[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59415-59416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25286]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-310-2810-DG]


Notice of Intent To Amend Land Use Plans and Prepare an 
Associated Environmental Assessment

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent to amend land use plans in Alaska and prepare 
an Associated Environmental Assessment.

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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land 
Management (BLM) intends to address wildland fire and fuels management 
in its land use plans, through a statewide plan amendment and 
Environmental Assessment (EA). This amendment will provide a consistent 
approach for incorporating current wildland fire and fuels management 
policy into land use plans in order to comply with the National Fire 
Plan and 2001 Federal Fire Policy. It will also provide interim 
guidance for wildland fire and fuels management on BLM-managed lands 
for which completion of new land use plans is scheduled or on-going. 
The amendment will include an analysis of fire and fuels management 
actions on a landscape scale and their impacts on the human 
environment. An EA level analysis is anticipated to be sufficient to 
address the complexity of known issues.
    The amendment will provide wildland fire and fuels management 
direction to all public lands managed by the Anchorage, Glennallen and 
Northern Field Offices. The following land use plans will be addressed 
during this amendment process and amended as appropriate: the Southwest 
Management Framework Plan (MFP), Southcentral MFP, Fortymile MFP, 
Northwest MFP, Central Yukon Resource Management Plan (RMP), White 
Mountains National Recreation Area RMP, Utility Corridor RMP, Fort 
Wainwright RMP, Fort Greely RMP, and the Steese National Conservation 
Area RMP. Fire management direction will also be developed for the 
National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in conjunction with this planning 
effort.
    Several concurrent land use planning efforts will be occurring at 
each Field Office. These include the Ring of Fire RMP (Anchorage Field 
Office, draft due 2004, final 2005), the Kobuck-Seward RMP (Northern 
Field Office, scheduled to begin 2004), and the East Alaska RMP 
(Glennallen Field Office, draft due 2004, final 2005). The fire 
decisions reached through the fire planning effort outlined in this 
Federal Register notice will be incorporated into these and other 
future land use planning efforts as they are completed.
    The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) planning process 
(43 CFR 1600) will be used for all lands, except for the Alaska 
Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lands, which are not governed by the FLPMA 
planning process. The BLM will work closely with interested parties to 
identify the management decisions that are best suited to the needs of 
the public. This process will take into account local, regional and 
national needs and concerns. This includes public and firefighter 
safety. This notice initiates the public scoping process to identify 
specific issues and develop planning criteria. The scoping process will 
include an evaluation of the needs and interests of the public.

DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of 
this notice and end 60 days after publication. Comments regarding 
issues and planning criteria should be received on or before the end of 
the scoping period. Specific dates and locations for public 
participation will be published in local papers and broadcast on local 
community calendars at a later date.

ADDRESSES: Comments regarding the Wildland Fire and Fuels Management 
Land Use Plan Amendment for Alaska should be sent to: Planning and 
Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire 
Service, P.O. Box 35005, Ft. Wainwright, AK 99703.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Lynch, Planning and Environmental 
Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box 
35005, Ft. Wainwright, AK 99703, (907) 356-5863.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments, including names and street 
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the 
above address during regular business hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as part of 
the EA. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish 
to withhold your name or street address from public review or from 
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from 
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying 
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or 
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their 
entirety. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the 
Alaska Fire Service at the address listed above.
    Fire suppression in Alaska has been addressed on an interagency, 
multi-jurisdictional, landscape scale in the Alaska Interagency 
Wildland Fire Management Plan 1998 (AIWFMP). Four appropriate 
management responses defined as Management Options

[[Page 59416]]

(Critical, Full, Limited, and Modified) are identified in the plan. The 
four management options offer land managers a choice of the full range 
of suppression alternatives. Aggressive initial attack to surveillance 
to be implemented by the suppression organizations are options that 
have been included. BLM-managed lands in Alaska have designated 
management options. However, wildland fire management encompasses more 
than suppression actions. A spectrum of fire and fuels management 
activities to achieve ecosystem sustainability, accomplish resource-
related objectives and protect communities or public safety are 
available. Current Federal fire policy states that land use plans will 
define and identify overall wildland fire and fuel management direction 
to meet land use and resource management objectives.
    The proposed plan amendment and planning process would improve 
wildland fire management on BLM-managed lands in Alaska and more 
adequately integrate fire management direction with resource objectives 
by: (1) Reviewing management option designations and documenting 
related resource objectives and criteria to evaluate changing those 
designations (2) establishing broad objectives for wildland fire and 
fuels management, (3) identifying general guidelines for fuel 
treatments, and (4) identifying general restrictions for fire 
management practices. Anticipated issues for the plan amendments 
include: protection of human life, protection of property, protection 
of natural and cultural resources, integration of fire and resource 
management, and wildlife habitat. The interdisciplinary planning team 
will be comprised of resource specialists with the expertise necessary 
to address these issues.
    The planning process will allow the public, Native organizations, 
State and Federal agencies, local elected officials, and BLM subject 
matter specialists to participate in scoping and alternative 
development and analysis. Public scoping to identify specific issues to 
be addressed in the plan will be an early opportunity for the public to 
provide input. Subsequent opportunities for public involvement will 
occur at specific stages in the planning process. Agency 
representatives and interested persons are invited to contact Alaska 
Fire Service officials at any time during the EA process.

    Dated: August 19, 2003.
Henri Bisson,
Alaska State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-25286 Filed 10-14-03; 8:45 am]
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