[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 26, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 70573]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-28367]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-AKR-GAAR-14152; PX.P0166543E.00.1]


Notice to Terminate the Environmental Impact Statement on a Gates 
of the Arctic National Park and Preserve General Management Plan 
Amendment

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Park Service (NPS) is terminating the Wilderness 
Study and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on a General Management 
Plan Amendment (GMPA) for Gates of the Arctic National Park and 
Preserve. The NPS published a notice of intent to prepare an EIS on a 
GMPA/Wilderness Study EIS for Gates of the Arctic National Park and 
Preserve in the Federal Register (75 FR 4413) on January 27, 2010.
    Public scoping occurred in the spring of 2010, a preliminary 
alternatives newsletter was distributed to the public in the fall of 
2010, and a Wilderness Study newsletter was sent to the public in the 
winter of 2011. One of the key areas of focus for the EIS was a 
Wilderness Study for lands in the preserve that are presently 
identified as eligible but that have not been proposed for wilderness 
designation.
    Under the enabling legislation, Section 201 of the Alaska National 
Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), Congress provided for a 
right-of-way across the Kobuk Unit of the preserve for access to an 
adjacent mining district (ANILCA Section 201(4)(b)-(e)). In 2011, the 
State of Alaska, at the request of a project proponent, began 
preliminary field studies in preparation for the application for a 
right-of-way. If a complete application is received, the Secretary of 
the Interior and Secretary of Transportation will jointly agree on the 
route for issuance of a right-of-way, after completion of an 
environmental and economic analysis prepared in lieu of an EIS which 
would otherwise be required under the National Environmental Policy 
Act.
    Funding by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority 
to study the feasibility of a road has accelerated the schedule for 
potentially filing a right-of-way application. Due to the possibility 
that a right-of-way application may be filed, the NPS decided to defer 
the Wilderness Study and complete the GMPA with an environmental 
assessment. The GMPA will include a wilderness stewardship plan and 
update the GMP to reflect current planning standards, including zoning, 
capacity, and desired conditions for management. The alternatives under 
consideration in the GMPA do not include any new facilities or 
substantial staffing changes, and are not expected to have significant 
impacts on the human environment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Greg Dudgeon, Superintendent, Gates of 
the Arctic National Park and Preserve, 4175 Geist Road, Fairbanks, AK 
99709-3420; telephone (907) 457-5752.

    Dated: September 25, 2013.
Joel Hard,
Acting Regional Director, Alaska Region.
[FR Doc. 2013-28367 Filed 11-25-13; 8:45 am]
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