[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 47 (Friday, March 10, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15069-15070]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-04988]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM_AK_FRN_MO4500169761; F-020174, F-35871, F-35872]


Notice of Application for Withdrawal Extension; and Public 
Meeting; Fort Wainwright, AK

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of withdrawal application.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Army (Army) has filed an application 
with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the extension of the 
current withdrawal in the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the 
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area, Alaska. The Army requested an 
extension of the existing approximately 869,862-acre withdrawal for the 
Yukon Training Area (formerly Fort Wainwright Yukon Training Range) and 
the Donnelly Training Areas East and West (formerly Fort Greely East 
and West Training Ranges) from all forms of appropriation under the 
public land laws, including the mining laws and the mineral leasing and 
geothermal leasing laws, for 25 years or more, subject to valid 
existing rights. The existing withdrawal will expire on November 6, 
2026. The decision about this application will be made by Congress. 
This notice advises the public of an opportunity to comment on this 
application for a withdrawal extension and to attend a public meeting.

DATES: Comments regarding this withdrawal application must be received 
by June 8, 2023. In addition, the BLM and Army will host public 
meetings addressing the withdrawal application. The date, time, and 
location information for the public meetings are listed in the 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.

ADDRESSES: Comments pertaining to this application for withdrawal 
extension should be sent to the Alaska State Director, BLM Alaska State 
Office, 222 West Seventh Avenue, No. 13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513-7504 
or by email at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chelsea Kreiner, BLM Alaska State 
Office, (907) 271-4205, email [email protected], or you may contact the 
BLM office at the address above. Individuals in the United States who 
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may 
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or Tele Braille) 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 Military Lands Withdrawal Act (MLWA) of 
1999 (Pub. L. 106-65) withdrew approximately 869,862 acres of public 
land comprising Yukon Training Area, Donnelly Training Area East, and 
Donnelly Training Area West from all forms of appropriation under 
public land laws and reserved them for use by the Army. The withdrawal 
will expire on November 6, 2026, unless extended by Congress. The Army 
has filed an application for extension of the current withdrawal of 
approximately 869,862 acres of public lands from all forms of 
appropriation under the public land laws, including the mining laws and 
the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws, for 25 years or more. 
The purpose of the withdrawal extension is to allow for continued 
military use of the Yukon Training Area and the Donnelly Training Areas 
East and West in anticipation of continuing national defense 
requirements.
    The Yukon Training Area covers approximately 246,277 acres and is 
located approximately 16 miles east-southeast of Fairbanks and 
immediately east of Eielson Air Force Base. Donnelly Training Areas 
East and West are located near Fort Greely in the Tanana River valley 
in central Alaska approximately 80 miles southeast from Fort 
Wainwright, near the city of Delta Junction in the Southeast Fairbanks 
Census Area. Donnelly Training Area East is approximately 51,590 acres 
and Donnelly Training Area West is approximately 571,995 acres. The 
August 10, 2000, Federal Register publication (65 FR 49012) described 
the approximately 869,862 acres of public lands withdrawn by the MLWA.
    The Engle Act (Pub. L. 85-337, 43 United States Code 155-157) 
requires land withdrawals for defense purposes of more than 5,000 acres 
in the aggregate for any one defense project or facility to be 
authorized by Congress through legislation. The MLWA requires the Army 
to notify the Secretary of the Interior and Congress whether there is a 
continuing military need for the withdrawn land. The Army and the 
Department of the Interior (DOI) intend to submit a legislative 
proposal for extension of the withdrawal and reservation to Congress 
not later than May 1, 2025.
    As required by section 204(b)(1) of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976, 43 U.S.C. 1714(b)(1), and the BLM regulations 
at 43 CFR part 2300, the BLM is publishing the notice of the Army's 
application. While the BLM and the DOI assist the Army with

[[Page 15070]]

the processing of withdrawal applications, and the Secretary of the 
Interior makes a recommendation to Congress on applications for 
withdrawals of this size for defense purposes, Congress will decide 
whether to extend the existing withdrawal for the Yukon Training Area 
and Donnelly Training Areas East and West. This notice invites the 
public to comment on the application for withdrawal extension and 
notifies the public that a public meeting will occur.
    The Army is preparing a legislative environmental impact statement 
(EIS) in support of the legislative proposal and published a notice of 
intent to conduct public scoping under the National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) in the Federal Register on September 24, 2021 (86 FR 
53038). The Army conducted a virtual public scoping meeting on October 
13, 2021, and accepted comments on potential alternatives, potential 
environmental impacts, information, and analyses relevant to the 
proposed action. The NEPA scoping period ended on October 25, 2021. The 
BLM is participating as a cooperating agency in the preparation of the 
legislative EIS, and the draft legislative EIS is anticipated to be 
published soon. Information on the environmental review process can be 
viewed at the Army's project website at https://www.aklweleis.com/.
    For a period until June 8, 2023, all persons who wish to submit 
comments in connection with the withdrawal application may present 
their comments in writing to the Alaska State Director at the address 
listed in the ADDRESSES section earlier. All comments received will be 
considered before the Secretary of the Interior makes any 
recommendation for withdrawal to Congress.
    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.
    In addition, BLM and Army will host public meetings on Monday, 
April 10, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at the Westmark Fairbanks Hotel and 
Conference Center, Yukon Room, 813 Noble Street, Fairbanks, Alaska, and 
on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 5:00 p.m. at the Delta Junction 
Community Center, 2287 Deborah Street, Delta Junction, Alaska.
    The withdrawal extension application will be processed in 
accordance with MLWA, and to the extent consistent with MWLA, the 
regulations set forth in 43 CFR 2310.4 and subject to section 810 of 
the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, (16 U.S.C. 3120).

(Authority: 43 CFR 2310.4.)

Steven M. Cohn,
Alaska State Director.
[FR Doc. 2023-04988 Filed 3-9-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-10-P