qualified subsistence users, and other interested stakeholders have been considered. lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 § 2361.40 Management of oil and gas activities in Special Areas. Assuring maximum protection of significant resource values is the management priority for Special Areas. The Bureau must fulfill this duty at each stage in the decision-making process for oil and gas activities in the Reserve and in accordance with the following procedures: (a) The Bureau will identify and adopt maximum protection measures for each significant resource value that is present in a Special Area. (b) The Bureau must, to the extent consistent with the Act, take such steps as are necessary to avoid the adverse effects of proposed oil and gas activities on the significant resource values of Special Areas. This includes, but is not limited to, conditioning, delaying action on, or denying proposals for activities, either in whole or in part. (c) Subject to any revisions made pursuant to § 2361.30, oil and gas leasing and authorization of new infrastructure in Special Areas will conform to the land use allocations and VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 restrictions identified on the maps published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. On lands allocated as available for future oil and gas leasing or new infrastructure, the Bureau will presume that those activities should not be permitted unless specific information available to the Bureau clearly demonstrates that those activities can be conducted with no or minimal adverse effects on significant resource values. (d) The following exceptions apply within lands identified as closed to leasing or unavailable to new infrastructure: (1) The Bureau may issue oil and gas leases in Special Areas if drainage is occurring. Any lease issued for drainage purposes will include provisions that prohibit surface-disturbing oil and gas activities on the entire lease tract. (2) The Bureau may approve new roads, pipelines, transmission lines, and other types of infrastructure in Special Areas provided that: (i) The infrastructure will primarily be used by and provide a benefit to communities located within or in close proximity to the Reserve or will support subsistence activities; and (ii) Appropriate measures are adopted to assure maximum protection of significant resource values. (3) The Bureau may approve new permanent infrastructure related to existing oil and gas leases only if such infrastructure is essential for exploration or development activities and no practicable alternatives exist which would have less adverse impact on significant resource values of the Special Area, but only if necessary to comport with the terms of a valid existing lease. (e) The Bureau must document and consider any uncertainty concerning the nature, scope, and duration of potential adverse effects on significant resource values of Special Areas and shall ensure that any actions it takes to avoid, minimize, or mitigate such effects account for and reflect any such uncertainty. (f) If the Bureau determines that it cannot avoid adverse effects on a Special Area’s significant resource values, then it must prepare a Statement of Adverse Effect, which must describe the: (1) Significant resource values that may be adversely affected; (2) Nature, scope, and duration of those adverse effects; (3) Measures the Bureau evaluated to avoid the adverse effects; (4) Justification for not requiring those measures; PO 00000 Frm 00057 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 (5) Measures the Bureau will require to minimize, to the maximum extent possible, adverse effects on significant resource values of the Special Area; and (6) Measures the Bureau will require to mitigate any residual adverse effects that cannot be avoided or minimized, including compensatory mitigation, along with an explanation of how those measures will assure maximum protection of significant resource values. (g) The Bureau must provide the public with a meaningful opportunity to review and comment on any Statement of Adverse Effect prepared under this section and must consider and respond to any relevant matter it receives. (h) The Bureau must consult with any federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations that use the affected Special Area for subsistence purposes or have historic or cultural ties to the Special Area. (i) The Bureau must include in each decision and authorization related to oil and gas activity in the Reserve terms and conditions that provide the Bureau with sufficient authority to fully implement the requirements of this section. § 2361.50 Management of subsistence uses within Special Areas. (a) The Bureau will ensure that Special Areas are managed to protect and support fish and wildlife and fish and wildlife habitat and associated subsistence use of such areas by rural residents as defined in 50 CFR 100.4. (b) The Bureau will provide appropriate access to and within Special Areas for subsistence purposes to the extent consistent with assuring maximum protection of all significant resource values that are found in such areas. § 2361.60 Co-stewardship opportunities in Special Areas. In accordance with the Bureau’s costewardship guidance, the Bureau will seek opportunities to engage Tribes in co-stewardship for Special Areas. Costewardship opportunities may include co-management, collaborative and cooperative management, and Triballyled stewardship, and can be implemented through cooperative agreements, memoranda of understanding, self-governance agreements, and other mechanisms. The Bureau may also partner with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, local governments, or organizations as provided by law. § 2361.70 Use authorizations. (a) Use authorizations must be obtained from the authorized officer E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 173 / Friday, September 8, 2023 / Proposed Rules VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:41 Sep 07, 2023 Jkt 259001 as the authorized officer determines to be necessary to protect the environmental, subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, and scenic values of the Reserve and to assure maximum protection of significant resource values within Special Areas. § 2361.80 Unauthorized use and occupancy. Any person who violates or fails to comply with regulations of this subpart is subject to prosecution, including trespass and liability for damages, pursuant to the appropriate laws. Subpart 2362 [Reserved] [FR Doc. 2023–18990 Filed 9–7–23; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4331–27–P PO 00000 DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 [Docket No. FWS–R4–ES–2023–0065; FF09E21000 FXES1111090FEDR 234] RIN 1018–BG18 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Threatened Species Status With Section 4(d) Rule for Brawleys Fork Crayfish and Designation of Critical Habitat Correction In proposed rule document 2023– 17666 appearing on pages 57292–57327 in the issue of Tuesday, August 22, 2023, make the following correction: On page 57301, beginning at the top of the page, Figure 1 is corrected to appear as set forth below: BILLING CODE 0099–10–P Frm 00058 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 9990 E:\FR\FM\08SEP1.SGM 08SEP1 EP08SE23.016</GPH> lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with PROPOSALS1 prior to any use within the Reserve. Only uses that are consistent with the purposes and objectives of the Act and these regulations will be authorized. (b) Except as may be limited, restricted, or prohibited by the authorized officer pursuant to §§ 2361.1 and 2361.2 or otherwise, use authorizations are not required for: (1) Subsistence uses (e.g., hunting, fishing, and berry-picking); and (2) Non-commercial recreational uses (e.g., hunting, fishing, backpacking, and wildlife observation). (c) Applications for use authorizations shall be filed in accordance with applicable regulations in this chapter. In the absence of such regulations, the authorized officer may consider and act upon applications for uses allowed under the Act. (d) In addition to other statutory or regulatory requirements, approval of applications for use authorizations shall be subject to such terms and conditions 62043

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 173 (Friday, September 8, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 62025-62043]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-18990]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

43 CFR Part 2360

[BLM_HQ_FRN_MO4500173644]
RIN 1004-AE95


Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in 
Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is proposing a new rule to 
govern the management of surface resources and Special Areas in the 
National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), consistent with its 
duties under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act (NPRPA), 
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and other authorities. 
The proposed rule would revise the framework for designating and 
assuring maximum protection of Special Areas' significant resource 
values, and would protect and enhance access for subsistence activities 
throughout the NPR-A. It would also incorporate aspects of the NPR-A 
Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) approved in April 2022. The proposed 
rule would have no effect on currently authorized oil and gas 
operations in the NPR-A. We solicit comments on all aspects of this 
proposed action.

DATES: Please submit comments on this proposed rule to the BLM on or 
before November 7, 2023. The BLM is not obligated to consider any 
comments received after this date in making its decision on the final 
rule.
    Information Collection Requirements: This proposed rule includes 
existing and a proposed new information-collection requirement that 
must be approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). If you 
wish to comment on the information-collection requirements, please note 
that such comments should be sent directly to the OMB, and that the OMB 
is required to make a decision concerning the collection of information 
contained in this proposed rule between 30 and 60 days after 
publication of this document in the Federal Register. Therefore, a 
comment to the OMB on the proposed information-collection revisions is 
best assured of being given full consideration if the OMB receives it 
by November 7, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 
    Mail, Personal, or Messenger Delivery: U.S. Department of the 
Interior, Director

[[Page 62026]]

(630), Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C St. NW, Room 5646, Washington, 
DC 20240, Attention: 1004-AE95.
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the 
Searchbox, enter ``RIN 1004-AE95 and click the ``Search'' button. 
Follow the instructions at this website.

For Comments on Information--Collection Activities

    Written comments and suggestions on the information-collection 
requirements should be submitted by the date specified (see DATES) to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this specific information-
collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for Public 
Comments'' or by using the search function. If you submit comments on 
these information-collection burdens, you should provide the BLM with a 
copy at one of the addresses shown earlier in this section, so that we 
can summarize all written comments and address them in the final 
rulemaking. Please indicate ``Attention: OMB Control Number 1004-XXXX 
(RIN 1004-AE95) regardless of the method used to submit comments on the 
information collection burdens. Comments not pertaining to the proposed 
rule's information-collection burdens should not be submitted to OMB. 
The BLM is not obligated to consider or include in the Administrative 
Record for the final rule any comments that are improperly directed to 
OMB.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Tichenor, Advisor--Office of the 
Director, at 202-573-0536 or [email protected] with a subject line of 
``RIN 1004-AE95.'' For questions relating to regulatory process issues, 
contact Faith Bremner at [email protected].
    Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of 
hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals 
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within 
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in 
the United States. For a summary of the proposed rule, please see the 
proposed rule summary document in docket BLM-2023-0006 on 
www.regulations.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Public Comment Procedures
II. Background
    A. Introduction
    B. Brief Administrative History of the NPR-A
    C. Statutory Authority for Managing the NPR-A
    D. Current Conditions
    E. Need for the Rule
III. Section-by-Section Discussion
IV. Procedural Matters

I. Public Comment Procedures

    If you wish to comment on this proposed rule, you may submit your 
comments to the BLM by mail, personal or messenger delivery during 
regular hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except 
holidays, or through https://www.regulations.gov (see the ADDRESSES 
section).
    Please make your comments on the proposed rule as specific as 
possible, confine them to issues pertinent to the proposed rule, 
explain the reason for any changes you recommend, and include any 
supporting documentation. Where possible, your comments should 
reference the specific section or paragraph of the proposal that you 
are addressing. The BLM is not obligated to consider or include in the 
Administrative Record for the proposed rule comments that we receive 
after the close of the comment period (see DATES) or comments delivered 
to an address other than those listed earlier (see ADDRESSES).
    Comments, including names and street addresses of respondents, will 
be available for public review at the address listed under ADDRESSES. 
Before including your address, telephone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, be advised that 
your entire comment, including your personal identifying information, 
may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in 
your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying 
information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

II. Background

A. Introduction

    This proposed rule would revise the management framework for 
surface resources throughout the NPR-A and Special Areas in the NPR-A. 
The BLM has not updated this framework in the more than 45 years since 
the original and still current rule for management of NPR-A surface 
resources and Special Areas was promulgated in 1977. 42 FR 28721 (June 
3, 1977). Currently, the legal standards and procedures that govern the 
NPR-A are scattered throughout several statutes, regulations, plans, 
and guidance documents. This proposed rule would provide a more 
comprehensive guide to managing the NPR-A. It would improve upon the 
existing regulations' standards and procedures to balance oil and gas 
activities with the protection of surface resources in the NPR-A; 
designate and assure maximum protection of Special Areas' significant 
resource values; and maintain and enhance access for long-standing 
subsistence activities. The proposed rule would also implement 
statutory provisions that post-date the current regulations, including 
the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981, 
which directed the Secretary to ``conduct an expeditious program of 
competitive leasing of oil and gas'' in the NPR-A, while ``provid[ing] 
for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as the Secretary 
deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and 
significantly adverse effects on . . . surface resources . . . .'' 
Public Law 96-514, 94 Stat. 2957 (1980). The proposed rule would not 
affect existing leases in the NPR-A.

B. Brief Administrative History of the NPR-A

    In the early 20th century, the Federal government established 
several naval petroleum reserves on public land, including the NPR-A, 
which President Warren G. Harding designated in 1923. Exec. Order 3797-
A. The NPR-A extends from the north slope of the Brooks Range to the 
Arctic Coast and encompasses approximately 23 million acres of public 
land.
    In the decades that followed, the U.S. Navy began exploring for oil 
and gas in the NPR-A; however, by the 1970s, as Congress began debating 
the role of the naval petroleum reserves within the context of the 
nation's changing energy needs, the NPR-A remained ``largely unexplored 
and almost completely undeveloped.'' H.R. Rep. No. 94-156, at 3 (1975). 
In 1976, Congress passed the NPRPA, which transferred management of the 
NPR-A to the Department of the Interior (DOI) and directed the 
President to prepare a study to ``determine the best overall 
procedures'' for exploring, developing, and transporting the reserve's 
oil and gas resources. Public Law 94-258, section 105 (1976) (codified 
at 42 U.S.C. 6505(b)).
    In the NPRPA, Congress sought to strike a balance between 
exploration and ``the protection of environmental, fish and wildlife, 
and historical or scenic values'' in the NPR-A. It did so by directing 
the Secretary to ``promulgate such rules and regulations as he [or she] 
deems necessary and appropriate for the protection of such values 
within the reserve.'' 42 U.S.C. 6503(b). The Conference Report 
explained that the Act would immediately vest responsibility for 
protection of the NPR-A's ``natural, fish

