Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision and Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of Fire Resource Management Plan
| Published date | 14 February 2020 |
| Record Number | 2020-03010 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Interior Department,Land Management Bureau |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 31 (Friday, February 14, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 31 (Friday, February 14, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 8606]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-03010]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[20X.LLAKA02000.L16100000.DS0000.LXSS043L0000.241A]
Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision and Final
Environmental Impact Statement for the Haines Amendment to the Ring of
Fire Resource Management Plan
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability
of the Record of Decision (ROD) and Approved Haines Amendment to the
Ring of Fire Resource Management Plan (RMP) for the BLM-managed public
lands in the Haines area of Alaska. The State Director signed the ROD
on February 7, 2020, which constitutes the BLM's final decision and
makes the ROD effective immediately.
ADDRESSES: The ROD is available on the BLM ePlanning website at https://go.usa.gov/xpuEW. Click on the Documents and Reports link to find the
electronic version of these materials. Hard copies of the ROD are
available for public inspection at the following locations:
BLM Glennallen Field Office, Milepost 186.5 Glenn Highway,
Glennallen, Alaska 99588; BLM Alaska Public Information Center, Federal
Building, 222 West 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513;
Haines Borough Public Library, 111 3rd Avenue Haines,
Alaska 99827;
Municipality of Skagway Borough, 700 Spring Street,
Skagway, Alaska 99840;
BLM Anchorage District Office, 4700 BLM Road, Anchorage,
Alaska 99507; and
Alaska Resources Library and Information Services, 3211
Providence Drive, Suite 111, Anchorage, Alaska 99507.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bruce Loranger, BLM Anchorage District
Office, telephone: 907-267-1221, email: [email protected]. People who
use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal
Relay Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339 to contact the above individual
during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 7
days a week, to leave a message or question with the above individual.
You will receive a reply during normal business hours.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Haines planning area is located in
Southeast Alaska, bounded by the Canadian Border to the north and west,
Glacier Bay National Park to the southwest, and the Tongass National
Forest to the south and east. This planning area consists mainly of
steep and remote mountainous terrain, with bedrock and glaciers that
restrict road and trail access. Of the approximately 920,000 total
acres within the planning area, the BLM manages approximately 317,000
acres. The size of the planning area has changed since signing of the
Ring of Fire RMP Record of Decision (ROD) in 2008 due to the conveyance
of several sections of BLM-managed lands to the State of Alaska.
The purpose of this planning effort was to identify which
designations, associated management practices, and implementation
actions best fulfill the resource and multiple-use needs within the
Haines planning area. It also evaluated an Area of Critical
Environmental Concern, as required by the Ring of Fire RMP ROD. In
addition, this planning effort considered the results of a multi-year,
BLM-funded study of goat and bear habitat in the Haines area by the
Alaska Department of Fish and Game, completed in 2017. This amendment
revises the applicable portions of the Ring of Fire RMP and provides a
plan which is consistent with evolving law, regulations, and policy.
The BLM prepared an EIS in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to analyze the direct, indirect, and
cumulative environmental impacts associated with the proposed action
and the alternatives. The ROD approves the Agency Preferred Alternative
identified in the Final EIS. The BLM issued the ROD based on compliance
with relevant laws, regulations, policies, and plans, including those
guiding agency decisions that may have an impact on resources and their
values, services, and functions.
On Oct. 7, 2019, the Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Haines
Amendment to the Ring of Fire RMP and Final EIS was published in the
Federal Register. The publication of the NOA initiated a 30-day protest
period for the proposed land-use-planning decision. NOA publication
also initiated a simultaneous 60-day review by the Governor of Alaska
to identify inconsistencies with State or local plans, policies, or
programs.
At the close of the protest period three protests (of which two
were found to have standing) were received. These protests were
resolved by the BLM Director; individual protest response letters were
sent to all protesting parties. Protest resolution is contained in the
Director's Protest Summary Report, which is available online at https://www.blm.gov/programs/planning-and-nepa/public-participation/protest-resolution-reports. The Alaska Governor's review found that the RMP
Amendment is consistent with state plans, policies, and programs.
(Authority: 16 U.S.C. 3120(a); 40 CFR 1506.6(b))
Chad B. Padgett,
State Director, Alaska.
[FR Doc. 2020-03010 Filed 2-13-20; 8:45 am]
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