Notice2024-08966
Notice of Availability for the Central Yukon Proposed Resource Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Alaska
Primary source
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Published
April 26, 2024
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentLand Management Bureau
Abstract
In compliance 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) has prepared a Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Central Yukon Planning Area, and by this notice is announcing the start of a 30-day protest period of the Proposed RMP.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 82 (Friday, April 26, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 82 (Friday, April 26, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32457-32458]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-08966]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[BLM_AK_FRN_MO4500178463]
Notice of Availability for the Central Yukon Proposed Resource
Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement, Alaska
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In compliance 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) has prepared a
Proposed Resource Management Plan (RMP) and Final Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for the Central Yukon Planning Area, and by this notice
is announcing the start of a 30-day protest period of the Proposed RMP.
DATES: This notice announces the beginning of a 30-day protest period
to the BLM on the Proposed RMP. Protests must be postmarked or
electronically submitted on the BLM's ePlanning site within 30 days of
the date that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its
Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal Register. The EPA usually
publishes its NOAs on Fridays.
ADDRESSES: The Proposed RMP/Final EIS is available on the BLM's
ePlanning project website at <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/35315/510">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/35315/510</a>. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined
online at <a href="https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/35315/570">https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/35315/570</a> and
at the BLM Alaska State Office, BLM Alaska Public Information Center,
222 West 7th Avenue (1st Floor), Anchorage, Alaska, 99513; or at the
Fairbanks District Office, 222 University Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska
99709.
Instructions for filing a protest with the BLM for the Central
Yukon Proposed RMP/Final EIS can be found at: <a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest">https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest</a>
and in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 43 CFR 1610.5-2.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melinda Bolton, BLM Alaska Planning
and Environmental Specialist, telephone: (907) 271-3342 or email:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dbb6b9b4b7afb4b59bb9b7b6f5bcb4ad"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2c414e43405843426c4e4041024b435a">[email protected]</span></a>. Individuals in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711
(TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services
for contacting Ms. Bolton. 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 Central Yukon Proposed RMP/Final EIS is
a comprehensive framework for future public land management actions in
the Central Yukon region of Alaska. The planning area consists of about
55.7 million acres of land, including approximately 13.3 million acres
of public lands managed by the BLM Central Yukon Field Office.
The Central Yukon RMP will guide management of these public lands
for the benefit of current and future generations as part of the BLM's
[[Page 32458]]
multiple-use mission. This planning effort updates management decisions
for public land uses and resources, including subsistence resources,
mineral exploration and development, and recreation. When complete, the
updated Central Yukon RMP will replace the Utility Corridor RMP (1991),
the original Central Yukon RMP (1986), and portions of the Southwest
Management Framework Plan (1981), as well as provide RMP-level
decisions for unplanned lands west of Fairbanks. The proposed plan
provides consolidated direction under one resource management plan to
address land and resource use and development on BLM-managed public
lands within the planning area.
The Central Yukon Proposed RMP/EIS evaluates six alternatives for
managing the planning area. Alternatives B, C1, C2 (preferred
alternative from Draft RMP/EIS), and D were developed using input from
the public, Tribes, stakeholders, and cooperating agencies. Alternative
E is the BLM's Proposed RMP. This alternative was developed after
considering public comments on the Draft RMP/EIS and provided in the
ANILCA section 810 hearings, internal BLM discussions, government-to-
government consultation, and cooperating agency input.
The Proposed RMP is drawn from components of the Alternatives
analyzed in the Draft RMP/EIS and, as such, the management provisions
are within the range of alternatives presented to the public.
Alternative A, the no action alternative, represents existing
management described by current land use plans and provides the
benchmark against which to compare the other alternatives. Alternative
B emphasizes reducing the potential for competition between development
uses and subsistence resources by identifying key areas for additional
management actions. Alternative C1 emphasizes a blend of resource
protection and development at the planning level to maintain the long-
term sustainability of resources while providing for multiple resource
uses. Alternative C2 emphasizes management to facilitate resource
development while applying habitat management and administrative
designations to accommodate multiple uses. Alternative D focuses on
maximizing BLM-managed public lands for development potential with
fewer management restrictions at the planning level. Unlike the action
alternatives from the Draft RMP/EIS, the Proposed RMP (Alternative E)
recommends retention of Public Land Order (PLO) 5150. The Proposed RMP
also does not recommend full revocation of the ANCSA 17(d)(1) PLOs, but
does recommend revoking the withdrawals in part to allow for selection
by Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans where the PLOs currently do not
allow for it. For most resources, the Proposed RMP is similar to
Alternative C (either Alternative C1 or Alternative C2). The Proposed
RMP designates twenty-one Areas of Critical Environmental Concern
(ACECs) or Research Natural Areas, encompassing approximately 3,601,000
acres. For a detailed comparison of Alternatives, including ACEC
acreages proposed for designation, see Table 2-1 and corresponding maps
in Appendix A of the Proposed RMP/Final EIS.
Major planning issues addressed include subsistence resources,
subsistence access, water resources, fisheries, wildlife, forestry,
minerals, mining, recreation, travel management, and ACECs.
Protest of the Proposed RMP: The BLM planning regulations state
that any person who participated in the preparation of the RMP and has
an interest which will or might be adversely affected by approval of
the Proposed RMP may protest its approval to the BLM Director. Protest
on the Proposed RMP constitutes the final opportunity for
administrative review of the proposed land use planning decisions prior
to the BLM adopting an approved RMP. Instructions for filing a protest
regarding the Proposed RMP with the BLM Director may be found online at
<a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest">https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/filing-a-plan-protest</a> 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 earlier, or submitted electronically through the BLM
ePlanning project website as described previously. Protests submitted
electronically by any means other than the ePlanning project website or
by fax will be invalid unless a protest is also submitted as a hard
copy.
The BLM Director will render a written decision on each protest.
The Director's decision shall be the final decision of the Department
of the Interior. Responses to valid protest will be compiled and
documented in a Protest Resolution Report made available following the
protest resolution online at: <a href="https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports">https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports</a>. Upon
resolution of protests, the BLM will issue a Record of Decision and
Approved RMP.
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.
(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10, 43 CFR 1610.2, 43 CFR
1610.5)
Steven M. Cohn,
State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2024-08966 Filed 4-25-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-10-P
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