[[Page 62027]]

and wildlife, scenic and historical values . . . in the Secretary of 
the Interior . . . so that any activities which are or might be 
detrimental to such values will be carefully controlled.'' H.R. Conf. 
Rep. No. 94-942 (1976). The report stated the Conference Committee's 
expectation ``that the Secretary will take every precaution to avoid 
unnecessary surface damage and to minimize ecological disturbances 
throughout the reserve.'' Id.
    In the same Act, Congress directed that ``[a]ny exploration within 
the Utukok River, the Teshekpuk Lake areas, and other areas designated 
by the Secretary of the Interior containing any significant 
subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, or historical or scenic 
value, shall be conducted in a manner which will assure the maximum 
protection of such surface values to the extent consistent with the 
requirements of this Act for the exploration of the reserve.'' 42 
U.S.C. 6504(a). The Conference Report elaborated that the Act would 
``immediately authorize the Secretary to require that the exploration 
activities within these designated areas be conducted in a manner 
designed to minimize adverse impacts on the values which these areas 
contain.'' H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 94-942 (1976). The ``maximum 
protection'' standard is an unusually high protective bar in comparison 
to other statutes granting authority to the BLM. See, e.g., 43 U.S.C. 
1632; 16 U.S.C. 7202(c)(2).
1. Special Area Designations
    There are currently five Special Areas in the NPR-A that protect a 
wide range of significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, 
historical, and scenic values. Responding to the congressional mandate 
to protect the values of highly sensitive areas in the NPR-A, 
particularly Teshekpuk Lake and the Utukok River Uplands, which the 
NPRPA specifically identified for protection, the Secretary in 1977 
delineated the boundaries of those two congressionally designated 
Special Areas and also designated a third: the Colville River Special 
Area. 42 FR 28723 (June 3, 1977). The Secretary specifically identified 
the significant resource values to be protected for each of the three 
Special Areas:
     Colville River: ``The central Colville River and some of 
its tributaries provide critical nesting habitat for the Arctic 
peregrine falcon, an endangered species. The bluffs and cliffs along 
the Colville River provide nesting sites with the adjacent areas being 
utilized as food hunting areas. . . . A total area of approximately 
2,300,000 acres within the reserve is identified for inclusion in the 
Colville River special area.'' Id.
     Teshekpuk Lake: ``The Teshekpuk Lake and its watershed are 
an important nesting, staging, and molting habitat for a large number 
of ducks, geese, and swans. Because of its importance to these 
migratory birds and numerous other waterbirds, a total of approximately 
1,734,000 acres is identified as the Teshekpuk Lake special area.'' Id.
     Utukok River Uplands: ``The Utukok River Uplands special 
area contains critical habitat for caribou. The critical decline in the 
population level of the western Arctic caribou herd (from 70,000 in 
1975 to 35,000 in 1976) necessitates maximum protection of this area, 
which is ordinarily the calving territory for this herd. . . . Because 
of the nomadic nature of the caribou, a large area encompassing 
approximately 4,032,000 acres is included within this area.'' Id.
    In 1999, the Secretary expanded the Colville River and Teshekpuk 
Lake Special Areas. The Secretary added ``much of the Kikiakrorak and 
Kogosukruk Rivers and an area approximately two miles on either side of 
these rivers'' to the Colville River Special Area, increasing its size 
to 2.44 million acres.\1\ The Secretary also added the 10,000-acre Pik 
Dunes Land Use Emphasis Area to the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area.\2\
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    \1\ BLM, Colville River Special Area (CRSA) Management Plan 
Environmental Assessment (EA) 1 (July 2008), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/5251/160692/196467/Colville_River_Special_Area_EA.pdf; Designation of Additions to 
Special Areas in NPR-A; Alaska, 64 FR 16,747 (April 6, 1999).
    \2\ 64 FR 16747; BLM, NPR-A Final Integrated Activity (IAP) 
Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 355 (Nov. 2012), available 
at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/5251/41003/43153/Vol1_NPR-A_Final_IAP_FEIS.pdf.
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    In 2004, the Secretary designated a fourth Special Area, Kasegaluk 
Lagoon, which encompasses 97,000 acres. 70 FR 9096 (Feb. 24, 2005). The 
Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area is located in the northwestern corner of 
the NPR-A and includes important habitat for marine mammals, among 
other values.\3\
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    \3\ BLM, Northwest NPR-A IAP/EIS Record of Decision (ROD) 4 
(Jan. 2004), available at https://web.archive.org/web/20041204130751/https://www.ak.blm.gov/affairs/press/pr2003/Final_Northwest_NPR-A_ROD.pdf.
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    In 2013, the Secretary made several decisions concerning Special 
Areas. First, the Secretary designated a fifth Special Area: Peard Bay. 
The 107,000-acre area was designated to ``protect haul-out areas and 
nearshore waters for marine mammals and a high use staging and 
migration area for shorebirds and waterbirds.'' \4\ Second, the 
Secretary expanded the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area by 2 million acres 
``to encompass all the roughly 30-to-50-mile band of land valuable for 
bird and caribou habitat between Native-owned lands near Barrow and 
Native-owned lands near Nuiqsut . . . .'' \5\ Third, the Secretary 
expanded the Utukok River Uplands Special Area to 7.1 million acres 
``to more fully encompass prime calving and insect-relief habitat 
within the NPR-A . . . .'' \6\ Finally, the Secretary broadened the 
purpose of the Colville River Special Area to include the ``protect[ion 
of] all raptors, rather than the original intent of protection for 
arctic peregrine falcons.'' \7\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ BLM, NPR-A IAP ROD 4 (Feb. 2013), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/nepa/5251/42462/45213/NPR-A_FINAL_ROD_2-21-13.pdf.
    \5\ Id. at 19.
    \6\ Id. at 4.
    \7\ Id.
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    The BLM currently manages all five Special Areas in accordance with 
the NPR-A IAP Record of Decision (ROD) of April 2022. The IAP provides 
for the management of the NPR-A, designates areas within the NPR-A for 
oil and gas leasing, infrastructure, and special protections, and 
identifies stipulations and required operating procedures to mitigate 
the impact of oil and gas and other permitted activities.\8\ The first 
IAP, which the BLM finalized in 1998, addressed management of the 
northeast NPR-A. This IAP superseded a 1983 oil and gas leasing 
environmental impact statement (EIS), which, until 1998, controlled 
leasing decisions throughout the NPR-A. In 2004 the BLM issued a 
separate IAP for the northwest NPR-A, and in 2013, the BLM approved an 
IAP that addressed activities and resources throughout the NPR-A.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ BLM, NPR-A IAP ROD 2-3 (Apr. 2022), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/117408/200284263/20058238/250064420/2022_NPRA_IAP_ROD_508.pdf.
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    The current IAP, adopted in April 2022, was informed by a Final EIS 
issued by the agency in 2020. The EIS evaluated a range of alternatives 
for managing oil and gas activities and resources in the NPR-A. These 
alternatives were informed and shaped by extensive outreach efforts 
with the public and stakeholders, including:
     Scoping: During the scoping period from November 21, 2018, 
to February 15, 2019, the BLM held eight public meetings in Alaska and 
received approximately 56,000 comment submissions, including form 
letters.
     Public Review of the Draft IAP/EIS: During the comment 
period for the Draft IAP/EIS from November 25, 2019,

[[Page 62028]]

through February 5, 2020, the BLM held eight public meetings in Alaska 
and received more than 82,000 comments, including form letters and 
signed petitions.
     Comments received after the Final IAP/EIS was released and 
prior to the ROD: In reaching the decision in the 2022 ROD, the BLM 
reviewed and fully considered comments received after distribution of 
the Final IAP/EIS on June 26, 2020. The comments did not identify any 
significant new circumstances or information related to environmental 
concerns bearing upon the proposed action or its impacts. Instead, they 
generally reflected concerns already raised by comments submitted 
during scoping and the public's review of the Draft IAP/EIS.
    In addition to the above, the current IAP benefited from 
suggestions and careful review of the analysis in the IAP/EIS by 
several cooperating agencies: the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 
I[ntilde]upiat Community of the Arctic Slope, National Park Service, 
North Slope Borough, State of Alaska, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service. During the IAP/EIS process, the BLM consulted with:
     Tribes as required by a Presidential Executive Memorandum 
dated April 29, 1994;
     Communities, Tribal organizations, and Native corporations 
on the North Slope;
     The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-- Fisheries pursuant to the 
Endangered Species Act; and
     Alaska's State Historic Preservation Office pursuant to 
the National Historic Preservation Act.
    Pursuant to Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act 
(ANILCA) section 810(a)(1) and (2), the BLM also conducted hearings in 
North Slope communities to gather comments regarding potential impacts 
to subsistence use resulting from the alternatives considered in the 
IAP/EIS.
2. Oil and Gas Leasing in the NPR-A
    In 1980, Congress authorized competitive leasing of Federal oil and 
gas resources in the NPR-A. Public Law 96-514 (1980) (codified at 42 
U.S.C. 6506a(a)). The BLM held two NPR-A lease sales in 1982 and one 
each in 1983 and 1984.\9\ After receiving no bids during the 1984 lease 
sale and determining that the oil and gas industry had ``little 
interest in another lease sale,'' the BLM discontinued sales in the 
NPR-A for the next 15 years.\10\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ U.S. Geological Survey, The NPR-A Data Archive 2 (Mar. 
2001), available at https://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/fs024-01/fs024-01.pdf.
    \10\ BLM, Northeast NPR-A Final IAP/EIS (Aug. 1998), available 
at https://web.archive.org/web/20001018022001/http:/aurora.ak.blm.gov/npra/final/html/contents_vol1.html.
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    In the 1990s, following technological advances and successful 
development on nearby State lands, industry expressed a desire to 
resume leasing in the NPR-A.\11\ The BLM restarted lease sales in 1999 
and, over the next 2 decades, held a total of 15 sales for the NPR-A. 
These sales initially generated considerable bonus bid revenue for the 
Federal government and the State of Alaska, as the BLM collected an 
average of $74 million in bonus bids at sales held in 1999, 2002, and 
2004.\12\ However, bid revenue dropped off significantly as lands in 
the NPR-A with the highest potential for development were leased. 
Between 2006 and 2019, the BLM received an average of just $6 million 
in bonus bids per sale, and millions of acres offered for lease went 
unsold. Between 1999 and 2019, the BLM offered nearly 60 million acres 
of leases in the NPR-A but received bids on just 12 percent of that 
acreage.\13\
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    \11\ Id.
    \12\ BLM, NPR-A Sale Statistics 1999 to Present, available at 
https://www.blm.gov/sites/blm.gov/files/documents/files/Oil_Gas_Alaska_NPR-A_LeaseSale_Statistics_1999toPresent.pdf.
    \13\ Id.
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C. Statutory Authority for Managing the NPR-A

1. NPRPA
    The NPRPA is the primary source of management authority for the 
NPR-A. Under the NPRPA, the Secretary must ``assume all 
responsibilities'' for ``any activities related to the protection of 
environmental, fish and wildlife, and historical or scenic values'' and 
``promulgate such rules and regulations as he [or she] deems necessary 
and appropriate for the protection of such values within the reserve.'' 
42 U.S.C. 6503(b).
    Congress has also directed the Secretary to ``conduct an 
expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas'' in the NPR-
A. Id. at 6506a(a). But the Secretary must ensure that all activities 
taken pursuant to the NPRPA ``include or provide for such conditions, 
restrictions, and prohibitions as the Secretary deems necessary or 
appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly 
adverse effects on the surface resources'' throughout the NPR-A. Id. at 
6506a(b).
    The NPRPA also authorizes the Secretary to designate Special Areas 
to protect ``significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, 
or historical or scenic value[s]'' in the NPR-A and provides that any 
``exploration'' in Special Areas ``shall be conducted in a manner which 
will assure the maximum protection of such surface values to the extent 
consistent with the requirements of this Act for the exploration of the 
reserve.'' Id. at 6504(a). Congress enacted that provision in 1976, 
prior to its authorization of competitive leasing in 1980. As a result, 
that provision expressly references only ``exploration'' and not 
leasing or other oil and gas activities. Nonetheless, the BLM has long 
interpreted that language to require maximum protection of Special 
Areas' significant resource values from the impacts of all oil and gas 
activities.\14\ In 1980, when Congress authorized the Secretary to 
lease oil and gas in the NPR-A, it expressly required the BLM to 
``mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on 
surface resources'' throughout the NPR-A. 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b). That 
mandate mirrored the 1976 Conference Committee's statement that ``it . 
. . expected . . . the Secretary will take every precaution to avoid 
unnecessary surface damage and to minimize ecological disturbances 
throughout the reserve'' and not solely in Special Areas. H.R. Rep. 94-
942, at 21 (1976). The 1980 Act also provided that ``any exploration or 
production undertaken pursuant to this section be in accordance with 
section 104(b) of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 
1976.'' 90 Stat. 2965. The referenced section of the NPRPA is the 
maximum protection provision codified at section 6504(a), and thus the 
maximum protection provision applies to production activities as well 
as exploration. In any event, it would make little sense for Congress 
to require maximum protection of surface values from exploration while 
requiring lesser protection from the greater impacts of oil and gas 
development. Accordingly, in the BLM's longstanding view, reading

[[Page 62029]]

those two provisions (42 U.S.C. 6504(a) and 6506a(b)) together, 
Congress intended that BLM would provide for heightened (i.e., maximum) 
protection from the impacts of all oil and gas activities in Special 
Areas, but provide for lesser protection (mitigating reasonably 
foreseeable significant impacts) elsewhere throughout the Reserve. 
Interpreting the special areas provision (6504(a)) to apply only to 
exploration activities--when Congress chose not to repeal that 
provision when it authorized leasing,--would lead to the illogical 
result that BLM is required to apply a higher standard of protection 
for exploration, only to allow the greater impacts of oil and gas 
development to harm those same resources. That is, in the BLM's 
longstanding view, inconsistent with Congressional intent.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ See, e.g., BLM, NPR-A Final IAP/EIS at 3-338 (June 2020), 
available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/117408/200284263/20020421/250026625/Volume%202_Appendices%20B-Y.pdf; BLM, 
Northeast NPR-A IAP/EIS ROD 13 (Oct. 1998) BLM, Amendment to the 
Northeast NPR-A IAP/EIS ROD 22 (Jan. 2006) (``Maximum protection of 
important surface resources is provided in Special Areas designated 
by the Secretary through a combination of prohibitions, 
restrictions, and stipulations restricting oil and gas facilities 
and other activities that might adversely impact wildlife habitat 
and subsistence use areas.'')., available at https://web.archive.org/web/20170212030656/https://www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/ak/aktest/planning/ne_npra_final_supplement.Par.62144.File.dat/npra_final_app_l.pdfhttps://web.archive.org/web/20170301153536/https:/www.blm.gov/style/medialib/blm/ak/aktest/planning/ne_npra.Par.77875.File.dat/nerod_122205final.pdf.
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2. Other Authorities
    Other authorities that guide management of the NPR-A include FLPMA 
and the ANILCA. Although Congress in 1980 exempted the NPR-A from 
FLPMA's land use planning and wilderness study requirements, 42 U.S.C. 
6506a(c), it did not exempt the NPR-A from FLPMA's other mandates. 
Hence, the BLM must still ``take any action necessary to prevent 
unnecessary or undue degradation'' of all BLM-administered public 
lands, including within the NPR-A. 43 U.S.C. 1732(b).
    Under section 810 of ANILCA, the BLM must ``evaluate the effect'' 
of proposed oil and gas activities ``on subsistence uses and needs . . 
. .'' 16 U.S.C. 3120(a). If such activities will ``significantly 
restrict subsistence uses,'' then the BLM must hold hearings in 
affected communities, limit activities to ``the minimal amount of 
public lands necessary,'' and take ``reasonable steps . . . to minimize 
adverse impacts upon subsistence uses and resources . . . .'' Id. 
Fulfilling section 810's requirements is of crucial importance for the 
NPR-A, as over 40 communities utilize its resources for subsistence 
purposes.\15\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ BLM, Determination of NEPA Adequacy (DNA): NPR-A IAP 2020 
Final EIS Evaluation 9 (Apr. 2022), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/117408/200284263/20058231/250064413/NPRA%20IAP%20DNA%20signed%20508.pdf.
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D. Current Conditions

