[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 82 (Friday, April 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22370-22371]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-8540]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-910-02-1410-PG]


Notice of Availability of the Draft East Alaska Resource 
Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), and Bureau 
of Land Management (BLM) management policies, a Draft East Alaska 
Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (Draft 
EARMP/EIS) has been prepared for public lands and resources 
administered by the Bureau of Land Management's Glennallen Field 
Office. The public is invited to review and comment on the range and 
adequacy of the draft alternatives and associated environmental 
effects. For comments to be most helpful, they should relate to 
specific concerns or conflicts that are within the legal 
responsibilities of the BLM and can be resolved in this planning 
process. The Draft EARMP/EIS will provide the management guidance for 
resource decisions on 7.1 million acres of BLM-administered lands in 
East Alaska. The EARMP/EIS will replace the Southcentral Management 
Framework Plan approved in 1980.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be addressed or hand delivered to 
the BLM Glennallen Field Office, EARMP, P.O. Box 147, Mile 186.5 Glenn 
Highway, Glennallen, AK 99588. Comments can also be sent via e-mail to 
[email protected] or can be submitted at the project Web site: 
http://www.glennallen.ak.blm.gov/landplan/index.html. The Draft EARMP/
EIS is also available for download on the project Web site. To request 
a CD or hard copy of the document or to be included on the mailing 
list, contact Tammy Larzelere, [email protected], or via 
mail/phone at the above address. Comments, including names and street 
addresses of respondents, will be available to the Glennallen Field 
Office 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 
Proposed Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement. 
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 comments. Such requests 
will be honored to the extent allowed by the law. All submissions from 
organizations and business, and from individuals identifying themselves 
as representatives or officials or organizations or businesses, will be 
available for public inspection in their entirety. Section 810 of the 
Alaska National Lands Conservation Act requires the BLM to evaluate the 
effects of the alternative plans presented in this RMP/EIS on 
subsistence activities in the planning area, and to hold public 
hearings if it finds that any alternative might significantly restrict 
subsistence activities. Appendix V of the document indicates that 
Alternative B may significantly restrict subsistence; therefore, the 
BLM is holding a public hearing in conjunction with the public meetings 
discussed below.

DATES: Comments on the Draft EARMP/EIS will be accepted for 90 days 
following the date the Environmental Protection Agency publishes this 
Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. Comments on the Draft 
EARMP/EIS must be received on or before the end of the comment period 
at one of the addresses listed above. Public meetings will be held at 
Fairbanks, Glennallen,

[[Page 22371]]

Anchorage, Delta Junction, and Chistochina. Hearings will be held in 
Glennallen, Delta Junction, and Chistochina in conjunction with the 
public meeting. Meetings, hearings, and any other public involvement 
activities will be announced at least 15 days in advance through public 
notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Rogers ([email protected]) or Tammy Larzelere ([email protected]) at 
(907) 822-3217.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The East Alaska RMP planning area covers 7.1 
million acres of BLM-administered lands. The Draft EARMP/EIS focuses on 
the principles of multiple use and sustained yield as prescribed by 
Section 202 of the FLPMA. The Draft EARMP/EIS considers and analyzes 
four alternatives, including a No Action and a Preferred Alternative. 
The alternatives provide for an array of variable levels of commodity 
production and resource protection and restoration. The alternatives 
were developed based on extensive public scoping and involvement.
    There are seven main issues addressed through this planning 
process. Issue 1, Travel Management, addresses management of access, 
roads, and the use of off-highway vehicles for various purposes, 
including recreation, commercial uses, subsistence activities, and the 
general enjoyment of public lands while protecting natural and cultural 
resources. Issue 2, Recreation, examines how recreation should be 
managed to provide a diversity of experiences on BLM-managed lands. The 
document analyzes what measures are necessary to ensure that a 
diversity of recreational opportunities is maintained and what level of 
commercial recreational use is appropriate to maintain a diversity of 
recreational opportunities. Issue 3, Special Resource Values, focuses 
on those unique, special values located within the planning area that 
were identified by resource specialists and the public, and includes 
discussions on wildlife, fisheries, soil, water, air, and vegetation. 
Issue 4, Lands and Realty, addresses the need to determine the 
appropriate mix of lands and realty actions needed to provide a balance 
between land use and resource protection. Special attention is paid to 
the Slana Settlement area, and the establishment of conditions that 
would make the area available for disposal while considering the 
effects of disposal on the social and environmental conditions of the 
area. Issue 5, Vegetation Management, examines management to provide 
for forest health, personal and commercial wood products, and fish and 
wildlife habitat. The role of fire is also explored. Issue 6, Leasable 
and Locatable Minerals, addresses the need to determine which areas 
should be made available for mineral exploration and development. Issue 
7, Subsistence/Social and Economic Conditions, examines the need to 
maintain and protect subsistence opportunities and resources, as well 
as how the management actions, guidelines, and allowable uses described 
under the other issues will affect subsistence opportunities and 
resources. Social and economic effects are also addressed as part of 
this discussion.
    The public involvement and collaboration process implemented for 
this effort included 30 public scoping meetings, 17 alternative 
development meetings, and meetings with Native and Village 
Corporations. The State of Alaska is participating in the planning 
effort as an informal cooperator.
    After comments on the Draft EARMP/EIS are reviewed and any 
adjustments to the document are made, a Proposed RMP and Final 
Environmental Impact Statement are expected to be available in the fall 
of 2005.

Henri R. Bisson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-8540 Filed 4-28-05; 8:45 am]
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