[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 198 (Friday, October 11, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54919-54920]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22250]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[19X.LLAKA02000.L16100000.DS0000.LXSS043L0000.241A]


Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource 
Management Plan

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 
as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Glennallen Field 
Office, Glennallen, Alaska, has prepared the Final Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource 
Management Plan (RMP) for the BLM-managed public lands in the Haines 
area of Alaska and, by this notice, is announcing its availability.

DATES: Planning regulations state that any person who meets the 
conditions as described in the regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-2 may 
protest the BLM's Final EIS/Proposed Haines Amendment to the Ring of 
Fire RMP. A person who meets the conditions and files a protest must 
file the protest within 30 days of the date that the Environmental 
Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal 
Register.

ADDRESSES: Copies or notification of the electronic availability of the 
Final EIS/Proposed Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire RMP are being 
sent to affected Federal, State, Tribal, and local government agencies 
and other stakeholders. Copies of the Final EIS/Proposed RMP are 
available for public inspection at BLM Glennallen Field Office, 
Milepost 186.5 Glenn Highway, Glennallen, AK 99588; BLM Alaska Public 
Information Center, Federal Building, 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, 
AK 99513; Haines Borough Public Library, 111 3rd Ave., Haines, AK 
99827; Municipality of Skagway Borough, 700 Spring Street, Skagway, AK 
99840; BLM Anchorage District Office, 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage, AK 
99507; and Alaska Resources Library and Information Services, 3211 
Providence Drive, Suite 111, Anchorage, AK 99507. A link to the BLM's 
ePlanning page with the Final EIS/Proposed RMP can be found at 
www.blm.gov/alaska/rof-haines-amendment. All protests must be in 
writing and mailed to one of the following addresses:
    Regular Mail: BLM Director (210), Attention: Protest Coordinator, 
P.O. Box 71383, Washington, DC 20024-1383.
    Overnight Delivery: BLM Director (210) Attention: Protest 
Coordinator, 20 M Street SE, Room 2134LM, Washington, DC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Loranger, BLM Anchorage District 
Office, telephone: 907-267-1221, email: [email protected]. 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 Planning Area encompasses 
approximately 920,000 acres in Southeast Alaska, bounded by the 
Canadian Border to the north and west, Glacier Bay National Park to the 
southwest, and the Tongass National Forest to the south and east. This 
Planning Area consists mainly of steep and remote mountainous terrain, 
with bedrock and glaciers that restrict road and trail access. Of the 
total acreage within the Planning Area, the BLM manages approximately 
316,000 acres. The size of the Planning Area has changed since the 2008 
signing of the Ring of Fire RMP Record of Decision (ROD) due to the 
conveyance of several sections of BLM-managed lands to the State of 
Alaska. The purpose of this planning effort is to identify which 
designations, associated management practices, and implementation 
actions best fulfill the resource and multiple-use needs within the 
Haines Planning Area. It is also intended to evaluate an Area of 
Critical Environmental Concern, as required by the Ring of Fire RMP 
ROD. In addition, this planning effort considered the results of a 
multi-year, BLM-funded study of goat and bear habitat in the Haines 
area by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, completed in 2017. This 
amendment revises the applicable portions of the Ring of Fire RMP and 
provides a plan which is consistent with evolving law, regulations, and 
policy.
    The BLM conducted public outreach to inform the public and answer 
questions regarding the Proposed Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire 
RMP/EIS. A Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare the Draft RMP Amendment/
Draft EIS was published in the Federal Register in March 2009. The NOI 
initiated a 90-day formal scoping period that lasted until June 26, 
2009. Public meetings were held during the scoping period in the 
communities of Haines, Skagway, and Anchorage. In 2018, an additional 
60-day public outreach that closed May 30 was offered and public 
meetings were held in the communities of Haines, Skagway, and Juneau. 
In addition to both public meetings, BLM consulted with and solicited 
comments from local, state, and federal governments, special interest 
groups, and Native American tribes. In May of 2019, the Supplemental 
Draft EIS for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource 
Management Plan was published for a 90-day public comment period. An 
open house was held in Haines on June 20, 2019. Additional consultation 
and cooperating agency meetings were held in Haines in June 2019. 
Public involvement is further described in Chapter 5 of the Final EIS.
    Instructions for filing a protest regarding the Final EIS/Proposed 
Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire RMP may be found in the ``Dear 
Reader'' letter and at 43 CFR 1610.5-2. All protests must be in writing 
and mailed to the appropriate address, as set forth in the ADDRESSES 
section above. Emailed protests will not be accepted as valid protests 
unless the protesting party also provides the original letter by either 
regular or overnight mail postmarked by the close of the protest 
period. Under these conditions, the BLM will consider the emailed 
protest as an advance copy and it will receive full consideration. If 
you wish to provide the BLM with such advance notification, please 
direct emails to [email protected].
    Before including your phone number, email address, or other 
personal identifying information in your protest you should be aware 
that your entire protest--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your protest to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.


[[Page 54920]]


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

Chad B. Padgett,
Acting State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2019-22250 Filed 10-10-19; 8:45 am]
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