    Conditions in the NPR-A are changing rapidly, as the Arctic 
continues to warm more than twice as fast as the rest of the Earth.\16\ 
This is causing disruptions to natural ecosystems, Native communities, 
and subsistence use patterns throughout the NPR-A. Notable changes 
include accelerating permafrost degradation; impairment of sensitive 
wildlife habitat and movement corridors, particularly for caribou; 
alterations in plant communities; and impacts on subsistence 
activities.\17\ From a management standpoint, climate change is 
``introduc[ing] substantial uncertainty,'' particularly ``in predicting 
demographic trends of species in the area[,] and will make the 
predicted impacts of development more difficult to accurately assess.'' 
\18\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \16\ National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2022 
Arctic Report Card, available at https://www.arctic.noaa.gov/Report-Card/Report-Card-2022.
    \17\ BLM, Willow Master Development Plan (MDP) Supplemental EIS 
(SEIS) 37-38, 148-49, 415-16, 422 (Jan. 2023), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/109410/200258032/20073121/250079303/Willow%20FSEIS_Vol%201_Ch%201-Ch%205.pdf.
    \18\ Id. at 413-14.
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    At the same time, oil and gas development is continuing in the NPR-
A, and this proposed rule would have no effect on existing activities. 
Approximately 2.5 million acres of the NPR-A are currently leased. The 
bulk of existing leases are clustered within an area of high 
development potential between Teshekpuk Lake and the Colville 
River.\19\ Outside of this area, the NPR-A's development potential is 
medium and low.\20\ Production is occurring on two pads in the Greater 
Mooses Tooth (GMT) Unit immediately west of the community of Nuiqsut. 
Additional development is planned in the Beartooth Unit, including 
under the Willow Master Development Plan (MDP), which the BLM approved 
on March 12, 2023. When fully built out, the Willow project will 
include three pads with up to 199 wells, a network of roads and 
pipelines, a central processing facility, and an operations center.\21\ 
In conjunction with the approval of the Willow MDP, the project 
proponent voluntarily agreed to relinquish approximately 68,000 acres 
of leases in the NPR-A, including approximately 60,000 acres in the 
Teshekpuk Lake Special Area.\22\ This relinquishment, along with 
additional provisions adopted in the Willow MDP ROD, will create an 
additional buffer from exploration and development activities near the 
calving grounds and migratory routes for the Teshekpuk Lake caribou 
herd, an important subsistence resource for nearby Alaska Native 
communities.\23\ Significant surface resources are found throughout the 
NPR-A, but are concentrated in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area and the 
other Special Areas. These resources include:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \19\ 2020 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at B-3 (June 2020).
    \20\ Id. at B-5.
    \21\ BLM, Willow MDP ROD 3 (Mar. 2023), available at https://eplanning.blm.gov/public_projects/109410/200258032/20075029/250081211/2023%20Willow%20MDP%20Record%20of%20Decision.pdf.
    \22\ DOI, Interior Department Substantially Reduces Scope of 
Willow Project (Mar. 13, 2023), available at https://doi.gov/pressreleases/interior-department-substantially-reduces-scope-willow-project.
    \23\ Id.
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     Caribou: Because caribou exhibit high fidelity to calving 
grounds, herds are identified based on the location of those 
grounds.\24\ The NPR-A contains extensive calving grounds for two 
herds: the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd and the Western Arctic Caribou 
Herd.\25\ During most years, the highest density of calving and post-
calving use for the Teshekpuk herd occurs southeast of Teshekpuk Lake. 
Based on the results of a 2022 photo-census, the Teshekpuk herd 
population appears stable in spite of low birth rates and high harvest 
levels.\26\ The principal calving grounds of the Western Arctic herd 
are located in the Utukok River Uplands Special Area. After reaching a 
recorded peak population of 243,000 animals in the 1970s, the Western 
Arctic herd has declined in recent years.\27\ According to the Alaska 
Department of Fish & Game, the Western Arctic herd population now 
stands at roughly 164,000 animals. For this reason, the Western Arctic 
Caribou Herd Working Group recently designated the herd as 
``Preservative, Declining''--a management designation that triggers 
harvest and other restrictions--and recommended strengthening 
protections for the Western Arctic's calving grounds in the NPR-A.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \24\ Willow MDP SEIS at 224.
    \25\ 2020 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 3-180.
    \26\ Willow MDP SEIS at 224.
    \27\ 2020 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 3-181-82; see also Western 
Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, Draft--2022 Meeting Summary 16-
17, available at https://westernarcticcaribou.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2022-WACH-WG-Meeting-Summary-DRAFT-for-WACHWG-approval-at-2023-2.14.2023.pdf. ``Primary causes of mortality are 
predation, `unknown'. . . . Since 2005, the herd has had more years 
of decline than increase or stability, with cow mortality higher and 
calf recruitment lower.''
    \28\ Western Arctic Caribou Herd Working Group, Draft--2022 
Meeting Summary 16-17, available at https://westernarcticcaribou.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2022-WACH-WG-Meeting-Summary-DRAFT-for-WACHWG-approval-at-2023-2.14.2023.pdf.
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     Birds: Concentrations of shore and waterbirds in the NPR-A 
are among the highest in the Arctic coastal plain. In recognition of 
this, the National Audubon Society has identified seven Important Bird 
Areas in the NPR-A, including three within the Colville River, 
Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Teshekpuk Lake Special Areas. The East

[[Page 62030]]

Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) has also designated the 
Qupa[lstrok]uk EAAFP Flyway Network Site within the Teshekpuk Lake 
Special Area.\29\ The lake contains an ``exceptional'' breeding and 
molting ground for geese and other waterfowl, as an estimated 573,000 
birds breed at the lake. The NPR-A also provides habitat for two 
threatened species--the spectacled eider and the Alaska breeding 
population of Steller's eider--and 11 BLM Alaska special status 
species. Many of the bird populations breeding in the Arctic have been 
in decline since the 1980s; shorebirds as a group have declined by 
about half and land-birds by about 20 percent.\30\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \29\ East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership, Qupa[lstrok]uk 
Flyway Network Site [EAAF133]--East Asian-Australasian Flyway 
Partnership, available at https://www.eaaflyway.net/qupaluk-flyway-network-site-eaaf133-east-asian-australasian-flyway-partnership/.
    \30\ 2020 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 3-137-46.
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     Fish: Fish are widely distributed in the NPR-A's extensive 
network of lakes, ponds, alluvial and beaded streams, and adjacent 
wetlands. The most common fish species are Arctic grayling, broad 
whitefish, burbot, least cisco, Arctic cisco, Arctic flounder, round 
whitefish, humpback whitefish, and ninespine stickleback. The NPR-A 
also provides ``essential'' habitat for several species of Pacific 
salmon.\31\ Many fish species, particularly anadromous species, migrate 
both locally and extensively between major drainages to access habitats 
that support various life history stages.\32\ Most of these habitats 
currently exhibit few, if any, impacts from human activities.\33\
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    \31\ 2020 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 3-122, M-2, M-3.
    \32\ Willow MDP SEIS at 165.
    \33\ 2020 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 3-119.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Marine mammals: Eleven species of marine mammals are found 
in or near the NPR-A, including six cetaceans (bowhead whales, minke 
whales, gray whales, killer whales, beluga whales, and narwhals), four 
pinnipeds (pacific walrus, bearded seals, spotted seals, and ringed 
seals), and the polar bear; four of these species are listed as 
threatened or endangered under the ESA. Special Areas provide important 
habitat for many marine mammals, including spotted seals and walruses, 
which utilize haul-out areas in the Kasegaluk Lagoon and Peard Bay 
Special Areas, and polar bears, which are increasingly using 
terrestrial habitats in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area due to receding 
sea ice. Overall, the implications of climate change for marine mammals 
in the Arctic are substantial. Continued arctic warming and the 
resulting deterioration of sea ice pose a major threat to marine 
mammals and their prey in the Arctic.\34\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \34\ Id. at 3-208-222.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Cultural resources: Although less than 3 percent of the 
NPR-A has been surveyed for cultural resources, nearly 2,000 sites have 
been identified. Additionally, there are 925 documented Traditional 
Land Use Inventory sites in the NPR-A, which are important place names, 
landmarks, traditional land use sites, travel routes, and other places 
of cultural importance to the North Slope I[ntilde]upiat. These sites 
have ongoing spiritual and cultural importance to residents of the 
North Slope. Protecting cultural resources sites, both documented and 
undocumented, is of concern to the I[ntilde]upiat. However, early 
exploration and development projects on the North Slope had a greater 
potential to affect cultural resources due to the less stringent 
regulations and identification requirements than those in place today. 
For example, oil exploration trails have been associated with some 
damage to the Qalluvuk site, a traditional fishing and hunting area 
that also served as a trading station in the 1930s. Other observations, 
testimony, and traditional knowledge from local residents have 
documented experiences associated with cultural resource impacts, 
including the potential disturbance of gravesites and camps from winter 
seismic exploration activities.\35\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \35\ Id. at 3-249-51.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Recreation resources: The NPR-A offers numerous unique and 
primitive recreational opportunities, including backpacking, boating, 
sight-seeing, hunting, fishing, tourism, and off-highway vehicle use. 
Because most of the NPR-A is considered an unmodified natural 
environment, individual users rarely, if ever, encounter other 
recreationists. Guided expeditions for backpacking, sight-seeing, and 
hunting primarily occur in the Utukok River Uplands. Similar 
recreational activities also occur in the vicinity of Teshekpuk Lake 
and Umiat.\36\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \36\ Id. at 3-319.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Over 40 communities harvest subsistence resources from the NPR-A, 
including many of the resources described earlier. Six communities in 
particular--Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik, and 
Wainwright--harvest all or nearly all of their subsistence resources 
from the NPR-A, including large land mammals (primarily caribou or 
moose), furbearers and small land mammals, non-salmon fish, waterfowl, 
upland game birds, and vegetation. Marine mammals and salmon harvesting 
is less common in the NPR-A; instead, they are harvested in nearshore 
areas, such as Peard Bay, Elson Lagoon, and Kasegaluk Lagoon.\37\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \37\ Id. at 3-262.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Subsistence harvesting is the cornerstone of the traditional 
relationship of the I[ntilde]upiat people with their environment. 
Residents of communities in and around the NPR-A rely on subsistence 
harvests of plant and animal resources for nutrition and their 
cultural, economic, and social well-being. Activities associated with 
subsistence--processing; sharing; redistribution networks; cooperative 
and individual hunting, fishing, whaling, and gathering; and ceremonial 
activities--strengthen community and family social ties, reinforce 
community and individual cultural identity, and provide a link between 
contemporary Alaska Natives and their ancestors. These activities are 
guided by traditional knowledge based on a long-standing relationship 
with the environment.
    Traditional I[ntilde]upiaq values remain strong on the North Slope 
and include respect for nature, humility, love and respect for elders, 
cooperation, hunting traditions, knowledge of language, and family and 
kinship. These values are embedded within all facets of I[ntilde]upiaq 
society, including subsistence hunting and harvesting traditions. The 
ability to pass on these values through the continuation of traditional 
subsistence activities in traditional places is critical to maintaining 
I[ntilde]upiat cultural identity. Sharing is one of the core values of 
I[ntilde]upiaq society and culture, which serves to maintain and 
strengthen familial and social ties both within and between communities 
on the North Slope. Traditional feasts such as Nalukataq (the spring 
Whale Festival) and Kivgiq (the Messenger Feast) revolve around the 
bringing together of communities and the distribution of subsistence 
foods throughout the community and region. Extensive sharing networks 
exist between North Slope communities, and between the North Slope and 
other regions in Alaska. I[ntilde]upiaq people continue to identify 
with the places of their ancestors and return to these places to hunt, 
fish, camp, gather, and process wild foods. Subsistence activities help 
maintain the relationship between I[ntilde]upiaq people and the land, 
as do stories, I[ntilde]upiaq place names, trails and travel routes, 
and landmarks. Thus, to the I[ntilde]upiat, protection of traditional 
lands, waters, and the wild resources that inhabit them is essential to

[[Page 62031]]

maintaining cultural traditions, traditional knowledge, and 
identity.\38\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \38\ Willow MDP SEIS at 303.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Impacts on subsistence are occurring on the North Slope with 
greater frequency as development expands across the region. Nuiqsut, 
the community closest to current oil and gas development on the North 
Slope, has experienced the most impacts. Subsistence impacts and 
concerns have also been documented for Point Lay, Wainwright, 
Utqiagvik, Atqasuk, and Anaktuvuk Pass. Many of these concerns are 
related to effects of development, including seismic activity and oil 
and gas-related research, pipelines, and traffic, on caribou and other 
terrestrial species.
    Overall, future infrastructure, oil and gas development, and other 
activities in the NPR-A area could have lasting effects on cultural 
practices, values, and beliefs. The potential impacts of development 
could result in reduced harvests, changes in uses of traditional lands, 
and decreased community participation in subsistence harvesting, 
processing, consuming, sharing, and associated rituals and feasts. 
Because of this, communities could experience a loss of cultural and 
individual identity associated with subsistence, a loss of traditional 
knowledge about the land, damaged social and kinship ties, and effects 
on spirituality associated with degradation of the NPR-A.\39\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \39\ 2020 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 3-265-66, 3-280.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The BLM solicits comments on this section. Specifically, BLM 
welcomes comment from the regulated community including industry, 
residents of communities in and around the NPR-A, and Alaskan natives 
and indigenous Tribes who may benefit or bear costs from this proposed 
rule.

