[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 120 (Monday, June 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37173-37174]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-15737]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-930-1310-AG]


Notice of Intent To Amend the Northeast National Petroleum 
Reserve-Alaska Integrated Activity Plan and To Prepare an Accompanying 
Environmental Impact Statement, Request for Information, and Call for 
Nominations and Comments

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent to amend the Northeast National Petroleum 
Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) and to prepare an 
accompanying Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), Request for 
Information, and Call for Nominations and Comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.), as amended; the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), as amended; 
Title I of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (42 
U.S.C. 6501 et seq.), as amended by the Department of the Interior and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 1981, Pub. L. 96-
514, 94 Stat. 2957, 2964 (codified in 42 U.S.C. 6508); the Alaska 
National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Pub. L. 96-487, 94 Stat. 
2371, section 810, 16 U.S.C. 3120; and the regulations at 43 CFR parts 
2360 and 3130; the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska State 
Office, is preparing an amendment to the existing IAP for the Northeast 
portion of the NPR-A and an accompanying EIS. The purpose of this 
Notice is to seek comment on the proposed amendment and to call for 
nomination of areas to be considered for oil and gas leasing. 
Information and comments on specific issues to be addressed in the 
amendment are sought from all interested parties. This early planning 
and consultation step is important for ensuring that all interests and 
concerns are communicated to the BLM Alaska State Director for 
decisions in land use, planning and management.

DATES: Responses to this request for information and comments, and call 
for nominations must be received no later than September 30, 2003. 
Nominations must be submitted in envelopes labeled ``Nominations 
Related to the NPR-A IAP/EIS'' to protect the confidentiality of the 
nominations. Information, comments, and nominations submitted in 
response to this publication will assist in early scoping and later 
development of alternatives for the IAP/EIS. Comments are sought on 
activities and measures to protect surface resources within the 
planning area, including the Teshepuk Lake and Colville River Special 
Areas, fish and wildlife, and historical and scenic values. Comments 
are sought on subsistence uses and needs within the plan area and 
possible impacts on subsistence from other uses of the area. Comments 
should include recommendations for particular sections of the plan area 
that are of value for surface and subsurface resources, as well as 
conditions, and restrictions that would protect surface resources. 
Comments are also sought on any potential conflicts with approved 
coastal management plans (CMPs) and other land use plans that may 
result from possible future activities in the area. These comments 
should identify specific policies of concern as listed in CMPs or other 
plans, the nature of the conflicts foreseen, and steps that BLM could 
take to avoid or mitigate the potential conflicts. Comments may be in 
terms of broad areas or restricted to particular townships of concern.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be submitted to the Northeast NPR-A 
Amendment Planning Team Leader, 222 West 7th Avenue, 13 
Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7599. The original Call map with nominations 
must be submitted to the NPR-A Planning Team Leader at the above 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: Curt Wilson, (907) 271-5546, by e-
mail at [email protected] or by mail at 222 W. 7th Avenue, 
13, Anchorage, AK 99513-7599.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The BLM published a Record of Decision (ROD) 
October 7, 1998, for the Northeast National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska 
Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement. Among other 
decisions, this document makes 589,000 acres in the Teshekpuk Lake area 
unavailable for leasing and restricts an additional 268,862 acres to 
leasing, but with no permanent facilities and no exploratory wells. The 
ROD also contains a set of prescriptive stipulations that are very 
specific and in some cases may be inappropriately or needlessly 
restrictive.
    The BLM initiated an oil and gas leasing program for the planning 
area in May of 1999 and has conducted two successful lease sales. Many 
lease tracts were sold around the perimeter of the Teshekpuk Lake area. 
In the four years since the initial lease sale industry has completed 
many miles of additional seismic lines and drilled 14 exploratory wells 
after environmental assessments

[[Page 37174]]

were completed. The BLM has conducted various scientific studies on the 
biological resources of the plan area in cooperation with the North 
Slope Borough, the State of Alaska and other federal agencies. 
Information gained since the completion of the Northeast plan has led 
the BLM to conclude that it is appropriate to consider amending it with 
two specific objectives in mind: (1) To consider changing the current 
prescriptive stipulations on existing and future leases into a mixture 
of prescriptive and performance-based stipulations; and, (2) to 
evaluate additional lands for exploration and development opportunities 
that could provide access to new oil discoveries, while remaining 
sensitive to biological and subsistence values.
    Description of the Area: The planning area is composed of those 
BLM-administered lands, subject to valid existing rights, in the 
northeastern portion of NPR-A. The northeastern portion of NPR-A is 
described as beginning on the NPR-A boundary on the township line 
between T.3 S., R. 5 W. and T. 3 S., R. 6 W., Umiat Meridian (U.M.), 
and thence northerly along the township lines to the northeast corner 
of T. 2 N., R. 6 W., U.M., thence westerly along the township line to 
the right bank of the Ikpikpuk River, thence northerly along the right 
bank of the Ikpikpuk River to the northern boundary of NPR-A, thence in 
a generally easterly and southerly direction following the boundary of 
NPR-A to the point of beginning. This area consists of approximately 
4.6 million acres. A large scale map of the plan area (which also 
serves as the Call map) showing boundaries of the area on a township-
by-township basis is available from the Alaska State Office, BLM, 222 
West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501, telephone (907) 271-3369.
    Pursuant to 43 CFR 3131.1 and 3131.2, relevant information related 
to possible oil and gas leasing is requested for the plan area. Oil and 
gas companies are specifically requested to nominate within the plan 
area, areas that they would like to have considered for oil and gas 
leasing. Nominations must be depicted on the Call map by outlining the 
area(s) of interest along township lines. Nominators are asked to 
submit a list of townships nominated to facilitate correct 
interpretation of their nominations on the Call map. Although the 
identities of those submitting nominations for oil and gas leasing 
become a matter of public record, the individual nominations will be 
held confidential consistent with applicable law.
    Nominators also are requested to rank townships nominated for oil 
and gas leasing according to priority of interest [(e.g., priority 1 
(high), 2 (medium), or 3 (low)]. Townships nominated that do not 
indicate priorities will be considered priority 3. Nominators are 
encouraged to be specific in indicating townships by priority. Blanket 
priorities on large areas are not useful in the analysis of industry 
interest. The telephone number and name of a person to contact in the 
nominator's organization for additional information should be included 
in the response.
    The regulations at 43 CFR part 3130 limit the size of an oil and 
gas lease tract within the NPR-A boundaries to no more than 60,000 
acres (43 CFR 3130.4-1). Although nominations are to be submitted along 
township lines, comments are also being sought on the preferred size of 
tracts for leasing in this area, not to exceed 60,000 acres.
    Tentative Schedule: Approximate dates for actions and decisions in 
the planning process for this proposal are:

Comments Due on Notice, and Request--September 30, 2003
Scoping meetings (precise dates to be announced later)--September 2003
Draft IAP/EIS available for comment--April 2004
Public meetings/hearings--April-May 2004
Comments due on Draft IAP/EIS--May 31, 2004
Final IAP/EIS available for public review--October 31, 2004
Record of Decision--November 30, 2004

    Dated: May 16, 2003.
Henri R. Bisson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-15737 Filed 6-20-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JA-P