[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 141 (Monday, July 25, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44148-44149]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-15757]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[20X.LLAK930000.L51010000. 000000.LVRWL20L1090]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental 
Impact Statement for the Willow Master Development Plan, Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) prepared a Draft 
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to address 
deficiencies identified by the U.S. District Court for the District of 
Alaska in the 2020 Willow Master Development Plan (MDP)/Final 
Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision (ROD) issued in 
October 2020, and to ensure compliance with applicable law. The BLM, by 
this notice, is announcing the opening of the public comment period on 
this Draft Supplemental EIS and is also announcing that it intends to 
hold in-person public meetings in Utqiagvik and Nuiqsut, as well as 
three virtual public meetings. A hearing to receive comments on the 
Draft Supplemental EIS and the proposed project's potential to impact 
subsistence resources and activities will be held in Nuiqsut concurrent 
with the planned in-person public meeting.

DATES: To afford the BLM the opportunity to consider comments, please 
ensure that the BLM receives your comments within 45 days following the 
date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its Notice of 
Availability (NOA) of the Draft Supplemental EIS in the Federal 
Register. To ensure that comments will be considered, the BLM must 
receive written comments on the Draft Supplemental EIS for the Willow 
Master Development Plan by August 29, 2022. Dates, times, and locations 
of public meetings and subsistence hearings will be announced at least 
15 days in advance on the project website, as well as through various 
additional means

[[Page 44149]]

such as public notices, media releases, social media posts, and 
mailings.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues related to the Draft 
Supplemental EIS by any of the following methods:
     BLM's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Register 
website: https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/109410/510.
     Mail: 222 W 7th Avenue, Stop #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513.
    More details and instructions for submitting public comment may be 
found on the BLM NEPA Register website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/109410/510. Documents pertinent to this proposal 
may be examined at the NEPA Register website.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie Rice at (907) 271-3202, or 
by email at [email protected], on questions specific to NEPA or to have 
your name added to our mailing list. Individuals in the United States 
who are deaf, blind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may 
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Willow project was originally analyzed 
in the 2020 Willow MDP/Final EIS and authorized in a ROD issued in 
October 2020. In August 2021, the U.S. District Court for the District 
of Alaska vacated the ROD and remanded the matter to BLM to correct 
deficiencies in the EIS regarding analysis of foreign greenhouse gas 
emissions and screening of alternatives for detailed analysis. In order 
to comply with this ruling, the BLM made numerous updates to the 
analysis, including development of a new alternative that substantially 
reduces infrastructure in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area. This Draft 
Supplemental EIS complies with all applicable laws and current 
Department of the Interior guidance, including (but not limited to) 
NEPA, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, the Alaska 
National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the Naval Petroleum 
Reserves Production Act.
    The input of Alaska Native Tribes and Corporations is of critical 
importance to this Supplemental EIS. Therefore, during the NEPA 
process, the BLM will continue to consult with potentially affected 
Federally recognized Tribes on a government-to-government basis, and 
with affected Alaska Native Corporations in accordance with Executive 
Order 13175, as well as Public Law 108-199, Div. H, sec. 161, 118 Stat. 
452, as amended by Public Law 108-447, Div. H, sec. 518, 118 Stat. 
3267, and other Department and Bureau policies. We respectfully request 
participation in consultation by Alaska Native Tribes and Alaska Native 
Corporations to provide their views and recommendations on the 
analysis, including effects from the proposed activities. The BLM will 
hold individual consultation meetings upon request.
    It is important that reviewers provide their comments at such times 
and in such manner that they are useful to the agency's preparation of 
the Supplemental EIS. Therefore, comments should be provided prior to 
the close of the comment period and should clearly articulate the 
reviewer's concerns and contentions. Comments received in response to 
this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, 
will be part of the public record for this proposed action. Comments 
submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered.
    Before including your address, phone number, email address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6(b))

Steven Cohn,
State Director, BLM Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2022-15757 Filed 7-22-22; 8:45 am]
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