E. Need for the Rule

    The BLM is proposing this revision because the regulatory framework 
governing the management and protection of surface resources and 
Special Areas in the NPR-A needs updating. Conditions throughout the 
Arctic have changed dramatically since 1977, when the BLM issued the 
current regulations for management of surface resources and Special 
Areas in the NPR-A. As discussed in greater detail in Section II.D, the 
impacts of climate change on the NPR-A's natural environment and Native 
communities are intensifying. Conditions are changing rapidly in the 
Arctic, making it necessary and appropriate for the BLM to develop new 
regulations that account for and respond to these changing conditions. 
Thus, the proposed rule would direct the BLM to regularly address 
changing conditions. Among other things, it would require the BLM to 
conduct an evaluation of Special Areas at least once every 5 years and 
update Special Area designations to include new resource values. It 
also would require the BLM to account for any uncertainty concerning 
the effects of proposed activities.
    New and revised standards and procedures are also needed to ensure 
that the BLM is fulfilling its statutory duties under the NPRPA, FLPMA, 
and other authorities to the best of its ability. For example, the BLM 
has a responsibility to ``provide for such conditions, restrictions, 
and prohibitions as the Secretary deems necessary or appropriate to 
mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects [of 
oil and gas activities] on the surface resources'' throughout the NPR-
A.'' 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b). The current regulations, however, provide 
little detail on the standards and procedures the BLM should use to 
implement these important requirements.
    The BLM also has an obligation to ``assure the maximum protection 
of . . . surface values'' within Special Areas ``to the extent 
consistent with the requirements of [the NPRPA] for the exploration of 
the reserve.'' 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). The proposed rule would improve upon 
the standards and procedures that implement this requirement. For 
example, the current regulations identify specific measures the BLM may 
take to assure maximum protection but provide no further guidance on 
the evaluation and selection of such measures.
    In addition, the current regulations do not reflect the full 
management regime for the NPR-A. This proposed rule would provide a 
more comprehensive guide to managing the NPR-A. Currently, the 
applicable legal standards and procedures are scattered throughout 
several statutes, regulations, plans, and guidance documents. For 
example, the existing regulations do not integrate with the use of 
IAPs, which BLM has used either on a regional or area wide basis for 
the NPR-A for over two decades. Although the BLM is not required to 
plan for the use of the NPR-A, see 42 U.S.C. 6506a(c), it has chosen to 
produce the IAP through a public process and has analyzed it in an 
Environmental Impact Statement. The IAP allocates land uses in the NPR-
A and details oil and gas lease stipulations and infrastructure 
restrictions for Special Areas. The overlay of a regulatory regime to 
govern the NPR-A, including the development and use of IAPs, would 
enhance consistency and certainty, particularly with respect to 
protection of surface resources and Special Areas.

III. Section-by-Section Discussion

    The proposed rule would change the section designations from the 
current regulations to implement Office of the Federal Register 
requirements. Some provisions of the existing regulations would not 
change; we do not discuss those provisions here.

Section 2361.1 Purpose

    Section 2361.0-1 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.1. The 
existing provision states that the purpose of the regulations is ``to 
provide procedures for the protection and control of environmental, 
fish and wildlife, and historical or scenic values'' in the NPR-A. As 
proposed, Sec.  2361.1 would establish a two-part purpose for the rule 
to more accurately and completely reflect the scope of the regulations. 
The first purpose would be to provide standards and procedures to 
implement 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b), which requires the Secretary to ensure 
that ``[a]ctivities undertaken pursuant to this Act include or provide 
for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as [she] deems 
necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and 
significantly adverse effects on the surface resources of the [NPR-
A].''
    The second purpose outlined in this section would be to provide 
standards and procedures to implement 42 U.S.C. 6504(a), under which 
any exploration in Special Areas ``shall be conducted in a manner which 
will assure the maximum protection of such surface values to the extent 
consistent with the requirements of this Act for the exploration of the 
[NPR-A].'' The standards and procedures to implement these two 
provisions would also fulfill BLM's mandate to take action necessary to 
prevent unnecessary or undue degradation under FLPMA, 43 U.S.C. 
1732(b).

Section 2361.0-2 Objectives

    The existing Sec.  2361.0-2 states the objectives of the 
regulations. We propose to remove this section because our proposed 
revision of Sec.  2361.1 would make it redundant.

Section 2361.3 Authority

    Section 2361.0-3 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.3. The 
existing provision lists the NPRPA as the statutory authority for the 
regulations. We propose to add the Department of the Interior 
Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. L. 96-514), which

[[Page 62032]]

amended the NPRPA and instructed the Secretary to mitigate reasonably 
foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on the surface resources 
in the NPR-A.

Section 2361.4 Responsibility

    Section 2361.0-4 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.4. This 
section would modify the existing statement that, under the NPRPA, the 
BLM is responsible for managing surface resources in the NPR-A to add 
that BLM is now also responsible for managing the subsurface mineral 
resources in the NPR-A. It would also add that the BLM is responsible 
for assuring maximum protection of Special Areas' significant resource 
values. Paragraph (b) would be deleted because the U.S. Geological 
Survey is no longer responsible for managing exploration in the NPR-A. 
Secretarial Order 3071, 47 FR 4751 (Feb. 2, 1982); Secretarial Order 
3087, 48 FR 8982-83 (Mar. 2, 1983).

Section 2361.5 Definitions

    Section 2361.0-5 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.5. In this 
section, the BLM would update the definition for ``exploration'' to 
ensure consistency with NPRPA's definition of ``petroleum.'' 42 U.S.C. 
6501. The BLM would also update the definition of ``Special Areas'' for 
consistency with other proposed changes to the regulations. Finally, 
the BLM would also incorporate a new definition for ``Indigenous 
Knowledge,'' consistent with the guidance set forth in the Memorandum 
issued by the Council on Environmental Quality's Office of Science and 
Technology Policy on November 30, 2022.\40\ New definitions would also 
be added for ``Integrated Activity Plan,'' ``infrastructure,'' and 
``significant resource value.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \40\ Council on Environmental Quality, Guidance for Federal 
Departments and Agencies on Indigenous Knowledge (Nov. 30, 2022), 
available at https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/OSTP-CEQ-IK-Guidance.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section 2361.6 Effect of Law

    Section 2361.0-7 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.6. The BLM is 
proposing to update this section to conform to existing legal 
authorities, including adding provisions to implement the Department of 
the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981, Public Law 96-514 
(Dec. 12, 1980), 94 Stat. 2957, 2964, in revised paragraph (a), and the 
Barrow Gas Field Transfer Act of 1984, Public Law 98-366 (July 17, 
1984), 98 Stat. 468, 470, in new paragraph (b)(4).

Section 2361.7 Severability

    This proposed new section would establish that if any provision of 
part 2360 is invalidated, then all remaining provisions would remain in 
effect. The various components of the proposed rule are distinct. For 
example, many of the proposed provisions would simply update the 
regulations to bring them more into line with the BLM's statutory 
duties. Those updates would function independently of the rest of the 
proposed rule. The procedural requirements in proposed Sec.  2361.10(b) 
for protecting surface resources in the NPR-A also would stand alone, 
as would the codification of existing Special Areas in Sec.  2361.20, 
the procedural requirements in Sec.  2361.30, and other provisions.

Section 2361.10 Protection of Surface Resources

    Section 2361.1 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.10, and the 
title would be changed from ``protection of the environment'' to 
``protection of surface resources'' to more closely track with the 
BLM's statutory authority under 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b), which directs the 
BLM to ``provide for such conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions as 
the Secretary deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably 
foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on the surface resources 
of the [NPR-A].''
    The proposed rule would establish new standards and procedures for 
managing and protecting surface resources in the NPR-A from the 
reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects of oil and gas 
activities. In 1980, Congress authorized the Secretary to mitigate 
those effects through ``necessary or appropriate'' ``conditions, 
restrictions, and prohibitions.'' 42 U.S.C. 6506a(b). Existing 
paragraph (a) requires the authorized officer to take action ``to 
mitigate or avoid unnecessary surface damage and to minimize ecological 
disturbance throughout the reserve to the extent consistent with the 
requirements of the Act for the exploration of the reserve.'' We 
propose to amend paragraph (a) to mirror the statutory language. As 
amended, paragraph (a) also would provide further clarification by 
recognizing that, in some circumstances, the BLM may delay or deny 
proposed activities that would cause reasonably foreseeable and 
significantly adverse effects on surface resources.
    Existing paragraph (b) would be deleted. It concerns coordination 
between the BLM and the U.S. Geological Survey, which is no longer 
relevant because the Geological Survey is no longer responsible for 
managing exploration in the NPR-A.
    Paragraph (b) in the proposed rule would spell out new procedures 
for protecting surface resources in the NPR-A. As explained above, 
Congress assigned the BLM the duty to protect the surface resources in 
the NPR-A, but BLM regulations do not fully explain the scope of that 
duty. The proposed rule would fill that gap.
    In paragraph (b)(1), the proposed rule would direct the BLM to 
manage oil and gas activities in accordance with the IAP. In doing so, 
the proposed rule would enshrine longstanding BLM practice into 
regulations. As explained above, the NPR-A is exempt from FLPMA's 
planning requirements. Nonetheless, since 1998, the BLM has prepared 
several IAPs to primarily govern oil and gas activities in the NPR-A. 
The IAP is a form of land use plan that ``addresses a narrower range of 
multiple use management than a resource management plan.'' \41\ In the 
BLM's experience, the IAP provides an invaluable means of evaluating 
management options, engaging the public, and guiding decision-making, 
consistent with the BLM's duties under NPRPA and the National 
Environmental Policy Act. Accordingly, the proposed rule would require 
the BLM to maintain an IAP, which would help guide BLM use 
authorizations in the NPR-A but would give way to the regulations in 
the event of a conflict.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \41\ 2013 NPR-A IAP ROD at 17.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Paragraph (b)(2) would require the BLM, in each decision concerning 
oil and gas activity in the NPR-A, to adopt measures to mitigate the 
reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on surface 
resources, taking particular care with surface resources that support 
subsistence. The BLM would do so by documenting for each decision its 
consideration of effects and how those effects informed the choice of 
mitigation measures. Paragraphs (b)(3) and (4) would specify that the 
BLM's effects analysis would include any reasonably foreseeable 
effects, including indirect effects (those that are ``later in time or 
farther removed in distance''), cumulative effects (those ``that result 
from the incremental effects of proposed activities when added to the 
effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions''), 
and ``any uncertainty concerning the nature, scope, and duration of 
potential effects.'' For example, if the BLM determined that a proposed 
lease sale's effects on subsistence resources--when

[[Page 62033]]

added to the effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable 
actions--could be significantly adverse, then under this proposed 
section, the BLM would need to adopt measures to mitigate those 
effects.
    Existing paragraphs (c) and (d) would be deleted. Existing 
paragraph (c) requires the BLM to take maximum protection measures on 
all actions within Special Areas and identify the boundaries of Special 
Areas on maps. It also describes some requirements that may constitute 
``maximum protection measures.'' Existing paragraph (d) concerns 
designation of new Special Areas. This material would be addressed in 
Sec. Sec.  2361.20, 2361.30, and 2361.40. Moving this material to those 
new sections would provide clarification by focusing Sec.  2361.10 on 
protection of surface resources throughout the NPR-A.
    Proposed new paragraph (c) would clarify that for surface resources 
in Special Areas, the BLM also would have to comply with the provisions 
governing Special Areas in Sec. Sec.  2361.20 through 2361.60. Moving 
the provisions concerning Special Areas to different sections makes 
that cross-reference necessary.
    Proposed new paragraph (d) would require the BLM to include in each 
oil- and gas-related decision or authorization, ``such terms and 
conditions that provide the Bureau with sufficient authority to fully 
implement the requirements of this subpart.'' That provision would 
ensure that the BLM incorporates into decision documents whatever 
language is necessary to enable it to implement any final rule.
    Existing paragraph (e)(1) provides that ``the authorized officer 
may limit, restrict, or prohibit use of and access to lands within the 
Reserve, including special areas.'' The existing rule conditions that 
authority by requiring it to be exercised ``consistent with the 
requirements of the Act and after consultation with appropriate 
Federal, State, and local agencies and Native organizations.'' The 
proposed rule would specify that the authorized officer has that 
authority ``regardless of any existing authorization.'' That added 
language would clarify that existing authorizations would not prevent 
the BLM from limiting, restricting, or prohibiting access to the NPR-A 
consistent with the requirements of the Act. The proposed rule would 
retain the condition that exercises of that authority must be 
consistent with the NPRPA, and it would add ``and applicable law'' to 
clarify that the authorized officer cannot contradict other legal 
requirements. Instead of requiring the authorized officer to consult 
with ``Native organizations,'' the proposed rule would provide more 
specificity by requiring consultation with federally recognized Tribes 
and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations. Consistent with 
the BLM's duty under NPRPA and ANILCA, paragraph (e)(1) would also be 
amended to allow the authorized officer to limit, restrict, or prohibit 
use of and access to the NPR-A to protect subsistence uses and 
resources.
    Existing paragraph (f) would be amended to recognize the breadth of 
Federal laws that apply to the management and protection of historical, 
cultural, and paleontological resources in the NPR-A.

