Proposed Rule2026-07006
Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves; Extension of Comment Period
Primary source
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Published
April 10, 2026
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentNational Park Service
Abstract
The National Park Service is extending the public comment period on our recently published proposed rule to improve guidance for unit managers and the public and to restore opportunities for protected activities by returning to the Alaska-specific regulations that were in effect for over three decades, prior to a series of amendments starting in 2015 that will be rescinded under the proposal. This action will provide interested parties additional time and opportunity to comment on the proposed restoration of the pre-2015 regulations and other modifications. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted and will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 69 (Friday, April 10, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 69 (Friday, April 10, 2026)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 18340-18341]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-07006]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
36 CFR Part 13
[Docket No. NPS-2026-0034; NPS-AKRO-NPS0042589; PPAKAKROD0,
PPMPSPD1Y.YM00000]
RIN 1024-AE96
Alaska; Hunting and Trapping in National Preserves; Extension of
Comment Period
AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: The National Park Service is extending the public comment
period on our recently published proposed rule to improve guidance for
unit managers and the public and to restore opportunities for protected
activities by returning to the Alaska-specific regulations that were in
effect for over three decades, prior to a series of amendments starting
in 2015 that will be rescinded under the proposal. This action will
provide interested parties additional time and opportunity to comment
on the proposed restoration of the pre-2015 regulations and other
modifications. Comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted
and will be fully considered in preparation of the final rule.
DATES: The comment period on the proposed rule that published March 10,
2026 (91 FR 11483) is being extended by 15 days. We will accept
comments received or postmarked on or before Friday, April 24, 2026.
Please note that comments submitted electronically using the Federal
eRulemaking Portal (see ADDRESSES, below) must be received by 11:59
p.m. Eastern Time (7:59 p.m. Alaska Time) on the closing date, and
comments submitted by U.S. mail must be postmarked by that date to
ensure timely consideration.
ADDRESSES: You can obtain copies of the March 10, 2026, proposed rule
and associated documents at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> by entering
``NPS-2026-0034'' in the search box, selecting the ``Dockets'' tab, and
clicking on the title of the rule. You can submit written comments by
one of the following methods:
(1) Electronically:
[ssquf] Go to the Federal Register website: <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov">https://www.federalregister.gov</a>. In the search box, enter ``1024-AE96'', the
regulation identifier number (RIN) for this rulemaking. Click on the
``Submit a Public Comment'' button at the top of the page and follow
the instructions, or
[[Page 18341]]
[ssquf] Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. In the search box, enter ``NPS-2026-0034'', the
docket number for the proposed rule. Click on the ``Comment'' button at
the top of the page and follow the instructions.
Please ensure you have found the correct document before submitting
your comments electronically.
(2) By hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: National
Park Service, Regional Director, Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th
Avenue, Anchorage, AK 99501. Comments delivered on external storage
devices (e.g., flash drives, compact discs) will not be accepted.
We request that comments be submitted only by the methods described
above; comments are not accepted via fax or email. Please ensure the
words ``National Park Service'' or ``NPS'' and the docket number
(``NPS-2026-0034'') or RIN (``1024-AE96'') are included in the
submission. Comments received may be posted without change on <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a>. This generally means we will post any personal
information you provide us (see Public Comments, below, for more
information).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Don Striker, Regional Director
(Acting), Alaska Regional Office, 240 West 5th Ave., Anchorage, AK
99501; phone (907) 227-6163; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4e0f051c111c2b293b222f3a2721203d0e203e3d60292138"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ce8f859c919caba9bba2afbaa7a1a0bd8ea0bebde0a9a1b8">[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; 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:
Background
The management of National Park System units in Alaska is governed
by federal laws such as the 1916 Organic Act (System-wide) and the 1980
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (Alaska-specific); by
regulations implementing these laws; by treaties; by Service policy;
and by principles of sound resource management that may lead to
standards or limits to the range of potential activities that may be
allowed.
On March 10, 2026, we published a proposed rule to revise the
Alaska-specific regulations at 36 CFR part 13 to restore both the
procedures used to restrict public uses and opportunities to engage in
those uses in Alaska park areas. These changes restore Service
interpretations of law, policies, and regulations adopted to implement
statutory provisions for these areas. This proposed rule addresses
interests and input from the State of Alaska, Alaska Congressional
Delegation, Alaska Federation of Natives, and others during previous
rulemaking efforts. The purpose of the proposed rule is to realign
state and federal regulations, restore the robust public engagement
process Alaskans relied on to stay involved and informed on park
management actions, enhance regulatory consistency across all lands and
waters, and increase access to federal public lands in furtherance of
Executive and Secretarial orders. The proposed rule would have no
effect on the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of
Agriculture regulations governing subsistence harvest of fish and
wildlife resources in Alaska park areas.
The March 10, 2026, proposed rule had a 30-day public comment
period, ending April 9, 2026. During the comment period for the
proposed rule, we received multiple requests for additional time to
submit comments. We are extending the comment period by 15 days, to end
April 24, 2026 (see DATES), to accommodate requests for additional time
to review and provide comments on our proposal.
Public Comments
We will accept comments and information during this extended
comment period on our March 10, 2026, proposed rule to revise the
public use regulations for Alaska park areas. It is the policy of the
Department of the Interior, whenever practicable, to afford the public
an opportunity to participate in the rulemaking process. Accordingly,
we will accept written comments and information from all interested
parties during the extended comment period (see DATES) on the proposed
rule. We are also soliciting public input and supporting data to gain
additional information for the draft environmental assessment and the
Service's regulatory impacts analysis, such as costs and benefits and
trade-offs associated with the proposed rescission and restoration. As
a specific example, we are soliciting information or data that would
help the Service quantify the effects of restoring available harvest
opportunities, including any economic impacts which might result.
Please see DATES and ADDRESSES in this document for information on
providing comments and materials by one of the listed methods. We will
consider information and recommendations received during the original
and extended comment periods in our final determination on the March
10, 2026, proposed rule. If you already submitted comments or
information on the proposed rule, please do not resubmit them. Any such
comments are incorporated as part of the public record for the
rulemaking and we will fully consider them in the preparation of our
final determination.
If you submit information via <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, your
entire submission--including your personal identifying information--may
be posted on the website. If your submission is made via a hardcopy
that includes personal identifying information, you may request at the
top of your document that we withhold this information from public
review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. We
will post all hardcopy submissions on <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> where
they will be available for public inspection.
Our final determination concerning the March 10, 2026, proposed
action will take into consideration all comments and materials received
during the open comment period. Submissions will be included in the
public record for this rulemaking and we will fully consider them in
the preparation of a final determination.
Authors
The primary authors of this document are Department of the Interior
and National Park System staff of the Alaska regional offices.
Kevin Lilly,
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks,
Exercising the Delegated Authority of the Assistant Secretary for Fish
and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 2026-07006 Filed 4-9-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P
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