[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 114 (Wednesday, June 15, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34792-34793]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11773]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-020-1610-DO]


Notice of Intent To Prepare the South National Petroleum Reserve-
Alaska Integrated Activity Plan and To Prepare an Accompanying 
Environmental Impact Statement, Request for Information, Call for 
Nominations and Comments, and Solicitation of Interest in Hardrock and 
Coal Mining

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Alaska State Office, is 
preparing an Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the South portion of 
the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) and an accompanying 
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This Notice initiates the public 
scoping process and a Call for Nominations related to oil and gas 
leasing. It also requests public input on hardrock and coal mining.

DATES: Scoping comments can be submitted in writing to the address 
listed below and will be accepted until August 26, 2005. Scoping 
meetings will be held in northwestern Alaska, Anchorage and Fairbanks. 
All public meetings will be announced through the local news media and 
a mailing. Responses to the Call for Nominations related to oil and gas 
leasing are also due no later than August 26, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Scoping comments should be submitted to: South NPR-A 
Planning Team Leader, 222 West 7th Avenue, 13, Anchorage, 
Alaska 99513-7599.
    Responses to the Call for Nominations must be submitted in 
envelopes labeled ``Nominations Related to the South NPR-A IAP/EIS'' to 
protect the confidentiality of the nominations. They are to be 
addressed to: Call for Nominations, South NPR-A Team, 222 West 7th 
Avenue, 13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7599.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Ducker (907-271-3130) or Susan 
Childs (907-271-1985) by phone 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. An amendment 
to that plan is in progress; a Final EIS for the amendment was issued 
January 28, 2005. On January 22, 2004 BLM published a ROD for the 
Northwest National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Integrated Activity Plan/
Environmental Impact Statement. The South National Petroleum Reserve-
Alaska Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (South 
IAP/EIS) will complete planning for the Petroleum Reserve, the largest 
contiguous land under BLM management.
    The objectives of the South IAP/EIS are three-fold:
    1. To examine what, if any, lands are appropriate to be made 
available for oil and gas leasing and to identify the performance-based 
mitigations that should be adopted to protect resources if oil and gas 
leasing is authorized.
    2. Identify options for and impacts of a range of management 
actions that BLM land planning guidance recommends be considered in 
land use plans, including recommendations for designation of Wild and 
Scenic Rivers.
    3. Identify options for and impacts of a range of management 
actions relevant to certain resources and land uses of particular 
concern either to the public or to BLM. These include the desired 
population and habitat conditions, and/or management goals and actions 
appropriate to achieve these goals for various species (including 
cliff-dwelling raptors, buff-breasted sandpipers, Pacific salmon, fish 
habitat, grizzly bears, wolverines), recreation opportunities, and 
cultural resources. Additional topics may be developed through the 
public scoping.
    In addition, the BLM is taking this opportunity to learn whether 
there is interest in making part or all of the planning area available 
for hard rock or coal mining. It would require Congressional 
legislation to open these lands to such mining. The South IAP/EIS may 
analyze alternatives that would contemplate recommendations for 
opening.
    During the course of development of the South IAP/EIS, BLM will 
also develop a river management plan for the Colville River. These 
plans will be developed in tandem and the Colville River Management 
Plan will tier off both the management decision developed through the 
South IAP/EIS and the Records of Decision for the Northeast and 
Northwest portions of the Petroleum Reserve.
    The purpose of this notice is to seek comment on the South IAP/EIS 
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 plan are sought from all interested parties. This early planning 
and consultation step is important for ensuring that all interests

[[Page 34793]]

and concerns are communicated to the BLM Northern Field Office manager 
for decisions in land use, planning, and management.
    The South planning area is described as beginning on the Petroleum 
Reserve boundary on the township line between T. 8 N., R. 40 W. and T. 
9 N., R. 39 W., Umiat Meridian (U.M.), and thence easterly along the 
township lines to the northeast corner of T. 8 N., R. 26 W., U.M., 
thence southerly and easterly along township and section lines in a 
stair-step fashion to the Petroleum Reserve boundary where the Colville 
River flows from T. 5 S., R. 15 W. to T. 4 S., R. 15 W., U.M., thence 
generally westerly, southerly, westerly, and northerly following the 
boundary of the Petroleum Reserve to the point of beginning. This area 
consists of approximately 9.2 million acres. A 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 at BLM's Information Center in 
the Anchorage Federal Office Building, 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, 
(907-271-5960).
    Call for Nominations: 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 areas within the plan area that they would like 
to have considered for oil and gas leasing. Nominations must be 
depicted on a 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 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.
    Nominators also are requested to rank townships nominated for oil 
and gas leasing according to priority of interest (e.g., high priority 
1, medium priority 2, or low priority 3). Townships nominated that do 
not indicate priorities will be considered priority 3. 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.
    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. 43 CFR 3130.4-1 
limits the size of an oil and gas lease tract within the NPR-A 
boundaries to no more than 60,000 acres.

    Authority: 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.

Henri R. Bisson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-11773 Filed 6-14-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-JA-P