Section 2361.20 Existing Special Areas

    The existing regulations only identify the Colville River, 
Teshekpuk Lake, and Utukok River Uplands Special Areas by name (43 CFR 
2361.1(c)); they do not account for the Kasegaluk Lagoon and Peard Bay 
Special Areas. Further, the current regulations do not identify or 
describe the significant resource values associated with each Special 
Area. Under the NPRPA, the BLM must assure maximum protection of each 
of these values consistent with exploration of the Reserve. In pursuit 
of that obligation, this new Sec.  2361.20 would incorporate all five 
of the existing Special Areas into part 2360 and would identify the 
significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, 
and scenic values that are associated with each of them. The proposed 
rule would require any lands designated as a Special Area to continue 
to be managed as such for the already-identified values and any 
additional values identified through the process set forth in new Sec.  
2361.30. The existing regulations (43 CFR 2361.1(c)) require the 
boundaries of the Special Areas to be depicted on maps available for 
public inspection in the BLM's Fairbanks District Office. New Sec.  
2361.20 would specify that a map of each Special Area is available at 
the Arctic District Office, which is now the BLM office that oversees 
the NPR-A. The BLM would also publish and maintain copies of these maps 
on its website.
    The following briefly summarizes the existing Special Areas:
     Colville River Special Area: The Colville River Special 
Area covers 2.44 million acres along the southeastern boundary of the 
NPR-A. The Special Area encompasses the Colville River and two of its 
main tributaries--the Kogosukruk and Kikiakrorak rivers--which 
collectively provide ``one of the most significant regional habitats 
for raptors in North America'' and ``the North Slope's single most 
important area of raptor nesting habitat.'' \42\ Many other bird 
species utilize the river corridors, including shorebirds, loons, 
waterfowl, inland dwelling sea birds, and several unique trans-
Beringian migrant passerines.\43\ The Special Area also ``support[s] 
the highest concentration of . . . moose on Alaska's North Slope,'' 
\44\ ``contains world-class paleontological deposits[,] and is an 
important corridor for subsistence and recreational activities.'' \45\ 
Finally, the Special Area includes ``numerous sites from prehistoric 
and historic era human activity.'' \46\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \42\ 2013 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 270, 355.
    \43\ CRSA EA at 19.
    \44\ 2013 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 355.
    \45\ 1998 Northeast NPR-A IAP Final EIS.
    \46\ CRSA EA at 25.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area: The Kasegaluk Lagoon 
Special Area, which encompasses approximately 97,000 acres, borders the 
Chukchi Sea in the northwestern corner of the NPR-A. It is ``rich in 
wildlife, including migratory birds'' and has especially ``high values 
for marine mammals.'' \47\ The Special Area also ``features tidal flats 
that are rare on the North Slope.'' \48\ These natural resources 
contribute to an ecosystem that is ``unique . . . for the arctic 
coast.'' \49\ Subsistence activities take place in the lagoon, which 
also ``offer[s] primitive recreation experiences, including kayak and 
small boat paddling along the coast.'' \50\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \47\ 2013 NPR-A IAP Final EIS at 17.
    \48\ Id.
    \49\ Id.
    \50\ 2004 Northwest NPR-A IAP ROD at 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Peard Bay Special Area: The Peard Bay Special Area also 
borders the Chukchi Sea along the northern boundary of the NPR-A. The 
Special Area covers 107,000 acres and includes ``haul-out areas and 
nearshore waters for marine mammals and a high use staging and 
migration area for shorebirds and waterbirds.'' \51\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \51\ 2013 NPR-A IAP ROD at 4.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Teshekpuk Lake Special Area: The Teshekpuk Lake Special 
Area includes 3.65 million acres in the northeastern corner of the NPR-
A. Teshekpuk Lake provides ``important nesting, staging, and molting 
habitat for a large number of ducks, geese, and swans,'' ``prime 
calving and insect-relief habitat'' for the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, and 
``overwintering habitat for fish.'' \52\ ``Of

[[Page 62034]]

particular sensitivity are lands nearest Teshekpuk Lake that are the 
most heavily used by calving caribou and molting geese. . . .'' \53\ 
The Special Areas ``is of special importance to subsistence users 
because of the caribou and fish resources in the area and long-standing 
subsistence use of the area.'' \54\ Additionally, the Special Area 
includes the Pik Dunes--``an unusual geologic feature'' that ``provide 
(1) insect-relief habitat for caribou, (2) habitat for several uncommon 
plant species, and (3) data critical to understanding major climatic 
fluctuations over the last 12,000 years.'' \55\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \52\ 43 FR 28723; BLM, Northeast NPR-A Final Amended IAP/EIS 3-
29 (Jan. 2005), available at https://web.archive.org/web/20060303123155/https://www.ak.blm.gov/nenpraeis/FinalAmendedIAPEIS/Volume%201/Chapter%203%20Affected%20Environment.pdf; 2022 NPR-A IAP 
ROD at 5.
    \53\ 2013 NPR-A IAP ROD at 20.
    \54\ BLM, Northeast NPR-A IAP/EIS ROD (Oct. 1998), available at 
https://web.archive.org/web/20001210191000/http:/aurora.ak.blm.gov/npra/final/html/rodtitle.html.
    \55\ Northeast National Petroleum Reserve Alaska Draft IAP/EIS, 
62 FR 65440 (Dec. 12, 1997); Northeast NPR-A Final Amended IAP/EIS 
at 2-7.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Utukok River Uplands Special Area: The Utukok River 
Uplands encompasses 7.1 million acres in the southwestern corner of the 
NPR-A. The Special Area includes ``prime calving and insect-relief 
habitat'' and ``the most intensely used summer movement area'' for the 
Western Arctic Caribou Herd.\56\ ``This large herd disperses widely in 
the winter, wandering within reach of subsistence hunters from over 
forty villages in northwest Alaska.'' \57\ The Special Area also 
includes ``grizzly bear habitat'' and ``important wilderness 
characteristics.'' \58\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \56\ 2013 NPR-A IAP ROD at 21; 2022 NPR-A IAP ROD at 5.
    \57\ 2013 NPR-A IAP ROD at 22.
    \58\ 1998 Northeast NPR-A IAP Final EIS; 2013 NPR-A IAP ROD at 
22.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Section 2361.30 Special Areas Designation and Amendment Process

    While the existing regulations anticipate that the Secretary may 
identify new Special Areas, they do not specify procedures for 
designating and amending Special Areas. In the past, the BLM has 
typically designated Special Areas, and received Special Area 
recommendations from the public and stakeholders, through the IAP 
revision and amendment process. Enumerating procedures for designating 
and amending Special Areas in the regulations would provide clarity for 
stakeholders and ensure that the BLM fulfills its statutory obligation 
to assure maximum protection of Special Areas' significant resource 
values.
    This proposed new section would, for the first time, provide 
standards and procedures for designating and amending Special Areas. 
Paragraph (a) would require the BLM, at least once every 5 years, to 
evaluate lands in the NPR-A for significant resource values and 
designate new Special Areas or update existing Special Areas by 
expanding their boundaries, recognizing the presence of additional 
significant resource values, or requiring additional measures to assure 
maximum protection of significant resource values. The BLM believes 
that a 5-year timeframe is reasonable considering how rapidly 
conditions across the Arctic are changing; it is also consistent with 
the agency's timeframe for similar land use planning evaluations.\59\ 
Paragraph (a)(2) would allow, but not require, the BLM to conduct this 
evaluation through the IAP amendment process. Paragraph (a)(3) would 
require the BLM to rely on the best available scientific information, 
including Indigenous Knowledge, and the best available information 
concerning subsistence uses and resources. Paragraph (a)(4) would 
require the BLM to provide meaningful opportunities for public 
participation in the evaluation process, including review and comment 
periods and, as appropriate, public meetings.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \59\ See BLM Land Use Planning Handbook H-1601-1 34 (Mar. 2005) 
(directing the BLM to evaluate land use plans ``at a minimum every 
five years''), available at https://www.ntc.blm.gov/krc/uploads/360/4_BLM%20Planning%20Handbook%20H-1601-1.pdf.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Existing Sec.  2361.1(d) concerns the submission, content, and 
public review of recommendations for additional Special Areas. Proposed 
paragraph (a)(4) would retain the basic contours of that provision but 
provide additional specificity. It would allow the public to 
participate in the evaluation process, including by recommending new 
Special Areas, new significant resource values for existing Special 
Areas, and measures to assure maximum protection of Special Areas' 
significant resource values. The proposed rule would require the BLM to 
evaluate and respond to such recommendations. Similar to existing Sec.  
2361.1, proposed paragraph (a)(4) would specify that Special Area 
recommendations should describe the size and location of the lands, 
significant resource values, and measures necessary to assure maximum 
protection of those values.
    Paragraph (a)(5) would allow the authorized officer to implement 
interim measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource 
values in lands under consideration for designation as a Special Area. 
This provision would assist the BLM in fulfilling its statutory duty to 
protect Special Areas.
    Paragraph (a)(6) would require that the BLM base decisions to 
designate Special Areas solely on whether significant resource values 
are present and would prohibit the BLM from considering the existence 
of measures to protect or otherwise administer those values. For 
example, if lands not within a Special Area contained important caribou 
calving habitat and those lands were already subject to certain 
protections under the IAP, the BLM would not be permitted to consider 
those protections during the decision-making process for the proposed 
designation or update. This change is needed to align the regulations 
with the NPRPA, which authorizes the Secretary to designate Special 
Areas based on the presence of ``any significant subsistence, 
recreational, fish and wildlife, or historical or scenic value . . . 
.'' 42 U.S.C. 6504(a).
    Paragraph (a)(7) would require the BLM, when designating a Special 
Area or recognizing the presence of additional significant resource 
values in an existing Special Area, to adopt measures to assure maximum 
protection of significant resource values. That provision mirrors the 
BLM's statutory responsibility under the NPRPA. 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). 
Paragraph (a)(7) would provide needed clarification by specifying that 
those measures would supersede any inconsistent provisions in the IAP.
    Paragraph (a)(8) would incorporate the requirement of existing 
Sec.  2361.1(c) that the BLM publish in the Federal Register a legal 
description of any new Special Area. The proposed rule also would 
require the BLM to publish in the Federal Register a summary of the 
significant resource values supporting the Special Area designation. 
Rather than requiring publication in local newspapers as the current 
regulations require, the proposed rule would require the BLM to 
maintain maps of the Special Areas on its website. We believe those 
proposals would provide more effective public notice.
    Section 2361.30(b) would establish a framework for removing lands 
from Special Area designations. Because Congress identified the Utukok 
River Uplands and Teshekpuk Lake Special Areas in the NPRPA and 
required them to be managed to protect surface resources, the BLM 
cannot remove lands from those Special Area designations absent 
statutory authorization. See Public Law 94-258, sec. 104(b), 90 Stat. 
304 (1976). For other Special Areas, the proposed rule would allow the 
BLM to remove lands from a Special Area designation only when the 
significant resource values that supported the designation are no 
longer present (e.g., if important wildlife habitat that supported the 
designation was no longer present). That provision is consistent

[[Page 62035]]

with the BLM's statutory duty to ``assure the maximum protection of 
such surface values consistent with the requirements of [the NPRPA] for 
the exploration of the reserve.'' Id.
    Before removing lands from a Special Area designation, paragraph 
(b) would require the BLM to provide the public with the opportunity to 
review and comment on its proposed decision and consult with federally 
recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations. 
Finally, the proposed rule would require the BLM to document its 
consideration of those comments. Those requirements would assure public 
participation in the de-designation process.

Section 2361.40 Management of Oil and Gas Activities in Special Areas

    As noted above, the proposed rule would enhance the specificity of 
the current regulations on the mechanisms for assuring maximum 
protection of significant resource values in Special Areas. The current 
regulations paraphrase the maximum protection requirement of the NPRPA 
and provide examples of measures that the BLM could potentially take to 
assure maximum protection. See 43 CFR 2361.1(c). This proposed new 
section would establish new standards and procedures for achieving 
maximum protection of Special Areas' significant resource values, with 
a specific focus on addressing the impacts of oil and gas activities. 
Of note, this section would affirmatively establish that assuring 
maximum protection of significant resource values is the management 
priority for Special Areas. Under proposed paragraph (a), the BLM would 
need to comply with this standard and adopt maximum protection measures 
for each significant resource value associated with a Special Area. 
Paragraph (b) would require the BLM take such steps to avoid the 
adverse effects of proposed oil and gas activities on the significant 
resource values of Special Areas, including by conditioning, delaying 
action on, or denying proposals for activities.
    Paragraph (c) of this section would require oil and gas leasing and 
new infrastructure to conform to the land use allocations and 
restrictions identified on maps 2 and 4 of the 2022 IAP ROD that are 
published along with the final rule, unless the BLM makes revisions in 
accordance with Sec.  2361.30 of these regulations. Map 2 shows the 
areas of the NPR-A that are open and closed to oil and gas leasing. The 
map reflects that approximately 11.8 million acres are open to leasing 
subject to the terms and conditions detailed in the IAP, while 
approximately 11 million acres are closed, including most of the 
Teshekpuk Lake and Utukok River Uplands Special Areas. The map also 
shows areas that are open to leasing, but subject to no surface 
occupancy and areas that are outside the BLM's subsurface authority.
    Map 4 shows the areas of the NPR-A that are available and 
unavailable for new infrastructure. The map shows that new 
infrastructure is prohibited on approximately 8.3 million acres of the 
NPR-A, limited to ``essential'' infrastructure on approximately 3.3 
million acres, and permitted on approximately 10.8 million acres. The 
BLM is considering including in the final rule the following definition 
for the term ``essential,'' which resembles provisions of Lease 
Stipulation K-12 from the 2022 IAP ROD: ``Essential means the proposed 
infrastructure is necessary for development and production on a valid 
existing onshore or offshore lease and no other feasible and prudent 
option is available.'' The BLM requests feedback on this approach, as 
well as any additional recommendations on defining this term.
    The restrictions identified on Maps 2 and 4 that would apply to new 
oil and gas leases and infrastructure are detailed in the 2022 IAP ROD 
and summarized in the following table.\60\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \60\ 2022 NPR-A IAP ROD at A-6 to A-21.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
            Stipulation                           Objective
------------------------------------------------------------------------
K-1--River Setbacks...............  Minimize the disruption of natural
                                     flow patterns and changes to water
                                     quality; the loss of spawning,
                                     rearing, and over-wintering habitat
                                     for fish; and impacts to
                                     subsistence cabins and campsites,
                                     among other purposes.
K-2--Deep Water Lakes.............  Minimize the disruption of natural
                                     flow patterns and changes to water
                                     quality; the loss of spawning,
                                     rearing or over wintering habitat
                                     for fish; and the disruption of
                                     subsistence activities, among other
                                     purposes.
K-4--Kogru River, Dease Inlet,      Protect fish and wildlife habitat;
 Admiralty Bay, Elson Lagoon,        preserve air and water quality; and
 Peard Bay, Wainwright Inlet/Kuk     minimize impacts to subsistence
 River, and Kasegaluk Lagoon, and    activities and historic travel
 their associated islands.           routes on the major coastal
                                     waterbodies.
K-5--Coastal Setback Areas........  Protect coastal waters and their
                                     value as fish and wildlife habitat;
                                     minimize hindrance or alteration of
                                     caribou movement within caribou
                                     coastal insect-relief areas; and
                                     prevent impacts to subsistence
                                     resources and activities, among
                                     other purposes.
K-6--Goose Molting Area...........  Minimize disturbance to molting
                                     geese and loss of goose molting
                                     habitat in and around lakes in the
                                     Goose Molting Area.
K-8--Brant Survey Area............  Minimize the loss or alteration of
                                     habitat for, or disturbance of,
                                     nesting and brood rearing brant in
                                     the Brant Survey Area.
K-9--Teshekpuk Lake Caribou         Minimize disturbance and hindrance
 Habitat Area.                       of caribou, or alteration of
                                     caribou movements through portions
                                     the Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Habitat
                                     Area that are essential for all
                                     season use, including calving and
                                     rearing, insect-relief, and
                                     migration.
K-10--Teshekpuk Lake Caribou        Minimize disturbance and hindrance
 Movement Corridor.                  of caribou, or alteration of
                                     caribou movements (that are
                                     essential for all season use,
                                     including calving and rearing,
                                     insect-relief, and migration) in
                                     the area extending from the eastern
                                     shore of Teshekpuk Lake eastward to
                                     the Kogru River.
K-11--Southern Caribou Calving      Minimize disturbance and hindrance
 Area.                               of caribou, or alteration of
                                     caribou movements (that are
                                     essential for all season use,
                                     including calving and post calving,
                                     and insect-relief) in the area
                                     south/southeast of Teshekpuk Lake.
K-12--Colville River Special Area.  Prevent or minimize loss of raptor
                                     foraging habitat.
K-13--Pik Dunes...................  Retain unique qualities of the Pik
                                     Dunes, including geologic and
                                     scenic uniqueness, insect-relief
                                     habitat for caribou, and habitat
                                     for several uncommon plant species.

