[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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