[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 93 (Tuesday, May 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21353-21354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-09931]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[19X.LLAKA02000.L16100000.DS0000. LXSS0L3l0000.241A]


Notice of Availability of the Supplemental Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource 
Management Plan; Notice of Public Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Glennallen Field Office 
is issuing for public comment the Supplemental Draft Environmental 
Impact Statement (EIS) for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire 
Resource Management Plan. BLM Alaska will hold a public meeting in 
Haines to receive comments on the Haines Amendment Supplemental Draft 
EIS. The Supplemental Draft EIS will supplement the December 2012 Draft 
Resource Management Plan Amendment/Draft Environmental Impact Statement 
for the Haines Planning Area that originally analyzed which, if any, 
designations and associated management practices best fulfill the 
resource needs and multiple use demands within the Haines Planning 
Area.

DATES: To ensure that the BLM will consider your comments on the Haines 
Amendment Supplemental Draft EIS, BLM Alaska must receive your comments 
no later than August 1, 2019, which is 90 days after the Environmental 
Protection Agency published its notice of availability of the Haines 
Amendment Supplemental Draft EIS in the Federal Register. BLM Alaska 
will announce the date, time, and location of the public meeting in 
Haines on its website, through public notices, media news releases, 
and/or mailings.

[[Page 21354]]


ADDRESSES: You may provide comments by mail, email, online through 
ePlanning or in person. Mail comments to: Bureau of Land Management, 
Anchorage District Office, Attn: Haines Amendment, 4700 BLM Road, 
Anchorage, Alaska 99507, email comments to 
[email protected], or submit comments on BLM's ePlanning 
website. A link to Haines Amendment ePlanning page can be found on the 
project website at www.blm.gov/alaska/rof-haines-amendment. You may 
also review copies of the Haines Amendment Supplemental Draft EIS at 
the Glennallen Field Office or request a CD or paper copy of the Haines 
Amendment Supplemental Draft EIS by contacting Bruce Loranger, BLM 
project lead, at 907-267-1221.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Loranger, BLM Anchorage District 
Office, 907-267-1221. People who use a telecommunications device for 
the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-
8339 to contact the above individual during normal business hours. The 
FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to leave a message or 
question with the above individual. You will receive a reply during 
normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Haines Amendment Supplemental Draft EIS 
analyzes which, if any, designations and associated management 
practices best fulfill the resource needs and multiple-use demands on 
approximately 326,000 acres of BLM-managed public lands within the 
Haines Planning Area. BLM has considered new information and developed 
supplemental alternatives to the previous Ring of Fire Draft Resource 
Management Plan Amendment. Decisions to be made include whether to 
retain or change special land area designations, whether to retain a 
monitor and control area for wildlife studies, and whether to establish 
a maximum number of annual helicopter landings on these BLM-managed 
public lands. The Ring of Fire Resource Management Plan was completed 
in 2006, but it did not address issues related to heli-skiing or its 
possible impacts to mountain goat habitat. Lynn Canal Conservation 
(LCC) filed a protest on the Final EIS for the Ring of Fire RMP because 
its recommendation for an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC) 
in the Haines Planning Area was not carried forward. LCC asserted a 
need for an ACEC due to the area's goat populations. The BLM's Record 
of Decision (ROD) for the Ring of Fire RMP issued in March 2008 
acknowledged LCC's protest, but deferred action on an ACEC designation 
to a later planning effort. The BLM initiated a plan amendment in 2009 
to address the commitment in the ROD, but that planning effort was 
paused because data was needed on goat and bear habitat for analysis of 
a proposed ACEC. The BLM funded a multi-year study of goat and bear 
habitat in the Haines area by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game 
which was completed in 2017. A nomination was received from both LCC 
and Chilkat Tribal Village for ACECs. An ACEC--Research Natural Area 
(RNA) of 77,797 acres in the North Block of the planning area is being 
considered. If approved, the ACEC would preclude the issuing of special 
recreation permits for helicopters and UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) use 
within the area. An ACEC would also restrict placement or construction 
of structures within the designated area and include a Right-of-Way 
(ROW) avoidance area. Portions of the ACEC-RNA on Takshanuk Ridge would 
be a ROW exclusion area and no surface disturbing activities would 
occur on these lands. Off-Road Vehicles used in support of military, 
fire, emergency, or law enforcement purposes, as well as any vehicle 
whose use is expressly authorized by the authorized officer (43 CFR 
part 8340.0-7) is exempt from the ACEC-RNA limitations. This amendment 
would resolve conflicts among heli-skiing Special Recreation Permit 
holders and others by providing a consistent approach to recreation 
management while balancing the need for wildlife habitat. The BLM is 
using data from the recently completed study of goat and bear habitat 
in the Haines Area to address concerns about wildlife populations while 
allowing the expansion of helicopter-supported recreation. BLM Alaska 
will hold a public meeting on the Haines Amendment Supplemental Draft 
EIS in Haines at a date and location to be announced.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personally identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personally identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask the BLM in your comment to withhold your personally identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 3120(a); 40 CFR 1506.6(b).

Chad B. Padgett,
State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2019-09931 Filed 5-13-19; 8:45 am]
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