[[Page 62036]]

 
K-14--Utukok River Uplands Special  Minimize disturbance and hindrance
 Area.                               of caribou, or alteration of
                                     caribou movements through the
                                     Utukok River Uplands Special Area
                                     that are essential for all season
                                     use, including calving and rearing,
                                     insect-relief, and migration.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Several of the restrictions utilize the term ``permanent oil and 
gas facilities,'' which is defined on page A-3 of the 2022 IAP ROD to 
mean:

    Permanent Facilities include production facilities, pipelines, 
roads, airstrips, production pads, docks and other bottom-founded 
structures, seawater-treatment plants, and other structures 
associated with an oil and gas operation that occupy land for more 
than one winter season; also included are material sites such as 
sand and gravel, and ``temporary platforms'' if those platforms are 
used for production rather than exploration. Exploration wellheads 
and seasonal facilities such as ice roads and ice pads are excluded, 
even when the pads are designed for use in successive winters. This 
definition does not include over-summering ice pads for exploration 
purposes.

    The BLM is considering incorporating this definition into the rule 
and requests feedback on this approach.
    The purpose of requiring leasing and infrastructure in Special 
Areas to conform to IAP maps 2 and 4 is to codify the existing 
protections and restrictions from the 2022 IAP ROD. As explained above, 
the BLM developed that land use plan through a lengthy public planning 
process involving all stakeholders, which stretches back to the 
development of the 2013 IAP ROD. The 2022 IAP ROD, which is based in 
large part on the framework set forth in the 2013 IAP ROD, incorporates 
aspects of the 2020 IAP ROD, and reflects now-settled expectations 
about the use of the NPR-A. It also reflects what the BLM views as the 
floor of protections for the NPR-A that grew out of the public planning 
process. By incorporating the two maps into any final rule, the BLM 
intends to incorporate the land use allocations, restrictions, and 
stipulations from the 2022 IAP ROD into the rule without reprinting a 
lengthy text. We seek public comment in particular on whether this 
approach accomplishes that goal effectively and efficiently. Do the 
maps convey sufficient information? Are there additional definitions 
that should be included in the rule? Is there a better way to 
accomplish our goal?
    Paragraph (c) also would establish a presumption against leasing 
and new infrastructure on lands in Special Areas that are allocated as 
available for those activities. That presumption could be overcome if 
specific information is available to the BLM that clearly demonstrates 
that those activities can be conducted with no or minimal adverse 
effects on the significant resource values of the Special Area. The 
intensive process that led to the IAP resulted in a comprehensive plan 
for protection of the Special Areas in the NPR-A. To fulfill the BLM's 
statutory duty to assure maximum protection for those areas' 
significant resource values, the BLM believes that plan should be 
treated as a regulatory floor, and additional activities should only be 
allowed when maximum protection is assured.
    The proposed definition of ``infrastructure'' in Sec.  2361.5(g) 
would exclude ``exploratory wells that are drilled in a single season; 
infrastructure in support of science and public safety; and 
construction, renovation, or replacement of facilities on existing 
gravel pads at previously disturbed sites where the facilities will 
promote safety and environmental protection.'' These exceptions were 
specifically analyzed and adopted in the 2022 IAP ROD. Proposed Sec.  
2361.40(d) would establish three additional exceptions to the oil and 
gas leasing and new infrastructure prohibitions in paragraph (c). The 
first exception would permit leasing and infrastructure solely to 
address drainage of Federal oil and gas resources. Drainage occurs 
``when a well that is drilled or is in production adjacent to Federal 
or Indian leases or unleased lands is potentially draining Federal or 
Indian oil and gas resources.'' BLM MS-3160. Surface disturbing 
activities would be prohibited on any lease tract issued for this 
purpose. The exception for drainage of Federal oil and gas resources is 
included because the regulations expressly provide for leasing of 
tracts that are subject to drainage in order to prevent loss of United 
States oil and gas resources and potential royalties. See 43 CFR 
3130.3. No-surface-occupancy leases are an option the BLM may elect to 
use when the surface management agency has determined that surface oil 
and gas facilities and operations would pose an unacceptable risk to 
the surface resources. The second exception would permit the 
construction of new infrastructure, including roads, transmission 
lines, and pipelines, that would primarily benefit communities in and 
around the NPR-A or would support subsistence activities. The BLM would 
still need to adopt measures to assure maximum protection of any 
significant resource values affected by that infrastructure. We propose 
to include that exception because communities in and around the NPR-A 
must have some infrastructure to survive and thrive. The third 
exception would allow the BLM to approve new infrastructure if 
essential to support exploration or development of a valid existing 
lease and no practicable alternatives exist that would have less 
adverse impact on significant resource values of the Special Area. That 
exception is necessary to accommodate the rights of current 
leaseholders.
    Proposed paragraph (e) would require the BLM to document and 
consider any uncertainty regarding potential adverse effects on Special 
Areas and ensure that its actions account for such uncertainty. That 
provision will help fulfill the BLM's statutory mandate to assure 
maximum protection for Special Areas' significant resource values.
    Proposed paragraph (f) would require the BLM to prepare a Statement 
of Adverse Effect whenever it cannot avoid adverse effects on a Special 
Area. In each statement, the BLM would need to describe the significant 
resource values that may be affected; the nature, scope, and duration 
of the effects; measures the BLM evaluated to avoid those effects; a 
justification for not requiring those measures; and measures it would 
require to minimize and mitigate the adverse effects on significant 
resource values. The BLM will require mitigation of adverse effects on 
significant resource values of Special Areas that cannot be avoided or 
minimized. Measures the BLM may require include compensatory 
mitigation. Such measures will be developed, evaluated, and, as 
necessary, adopted in project-specific analyses. Proposed paragraphs 
(g) and (h) would require the BLM to provide the public with an 
opportunity to review and comment on any Statement of Adverse Effect 
and consult with federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims 
Settlement Act corporations that have ties to the area.
    Finally, proposed paragraph (i) would require the BLM to include in 
each oil- and gas-related decision or authorization ``terms and 
conditions that provide the Bureau with sufficient authority to fully 
implement the requirements of this section.'' That

[[Page 62037]]

provision would ensure that the BLM incorporates into decision 
documents the necessary language to implement any final rule.
    The BLM seeks feedback on whether this proposed rule would ``assure 
the maximum protection'' of significant resource values in Special 
Areas ``to the extent consistent with the requirements of [the NPRPA] 
for the exploration of the reserve.'' See 42 U.S.C. 6504(a).

Section 2361.50 Management of Subsistence Uses Within Special Areas

    The BLM recognizes the overriding importance of subsistence 
resources to communities in and around the NPR-A. There are over 40 
communities that use the NPR-A or the resources it supports for 
subsistence purposes, including six with significant connections: 
Anaktuvuk Pass, Atqasuk, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, Utqiagvik, and 
Wainwright.\61\ All of these communities ``rely on . . . subsistence 
resources for their physical, traditional, and social existence,'' and 
many of these resources, including caribou, fish, and waterfowl, are 
concentrated in Special Areas.\62\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \61\ 2022 NPR-A IAP DNA at C-3-4.
    \62\ 2022 NPR-A IAP ROD at 11.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Accordingly, this new section would require the BLM to manage 
Special Areas to protect and support fish and wildlife and their 
habitats and the associated subsistence use of those areas by rural 
residents as defined in 50 CFR 100.4, the Department of the Interior's 
subsistence management regulations for public lands in Alaska. 
Additionally, this section would require the BLM to provide appropriate 
access to and within Special Areas for subsistence purposes while still 
assuring maximum protection of the significant resource values of the 
Special Areas.

Section 2361.60 Co-Stewardship Opportunities in Special Areas

    This proposed new section would encourage the BLM to explore co-
stewardship opportunities for Special Areas, including co-management, 
collaborative and cooperative management, and Tribally led stewardship. 
This provision would advance the Federal government's commitment to 
strengthening the role of Tribal governments in Federal land 
management. (Presidential Memorandum on Tribal Consultation and 
Strengthening Nation-to-Nation Relationships, January 26, 2021; Joint 
Secretarial Order on Fulfilling the Trust Responsibility to Indian 
Tribes in the Stewardship of Federal Lands and Waters, Order No. 3403, 
November 15, 2021.)

Section 2361.70 Use Authorizations

    Section 2361.2 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.70. Existing 
paragraph (a) states that all use authorizations require approval from 
the authorized officer ``[e]xcept for petroleum exploration which has 
been authorized by the Act.'' The proposed rule would omit that 
exception. The NPRPA of 1976 authorized the Federal government to 
conduct exploration activities; those activities did not require 
approval by an authorized officer. Since the 1980 amendments initiated 
a competitive oil and gas leasing program, all oil and gas activities 
are conducted by oil and gas companies and require authorization from a 
BLM authorized officer.
    No substantive changes are proposed to Sec.  2361.70(b). The BLM 
would modify Sec.  2361.70(c) for clarity purposes, and would update 
Sec.  2361.70(d) to recognize its duties to protect surfaces resources 
and assure maximum protection of Special Areas' significant resource 
values in the NPR-A.

Section 2361.80 Unauthorized Use and Occupancy

    Section 2361.3 would be redesignated to Sec.  2361.80. No 
substantive changes would be made to this section.

IV. Procedural Matters

Regulatory Planning and Review (Executive Orders (E.O.) 12866, as 
Amended by E.O 14094, and 13563)

    E.O. 12866, as amended by E.O. 14094, provides that the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) within the OMB will review 
all significant regulatory actions. OIRA has determined that this 
proposed rule is significant.
    E.O. 13563 reaffirms the principles of E.O. 12866 while calling for 
improvements in the Nation's regulatory system to promote 
predictability, to reduce uncertainty, and to use the best, most 
innovative, and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends. 
The Executive order directs agencies to consider regulatory approaches 
that reduce burdens and maintain flexibility and freedom of choice for 
the public where these approaches are relevant, feasible, and 
consistent with regulatory objectives. E.O. 13563 emphasizes further 
that regulations must be based on the best available science and that 
the rulemaking process must allow for public participation and an open 
exchange of ideas. We have developed this proposed rule in a manner 
consistent with these requirements.

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    This proposed rule will not have a significant economic effect on a 
substantial number of small entities under the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The BLM is not required to prepare an 
Initial Regulatory Flexibility Analysis with this proposed rule. The 
BLM welcomes public comments on the impact of this proposed rule on 
small businesses.
    The Small Business Administration (SBA) has developed size 
standards to carry out the purposes of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, 
as amended by the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act. 
The size standards can be found in 13 CFR 121.201. For a specific 
industry identified by the North American Industry Classification 
System (NAICS), small entities are defined by the SBA as an individual, 
limited partnership, or small company considered at ``arm's length'' 
from the control of any parent company, which meet certain size 
standards.
    The proposed rule is most likely to affect business currently 
operating in the oil and gas sector in the NPR-A. There are eight 
active lessees in NPR-A. SBA size standards identify small business in 
the crude petroleum extraction (NAICS 211120) and natural gas 
extraction (NAICS 211130) industries to be those with 1,250 or fewer 
employees. Some of the eight active lessees meet the SBA criteria for 
small businesses, which is less than a substantial number of small 
entities potentially affected. Further, the proposed rule will not 
affect existing leases and therefore would not have a significant 
economic impact on small businesses holding these leases.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA)

    The proposed rule would not have a significant or unique effect on 
State, local, or Tribal governments or the private sector. The proposed 
rule contains no requirements that would apply to State, local, or 
Tribal governments. The costs that the proposed rule would impose on 
the private sector are below the monetary threshold established at 2 
U.S.C. 1532(a). A statement containing the information required by the 
Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) (2 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) is 
therefore not required for the proposed rule. This proposed rule is 
also not subject to the requirements of section 203 of UMRA because it 
contains no regulatory requirements that might significantly or 
uniquely affect small governments, because it contains no requirements 
that apply to such

[[Page 62038]]

governments, nor does it impose obligations upon them.

Takings (E.O. 12630)

    This proposed rule would not affect a taking of private property or 
otherwise having taking implications under E.O. 12630, as it recognizes 
and is consistent with valid existing rights, including oil and gas 
leases. This proposed rule would revise the BLM's current management 
framework for surface resources and Special Areas in the NPR-A. The BLM 
has not substantially updated this framework since the early 1980s. A 
takings implication assessment is not required.

