[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 221 (Friday, November 17, 2023)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 80237-80238]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25486]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

43 CFR Part 2360

[BLM_HQ_FRN_MO4500175868]
RIN 1004-AE95


Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in 
Alaska; Extension of Comment Period

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: On September 8, 2023, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
published in the Federal Register a proposed rule that would revise the 
framework for designating and assuring maximum protection of Special 
Areas' significant resource values and protect and enhance access for 
subsistence activities throughout the National Petroleum Reserve in 
Alaska (NPR-A). The proposed rule would also incorporate aspects of the 
NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan approved in April 2022. On October 24, 
2023, the BLM extended the comment period to November 17, 2023. The BLM 
has determined that it is appropriate to further extend the comment 
period for the proposed rule by 20 days, until December 7, 2023, to 
allow for additional public comment.

DATES: The comment period for the proposed rule that originally 
published on September 8, 2023, at 88 FR 62025, and was extended on 
October 24, 2023, at 88 FR 72985, ends on November 17, 2023. Under this 
further extension, comments must now be submitted on or before December 
7, 2023. The BLM need not consider or include in the administrative 
record for the final rule comments that the BLM receives after the 
close of the comment period or comments delivered to an address other 
than those listed in the ADDRESSES section.

ADDRESSES: Mail, personal, or messenger delivery: U.S. Department of 
the Interior, Director (HQ-630), Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C St. 
NW, Room 5646, Washington, DC 20240, Attention: 1004-AE80. Federal 
eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. In the Search-box, 
enter ``RIN 1004-AE95'' and click the ``Search'' button. Follow the 
instructions at this website.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Tichenor, Advisor--Office of the 
Director, at 202-573-0536 or [email protected] with a subject line of 
``RIN 1004-AE95.'' For questions relating to regulatory process issues, 
contact Faith Bremner at [email protected]. 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:

Public Comment Procedures

    If you wish to comment on this proposed rule, you may submit your 
comments to the BLM, marked with the number RIN 1004-AE95, by mail, 
personal or messenger delivery, or through https://www.regulations.gov 
(see the ADDRESSES section). Please note that comments on this proposed 
rule's information collection burdens should be submitted to the OMB as 
described in the ADDRESSES section. Please make your comments on the 
proposed rule as specific as possible, confine them to issues pertinent 
to the proposed rule, and explain the reason for any changes you 
recommend. Where possible, your comments should reference the specific 
section or paragraph of the proposal that you are addressing. The 
comments and recommendations that will be most useful and likely to 
influence agency decisions are:
    1. Those supported by quantitative information or studies; and
    2. Those that include citations to, and analyses of, the applicable 
laws and regulations.
    The BLM is not obligated to consider or include in the 
Administrative Record for the final rule comments that we receive after 
the close of the comment period (see DATES) or comments delivered to an 
address other than those listed above (see ADDRESSES). Comments, 
including names and street addresses of respondents, will be available 
for public review at the physical location listed under ADDRESSES 
during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. EST), Monday 
through Friday, except holidays. Before including your address, 
telephone number, email address, or other personal identifying 
information in your comment, be advised 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 
from public review your personal identifying information, we

[[Page 80238]]

cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Background

    The proposed rule was published on September 8, 2023 (88 FR 62025), 
with a 60-day comment period closing on November 7, 2023. Since 
publication, the BLM has received requests for extension of the comment 
period on the proposed rule. The BLM previously extended the comment 
period to November 17, 2023 (88 FR 72985). The BLM has determined that 
it is appropriate to further extend the comment period for the docket 
until December 7, 2023, to allow for additional public comment.

Steven H. Feldgus,
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Land and Minerals Management.
[FR Doc. 2023-25486 Filed 11-16-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-27-P