[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 189 (Friday, September 30, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57317-57318]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-19492]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[AK-040-05-1610-DP-086L]


Notice of Availability of the Ring of Fire Draft Resource 
Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Anchorage Field Office, 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 the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) management policies, the Ring of Fire 
Draft Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/
EIS) has been prepared for public lands and resources administered by 
the Bureau of Land Management's Anchorage Field Office The Ring of Fire 
Draft RMP/EIS will provide the management guidance for resource 
decisions on 1.3 million acres of fragmented BLM-administered lands 
spread from below the Dixon Entrance in southeast Alaska to Attu Island 
at the end of the Aleutian Chain. The Ring of Fire RMP/EIS will revise 
management direction for approximately 10 percent of the lands covered 
by the Southcentral Management Framework Plan of 1980, and will provide 
management for approximately 90 percent of the lands not previously 
addressed in a management plan.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be mailed or hand delivered to the 
BLM Anchorage Field Office, Ring of Fire RMP/EIS, 6881 Abbott Loop 
Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99507-2599. 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. Comments can also be sent via e-mail to [email protected]. To 
request a CD or hard copy of the document or to be included on the 
mailing list, contact Amy Lewis via e-mail at [email protected], 
or via phone at (907) 261-9730. Comments, including names and street 
addresses of respondents, may be published as part of the Final EIS and 
Proposed RMP. 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

[[Page 57318]]

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 of organizations or businesses will be available for public 
inspection in their entirety.

DATES: Comments on the Ring of Fire Draft RMP/EIS will be accepted for 
90 days following the date the Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes their Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. 
Comments on the Ring of Fire Draft RMP/EIS must be received on or 
before the end of the comment period at the physical address or e-mail 
address listed above. Specific dates and locations of public meetings 
to gather public comment will be announced through news releases and 
notices.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Robert Lloyd ([email protected]) at 
(907) 267-1246 or Amy Lewis ([email protected]) at (907) 261-9730.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Ring of Fire RMP planning area covers 
1.3 million acres of BLM-administered lands. The Ring of Fire Draft 
RMP/EIS focuses on the principles of multiple use and sustained yield 
as prescribed by section 202 of FLPMA. The Ring of Fire Draft RMP/EIS 
considers and analyzes four alternatives, including a No Action and a 
preferred alternative. The alternatives provide variable levels of 
support to all resources and programs present in the planning area and 
are designed to guide future management and resolve land management 
issues identified during the early stages of the planning process. The 
alternatives were developed based on extensive public scoping and 
involvement.
    There are five main resources addressed through this planning 
process. The Lands and Realty section addresses the need to determine 
the appropriate mix of lands and realty actions needed to provide a 
balance between land use and resource protection. The Off-highway 
Vehicles (OHV) section addresses management of access trails and roads 
for the use of OHVs for various purposes, including recreation, 
commercial uses, subsistence activities, and the general enjoyment of 
public lands while protecting natural and cultural resources. The 
Recreation section 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. The Leasable Minerals section and the Locatable Minerals 
section address the need to determine which areas should be made 
available for mineral exploration and development One Area of Critical 
Environmental Concern (ACEC) is recommended for designation in the 
preferred alternative and is also considered in other alternatives--the 
Neacola Mountains ACEC, containing approximately 229,000 acres. The 
ACEC would have the following resource use limitations: (1) Closed to 
locatable and saleable mineral entry (but open to mineral leasing), (2) 
OHV use limited, (3) VRM Class III, and (4) ROW avoidance. The public 
involvement and collaboration process implemented for this effort 
included 10 public scoping meetings. Notices of these meetings and 
invitations to participate in the development of this plan were sent to 
over 400 individuals, organizations, and tribal entities, as well as to 
State, Federal, and local government agencies. Meetings were held at 
the Native Village of Eklutna in Eklutna and at the Chilkat Indian 
Village IRA in Klukwan. Continuous involvement throughout the planning 
process has taken place with the State of Alaska, and several meetings 
have been held between the State and the BLM at varying levels of 
authority to discuss the Ring of Fire RMP/EIS. A joint BLM-State 
position was created as part of this project, with that person acting 
as liaison between the State of Alaska and the BLM during this planning 
process.
    After comments on the Ring of Fire Draft RMP/EIS are reviewed and 
any adjustments to the document are made, a Proposed RMP and Final EIS 
are expected to be available in spring 2006.

Julia Dougan,
Acting State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-19492 Filed 9-29-05; 8:45 am]
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