Federalism (E.O. 13132)

    Under the criteria in section 1 of Executive Order 13132, this 
proposed rule does not have sufficient federalism implications to 
warrant the preparation of a federalism summary impact statement. A 
federalism impact statement is not required. We welcome public comments 
on the impact this proposed rule could have on the State of Alaska.
    The proposed rule would not have a substantial direct effect on the 
States, on the relationship between the Federal Government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
levels of government. It would not apply to States or local governments 
or State or local governmental entities. The proposed rule would affect 
the relationship between operators, lessees, and the BLM, but it does 
not directly impact the States. Therefore, in accordance with Executive 
Order 13132, the BLM has determined that this proposed rule does not 
have sufficient federalism implications to warrant preparation of a 
Federalism Assessment.

Civil Justice Reform (E.O. 12988)

    This proposed rule complies with the requirements of E.O. 12988. 
More specifically, this proposed rule meets the criteria of section 
3(a), which requires agencies to review all regulations to eliminate 
errors and ambiguity and to write all regulations to minimize 
litigation. This proposed rule also meets the criteria of section 
3(b)(2), which requires agencies to write all regulations in clear 
language with clear legal standards.

Consultation and Coordination With Indian Tribal Governments (E.O. 
13175 and Departmental Policy)

    The Department strives to strengthen its government-to-government 
relationship with Indian Tribes through a commitment to consultation 
with Indian Tribes and recognition of their right to self-governance 
and Tribal sovereignty.
    The BLM evaluated this proposed rule under the Department's 
consultation policy and under the criteria in E.O. Order 13175 to 
identify possible effects of the rule on federally recognized Indian 
Tribes. Since the BLM is responsible for balancing the reserve's oil 
and gas resources with the protection of surface resources in the NPR-
A, the proposed rule may have significance to Alaska Native Tribes and 
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Corporations.
    On August 25, 2023, the BLM sent a letter to each federally 
registered Alaska Tribe and Alaska Native Corporation informing them of 
the rulemaking effort. The letter recognized the unique and vital input 
of Alaska Natives and offered opportunities for participation 
throughout the rulemaking process. The BLM will continue to engage in 
outreach efforts to ensure Alaska Natives are advised of the mechanisms 
by which they can participate, including opportunities for individual 
government-to-government consultation regarding the proposed rule.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3501-3521) generally 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, a person is not required to respond to, a 
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number. Collections of information include requests and 
requirements that an individual, partnership, or corporation obtain 
information, and report it to a Federal agency. See 44 U.S.C. 3502(3); 
5 CFR 1320.3(c) and (k).
    This proposed rule contains an information collection requirement 
that is subject to review by OMB under the PRA. This information 
collection is located in Sec.  2361.30(a)(4). One of the key principles 
of the proposed rule is the inclusion of stakeholder and public notice 
and participation in the designation and removal of lands to be 
included in a Special Area. To help ensure that the BLM receives the 
information needed to inform its decision to include lands in a Special 
Area, Sec.  2361.30(a)(4) includes a list of criteria that should be 
addressed when a member of the public recommends lands for such a 
designation. This information includes the following:
     The size and location of the recommended lands;
     The significant subsistence, recreational, fish and 
wildlife, historical, or scenic resource values that are present within 
or supported by the recommended lands;
     Measures that may be necessary to assure maximum 
protection of those values; and
     Any other pertinent information.
    The BLM has submitted a request to OMB for this information 
collection requirement under the requirements of 5 CFR 1320.11, 
Clearance of collections of information in proposed rules. The 
estimated burden associated with this information-collection is 
outlined as follows.
    OMB Control Number: 1004-XXXX.
    Title of Collection: Management and Protection of the National 
Petroleum Reserve in Alaska--Recommendations for Special Reserve Areas 
(43 CFR 2361.30).
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New collection (Request for new OMB Control 
Number).
    Respondents/Affected Public: Persons who wish to recommend lands to 
be designated as a SA in the NPR-A.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion; at least once every 5 years.
    Number of Respondents: 100.
    Annual Responses: 100.
    Estimated Average Response time: 15 hours.
    Annual Burden Hours: 1,500.
    Annual Burden Cost: None. If you want to comment on the 
information-collection requirements of this proposed rule, please send 
your comments and suggestions on this information collection by the 
date indicated in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections as previously 
described.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

    This proposed rule meets the criteria set forth at 43 CFR 46.210(i) 
for a Departmental categorical exclusion in that this proposed rule is 
``of an administrative, financial, legal, technical, or procedural 
nature.'' They do not involve any of the extraordinary circumstances 
listed in 43 CFR 46.215.

Effects on the Energy Supply (E.O. 13211)

    Under Executive Order 13211, agencies are required to prepare and 
submit to OMB a Statement of Energy Effects for significant energy 
actions. This statement is to include a detailed statement of ``any 
adverse effects on energy supply, distribution, or use (including a 
shortfall in supply, price increases, and increase use of foreign 
supplies)'' for the action and reasonable alternatives and their 
effects.
    Section 4(b) of Executive Order 13211 defines a ``significant 
energy action'' as

[[Page 62039]]

``any action by an agency (normally published in the Federal Register) 
that promulgates or is expected to lead to the promulgation of a final 
rule or regulation, including notices of inquiry, advance notices of 
proposed rulemaking, and notices of proposed rulemaking: (1)(i) that is 
a significant regulatory action under E.O. 12866 or any successor 
order, and (ii) is likely to have a significant adverse effect on the 
supply, distribution, or use of energy; or (2) that is designated by 
OIRA as a significant energy action.''
    This proposed rule would not have a significant effect on the 
Nation's energy supply. It would restate existing statutory standards 
and establish a procedural framework for ensuring that the BLM meets 
those standards. It also would codify land use restrictions that 
already are legally binding in the 2022 IAP ROD. Further, the proposed 
rule would presume, in proposed Sec.  2361.40(c), that oil and gas 
leasing or infrastructure on lands allocated as available for such 
activities ``should not be permitted unless specific information 
available to the Bureau clearly demonstrates that those activities can 
be conducted with no or minimal adverse effects on significant resource 
values.'' That presumption merely implements the BLM's existing 
statutory duty to assure maximum protection of the significant resource 
values in Special Areas. 42 U.S.C. 6504(a). Therefore, the proposed 
rule would not change the supply, distribution, or use of energy. The 
BLM welcomes public comments on the impact of this proposed rule on 
future energy production.

Clarity of This Regulation (E.O.s 12866, 12988, and 13563)

    We are required by E.O.s 12866 (section 1(b)(12)), 12988 (section 
3(b)(1)(B)), and 13563 (section 1(a)), and by the Presidential 
Memorandum of June 1, 1988, to write all rules in plain language. This 
means that each rule must:
    (a) Be logically organized;
    (b) Use the active voice to address readers directly;
    (c) Use common, everyday words and clear language rather than 
jargon;
    (d) Be divided into short sections and sentences; and
    (e) Use lists and tables wherever possible.
    If you feel that we have not met these requirements, send us 
comments by one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES section. To 
better help the BLM revise the proposed rule, your comments should be 
as specific as possible. For example, you should tell us the numbers of 
the sections or paragraphs that you find unclear, which sections or 
sentences are too long, the sections where you feel lists or tables 
would be useful, etc.

Laura Daniel-Davis,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.

List of Subjects in 43 CFR Part 2360

    Alaska, Oil and gas activity, Protection of surface resources, 
Tribes, Special Areas.

0
For the reasons set out in the preamble, the Bureau of Land Management 
proposes to revise 43 CFR part 2360 as follows:

PART 2360--NATIONAL PETROLEUM RESERVE IN ALASKA

Subpart 2361--Management and Protection of the National Petroleum 
Reserve in Alaska
Sec.
2361.1 Purpose.
2361.3 Authority.
2361.4 Responsibility.
2361.5 Definitions.
2361.6 Effect of law.
2361.7 Severability.
2361.10 Protection of surface resources.
2361.20 Existing Special Areas.
2361.30 Special Areas designation and amendment process.
2361.40 Management of oil and gas activities in Special Areas.
2361.50 Management of subsistence uses within Special Areas.
2361.60 Co-stewardship opportunities in Special Areas.
2361.70 Use authorizations.
2361.80 Unauthorized use and occupancy.
Subpart 2362 [Reserved]

    Authority:  42 U.S.C. 6501 et seq. and 43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.


Sec.  2361.1  Purpose.

    The purpose of the regulations in this subpart is to provide 
procedures for protection and control of the environmental, fish and 
wildlife, and historical and scenic values of the National Petroleum 
Reserve in Alaska, including mitigating the significantly adverse 
effects of oil and gas activities on the surface resources of the 
Reserve and assuring maximum protection of significant resource values 
in Special Areas pursuant to and consistent with the provisions of the 
Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (90 Stat. 303; 42 
U.S.C. 6501 et seq.), Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act 
(94 Stat. 2371, 16 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), and other applicable 
authorities.


Sec.  2361.3  Authority.

    The statutory authority for these regulations is the Naval 
Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, as amended by the Department 
of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. L. 96-514).


Sec.  2361.4  Responsibility.

    The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the surface and 
subsurface management of the Reserve, including protecting surface 
resources from environmental degradation and assuring maximum 
protection of significant resource values in Special Areas. The Act 
authorizes the Bureau to prepare rules and regulations necessary to 
carry out surface management and protection duties.


Sec.  2361.5  Definitions.

    As used in this subpart, the term:
    Act means the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (as 
amended and codified at 42 U.S.C. 6501-6508).
    Authorized officer means any employee of the Bureau of Land 
Management who has been delegated the authority to perform the duties 
of this subpart.
    Bureau means the Bureau of Land Management.
    Exploration means activities conducted on the Reserve for the 
purpose of evaluating petroleum resources, including crude oil, gases 
(including natural gas), natural gasoline, and other related 
hydrocarbons, oil shale, and the products of any such resources.
    Indigenous Knowledge (IK) means a body of observations, oral and 
written knowledge, practices, and beliefs developed by Tribes and 
Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with the 
environment. It is applied to phenomena across biological, physical, 
social, and cultural systems. IK can be developed over millennia, 
continues to develop, and includes understanding based on evidence 
acquired through direct contact with the environment and long-term 
experiences, as well as extensive observations, lessons, and skills 
passed from generation to generation. IK is developed by Indigenous 
Peoples including, but not limited to, Tribal Nations, American 
Indians, and Alaska Natives.
    Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) means a land use management plan 
that governs the management of all BLM-administered lands and minerals 
throughout the Reserve.
    Infrastructure means a structure or improvement that is not built 
for use by subsistence hunters, trappers, fishers, berry-pickers, and 
other subsistence users to facilitate subsistence activities and that 
is not ephemeral, such as snow or ice roads. Infrastructure includes

[[Page 62040]]

pipelines, gravel drilling pads, and other improvements built to 
support commercial oil and gas activities, but it does not include 
exploratory wells that are drilled in a single season; infrastructure 
in support of science and public safety; and construction, renovation, 
or replacement of facilities on existing gravel pads at previously 
disturbed sites where the facilities will promote safety and 
environmental protection.
    Reserve means those lands within the National Petroleum Reserve in 
Alaska (prior to June 1, 1977, designated Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 
4) which was established by Executive order, dated February 27, 1923, 
except for tract Numbered 1 as described in Public Land Order 2344 (the 
Naval Arctic Research-Laboratory--surface estate only) dated April 24, 
1961.
    Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.
    Significant resource value means any subsistence, recreational, 
fish and wildlife, historical, or scenic value identified by the Bureau 
as supporting the designation of a Special Area.
    Special Areas means areas within the Reserve identified by the 
Secretary or by statute as having significant resource values and that 
are managed to assure maximum protection of such values, to the extent 
consistent with the requirements of the Act for the exploration of the 
Reserve.
    Use authorization means a written approval of a request for use of 
land or resources.


Sec.  2361.6  Effect of law.

    (a) Subject to valid existing rights, and except as provided by the 
Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. 
L. 96-514), all lands within the exterior boundaries of the Reserve are 
reserved and withdrawn from all forms of entry and disposition under 
the public land laws, including the mining and mineral leasing laws, 
and all other acts.
    (b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this 
section, the Secretary is authorized to:
    (1) Make dispositions of mineral materials pursuant to the Act of 
July 31, 1947 (61 Stat. 681), as amended (30 U.S.C. 601), for 
appropriate use by Alaska Natives and the North Slope Borough.
    (2) Make such dispositions of mineral materials and grant such 
rights-of-way, licenses, and permits as may be necessary to carry out 
the Secretary's responsibilities under the Act.
    (3) Convey the surface of lands properly selected on or before 
December 18, 1975, by Native village corporations pursuant to the 
Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1601, et 
seq.).
    (4) Grant such rights-of-way to the North Slope Borough, under the 
provisions of title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 
1976 (43 U.S.C. 1761 et seq.) or section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act, 
as amended (30 U.S.C. 185), as may be necessary to permit the North 
Slope Borough to provide energy supplies to villages on the North 
Slope.
    (c) All other provisions of law heretofore enacted and actions 
heretofore taken reserving such lands as a Reserve shall remain in full 
force and effect to the extent not inconsistent with the Act.
    (d) To the extent not inconsistent with the Act, all other public 
land laws are applicable.


Sec.  2361.7  Severability.

    If a court holds any provision of the regulations in this part or 
their applicability to any person or circumstances invalid, the 
remainder of these regulations and their applicability to other people 
or circumstances will remain unaffected.


Sec.  2361.10  Protection of surface resources.

    (a) In administering the Reserve, the Bureau must protect surface 
resources by adopting whatever conditions, restrictions, and 
prohibitions it deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably 
foreseeable and significantly adverse effects of proposed activities. 
Such conditions, restrictions, or prohibitions may involve 
conditioning, delaying action on, or denying some or all aspects of 
proposed activities, and will fully consider community access and other 
infrastructure needs, after consultation with the North Slope Borough 
and consistent with Sec.  2361.6.
    (b) The Bureau will use the following procedures to protect surface 
resources from the reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse 
effects of proposed activities:
    (1) The Bureau will maintain an Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) 
addressing management of all BLM-administered lands and minerals 
throughout the Reserve. When issuing a use authorization, the Bureau 
must conform to the IAP and these rules. To the extent there is any 
inconsistency between the IAP and these rules, the rules govern;
    (2) In each decision concerning proposed activity in the Reserve, 
the Bureau will document consideration of, and adopt measures to 
mitigate, reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on 
fish and wildlife, water, cultural, paleontological, scenic, and any 
other surface resource. The Bureau will take particular care to account 
for, and mitigate adverse effects on, surface resources that support 
subsistence uses and needs;
    (3) In assessing effects of a decision concerning proposed activity 
in the Reserve, the Bureau will identify and evaluate any reasonably 
foreseeable effects of its decision, including effects that are later 
in time or farther removed in distance, and effects that result from 
the incremental effects of the proposed activities when added to the 
effects of other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable actions; and
    (4) The Bureau will document its consideration of any uncertainty 
concerning the nature, scope, and duration of potential effects on 
surface resources of the Reserve and shall ensure that any conditions, 
restrictions, or prohibitions on proposed activities account for and 
reflect any such uncertainty.
    (c) When affected surface resources are located in Special Areas, 
the Bureau must comply with the procedures and requirements of 
Sec. Sec.  2361.20 through 2361.60.
    (d) The Bureau must include in each decision and authorization 
related to proposed activity in the Reserve such terms and conditions 
that provide the Bureau with sufficient ability to fully implement the 
requirements of this subpart.
    (e)(1) To the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act, 
the terms of any applicable existing authorization, and applicable law, 
and after consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local 
agencies, federally recognized Tribes, and Alaska Native Claims 
Settlement Act corporations, the authorized officer may limit, 
restrict, or prohibit the use of or access to lands within the Reserve, 
including Special Areas. Upon proper notice, as determined by the 
authorized officer, such actions may be taken to protect fish and 
wildlife breeding, nesting, spawning, lambing or calving, or 
migrations; subsistence uses and resources; and other environmental, 
scenic, or historic values.
    (2) The consultation requirement in Sec.  2361.1(e)(1) is not 
required when the authorized officer determines that emergency measures 
are required.
    (f) No site, structure, object, or other values of historical, 
cultural, or paleontological character, including, but not limited to, 
historic and prehistoric remains, fossils, and artifacts, shall be 
injured, altered, destroyed, or collected without authorization under 
an appropriate Federal permit and without

[[Page 62041]]

compliance with applicable law governing cultural items, archaeological 
resources, and historic properties.


Sec.  2361.20  Existing Special Areas.

    Any lands within the Reserve designated as a Special Area as of 
[EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], will continue to be managed as a 
Special Area except as modified pursuant to Sec.  2361.30, including:
    (a) Colville River Special Area. The Colville River Special Area 
encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are 
published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for 
public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Colville River 
Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the 
following significant resource values, as well as additional values 
identified through the process set forth in Sec.  2361.30:
    (1) Important habitat for raptor species, including, but not 
limited to, the Arctic peregrine falcon;
    (2) Important habitat for other bird species, including, but not 
limited to, neotropical migratory birds, shorebirds, loons, waterfowl, 
inland dwelling sea birds, and passerines;
    (3) Important habitat for moose;
    (4) Important habitat for fish;
    (5) Important subsistence activities;
    (6) Important recreational activities;
    (7) World-class paleontological deposits; and
    (8) Significant cultural resources, including numerous sites from 
the prehistoric and historic eras.
    (b) Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area. The Kasegaluk Lagoon Special 
Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that 
are published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available 
for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Kasegaluk 
Lagoon Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of 
the following significant resource values, as well as additional values 
identified through the process set forth in Sec.  2361.30:
    (1) Important habitat for marine mammals;
    (2) Unique ecosystem for the Arctic Coast;
    (3) Opportunities for primitive recreational experiences;
    (4) Important habitat for migratory birds; and
    (5) Important subsistence activities.
    (c) Peard Bay Special Area. The Peard Bay Special Area encompasses 
the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as 
of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for public 
inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Peard Bay Special Area 
shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following 
significant resource values, as well as additional values identified 
through the process set forth in Sec.  2361.30:
    (1) Haul-out areas and nearshore waters for marine mammals; and
    (2) High-use staging and migration areas for shorebirds and 
waterbirds.
    (d) Teshekpuk Lake Special Area. The Teshekpuk Lake Special Area 
encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are 
published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and available for 
public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Teshekpuk Lake 
Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the 
following significant resource values, as well as additional values 
identified through the process set forth in Sec.  2361.30:
    (1) Important nesting, staging, and molting habitat for a large 
number of migratory and other waterbirds;
    (2) Important caribou habitat;
    (3) Important shorebird habitat;
    (4) Subsistence hunting and fishing activities;
    (5) Pik Dunes; and
    (6) Overwintering habitat for fish.
    (e) Utukok River Uplands Special Area. The Utukok River Uplands 
Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on 
maps that are published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL RULE], and 
available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The 
Utukok River Uplands Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum 
protection of the following significant resource values, as well as 
additional values identified through the process set forth in Sec.  
2361.30:
    (1) Important habitat for the Western Arctic Caribou Herd;
    (2) Subsistence hunting activities;
    (3) Grizzly bear habitat; and
    (4) Important wilderness values.


Sec.  2361.30  Special Areas designation and amendment process.

    (a) The Bureau must evaluate lands within the Reserve for the 
presence of significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, 
historical, or scenic values and shall designate lands as Special Areas 
containing such values in accordance with the following procedures:
    (1) At least once every 5 years, the Bureau must evaluate and 
determine whether to:
    (i) Designate new Special Areas;
    (ii) Expand existing Special Areas;
    (iii) Recognize the presence of additional significant resource 
values in existing Special Areas; or
    (iv) Require additional measures to assure maximum protection of 
significant resource values within existing Special Areas.
    (2) The Bureau may, but is not required to, conduct the evaluation 
and otherwise designate and amend Special Areas through amendment of 
the IAP.
    (3) Throughout the evaluation process, the Bureau must rely on the 
best available scientific information, including Indigenous Knowledge, 
as well as the best available information concerning subsistence uses 
and resources within the Reserve.
    (4) The Bureau must provide the public and interested stakeholders 
with notice of, and meaningful opportunities to participate in, the 
evaluation process, including the opportunity to recommend lands that 
should be considered for designation as a Special Area, significant 
resource values that the Bureau should consider recognizing for 
existing Special Areas, and measures that the Bureau should consider 
requiring to assure maximum protection of significant resource values 
within Special Areas. The Bureau will evaluate and respond to 
recommendations that are made in completing its evaluation. Such 
recommendations should identify and describe:
    (i) The size and location of the recommended lands;
    (ii) The significant resource values that are present within or 
supported by the recommended lands;
    (iii) Measures that may be necessary to assure maximum protection 
of those values; and
    (iv) Any other pertinent information.
    (5) If, at any point during the evaluation process, the authorized 
officer determines that interim measures are required to assure maximum 
protection of significant resource values in lands under consideration 
for designation as a Special Area, the authorized officer may implement 
such measures during the period for which the lands are under 
consideration.
    (6) The Bureau must base its decisions to designate lands as 
Special Areas solely on the presence of significant resource values and 
must not consider the existence of measures that have been or may be 
adopted to protect or otherwise administer those values.
    (7) When the Bureau designates lands as Special Areas or recognizes 
the presence of additional significant resource values in existing 
Special Areas, the Bureau must adopt measures to assure maximum 
protection of significant resource values. Once adopted, these measures 
become part of and supersede inconsistent provisions of the IAP then in 
effect for the Reserve.

[[Page 62042]]

    (8) For any lands designated as a Special Area, the Bureau will 
publish a legal description of those lands in the Federal Register, 
along with a concise summary of the significant resource values that 
support the designation. The Bureau will also maintain a map of the 
Special Area on its website.
    (b) The Bureau may not remove lands from the Teshekpuk Lake and 
Utukok River Uplands Special Areas unless directed to do so by statute. 
The Bureau may remove lands within other Special Areas only when all of 
the significant resource values that support the designation are no 
longer present. When determining whether to remove lands from a Special 
Area designation, the Bureau must:
    (1) Prepare a summary of its proposed determination, including the 
underlying factual findings;
    (2) Provide the public and interested stakeholders with the 
opportunity to review and comment on the proposed determination;
    (3) Consult with any federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native 
Claims Settlement Act corporations that use the affected Special Area 
for subsistence purposes or have historic or cultural ties to the 
Special Area; and
    (4) Issue a determination that documents how the views and 
information provided by the public, federally recognized Tribes, Alaska 
Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, federally qualified 
subsistence users, and other interested stakeholders have been 
considered.


Sec.  2361.40  Management of oil and gas activities in Special Areas.

    Assuring maximum protection of significant resource values is the 
management priority for Special Areas. The Bureau must fulfill this 
duty at each stage in the decision-making process for oil and gas 
activities in the Reserve and in accordance with the following 
procedures:
    (a) The Bureau will identify and adopt maximum protection measures 
for each significant resource value that is present in a Special Area.
    (b) The Bureau must, to the extent consistent with the Act, take 
such steps as are necessary to avoid the adverse effects of proposed 
oil and gas activities on the significant resource values of Special 
Areas. This includes, but is not limited to, conditioning, delaying 
action on, or denying proposals for activities, either in whole or in 
part.
    (c) Subject to any revisions made pursuant to Sec.  2361.30, oil 
and gas leasing and authorization of new infrastructure in Special 
Areas will conform to the land use allocations and restrictions 
identified on the maps published as of [EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE FINAL 
RULE], and available for public inspection at the Arctic District 
Office. On lands allocated as available for future oil and gas leasing 
or new infrastructure, the Bureau will presume that those activities 
should not be permitted unless specific information available to the 
Bureau clearly demonstrates that those activities can be conducted with 
no or minimal adverse effects on significant resource values.
    (d) The following exceptions apply within lands identified as 
closed to leasing or unavailable to new infrastructure:
    (1) The Bureau may issue oil and gas leases in Special Areas if 
drainage is occurring. Any lease issued for drainage purposes will 
include provisions that prohibit surface-disturbing oil and gas 
activities on the entire lease tract.
    (2) The Bureau may approve new roads, pipelines, transmission 
lines, and other types of infrastructure in Special Areas provided 
that:
    (i) The infrastructure will primarily be used by and provide a 
benefit to communities located within or in close proximity to the 
Reserve or will support subsistence activities; and
    (ii) Appropriate measures are adopted to assure maximum protection 
of significant resource values.
    (3) The Bureau may approve new permanent infrastructure related to 
existing oil and gas leases only if such infrastructure is essential 
for exploration or development activities and no practicable 
alternatives exist which would have less adverse impact on significant 
resource values of the Special Area, but only if necessary to comport 
with the terms of a valid existing lease.
    (e) The Bureau must document and consider any uncertainty 
concerning the nature, scope, and duration of potential adverse effects 
on significant resource values of Special Areas and shall ensure that 
any actions it takes to avoid, minimize, or mitigate such effects 
account for and reflect any such uncertainty.
    (f) If the Bureau determines that it cannot avoid adverse effects 
on a Special Area's significant resource values, then it must prepare a 
Statement of Adverse Effect, which must describe the:
    (1) Significant resource values that may be adversely affected;
    (2) Nature, scope, and duration of those adverse effects;
    (3) Measures the Bureau evaluated to avoid the adverse effects;
    (4) Justification for not requiring those measures;
    (5) Measures the Bureau will require to minimize, to the maximum 
extent possible, adverse effects on significant resource values of the 
Special Area; and
    (6) Measures the Bureau will require to mitigate any residual 
adverse effects that cannot be avoided or minimized, including 
compensatory mitigation, along with an explanation of how those 
measures will assure maximum protection of significant resource values.
    (g) The Bureau must provide the public with a meaningful 
opportunity to review and comment on any Statement of Adverse Effect 
prepared under this section and must consider and respond to any 
relevant matter it receives.
    (h) The Bureau must consult with any federally recognized Tribes 
and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations that use the 
affected Special Area for subsistence purposes or have historic or 
cultural ties to the Special Area.
    (i) The Bureau must include in each decision and authorization 
related to oil and gas activity in the Reserve terms and conditions 
that provide the Bureau with sufficient authority to fully implement 
the requirements of this section.


Sec.  2361.50  Management of subsistence uses within Special Areas.

    (a) The Bureau will ensure that Special Areas are managed to 
protect and support fish and wildlife and fish and wildlife habitat and 
associated subsistence use of such areas by rural residents as defined 
in 50 CFR 100.4.
    (b) The Bureau will provide appropriate access to and within 
Special Areas for subsistence purposes to the extent consistent with 
assuring maximum protection of all significant resource values that are 
found in such areas.


Sec.  2361.60  Co-stewardship opportunities in Special Areas.

    In accordance with the Bureau's co-stewardship guidance, the Bureau 
will seek opportunities to engage Tribes in co-stewardship for Special 
Areas. Co-stewardship opportunities may include co-management, 
collaborative and cooperative management, and Tribally-led stewardship, 
and can be implemented through cooperative agreements, memoranda of 
understanding, self-governance agreements, and other mechanisms. The 
Bureau may also partner with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 
corporations, local governments, or organizations as provided by law.


Sec.  2361.70  Use authorizations.

    (a) Use authorizations must be obtained from the authorized officer

[[Page 62043]]

prior to any use within the Reserve. Only uses that are consistent with 
the purposes and objectives of the Act and these regulations will be 
authorized.
    (b) Except as may be limited, restricted, or prohibited by the 
authorized officer pursuant to Sec. Sec.  2361.1 and 2361.2 or 
otherwise, use authorizations are not required for:
    (1) Subsistence uses (e.g., hunting, fishing, and berry-picking); 
and
    (2) Non-commercial recreational uses (e.g., hunting, fishing, 
backpacking, and wildlife observation).
    (c) Applications for use authorizations shall be filed in 
accordance with applicable regulations in this chapter. In the absence 
of such regulations, the authorized officer may consider and act upon 
applications for uses allowed under the Act.
    (d) In addition to other statutory or regulatory requirements, 
approval of applications for use authorizations shall be subject to 
such terms and conditions as the authorized officer determines to be 
necessary to protect the environmental, subsistence, recreational, fish 
and wildlife, historical, and scenic values of the Reserve and to 
assure maximum protection of significant resource values within Special 
Areas.


Sec.  2361.80  Unauthorized use and occupancy.

    Any person who violates or fails to comply with regulations of this 
subpart is subject to prosecution, including trespass and liability for 
damages, pursuant to the appropriate laws.

Subpart 2362 [Reserved]

[FR Doc. 2023-18990 Filed 9-7-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-27-P

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