An environmental impact statement will be prepared in order to consider the effects of opening lands currently subject to withdrawals established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) on lands within the Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, East Alaska, Kobuk-Seward Peninsula, and Ring of Fire planning areas. In so doing, the Bureau of Land Management opened a 60-day public comment period regarding the scope of the analysis.
The environmental impact statement will review public lands orders that were previously prepared but not issued. In the past two years, several public land orders were prepared, which would have opened BLM-managed land to activities such as mining and oil and gas development, by revoking ANCSA Section 17(d)(1) withdrawals for approximately 28 million acres within the five planning areas. Legal defects, however, were identified in the decision-making process which led to the orders. As a result, the opening order for Public Land Order 7899 was deferred until April 16, 2023, and publication of the remaining public land orders was deferred until completion of further review.
The BLM is now addressing the legal defects in the decision-making process, including complying with the requirements of National Environmental Policy Act.
This follows the Interior Department’s recent announcement issuing a Public Land Order to open 27 million acres of public lands for selection and conveyance for eligible Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans pursuant to the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act of 2019.
The BLM is requesting comments regarding the scope of the analysis, potential alternatives, and identification of relevant information by Oct. 17, 2022. The successful outcome of this project relies on input from federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, Alaska Native Tribes and Corporations, numerous State of Alaska agencies, and the affected communities. The BLM will engage in Tribal and Alaska Native Corporation consultation as part of this process.
The BLM encourages the public to provide comments during the 60-day comment period, particularly concerning the adequacy and accuracy of the previous analysis, potential alternatives, and any new information that would help develop the final plan. Comments may be submitted online by clicking here.
Comments may also be submitted by mail:
BLM Alaska State Office
ATTN: PLO EIS
222 W. 7th Ave, Stop #13
Anchorage, AK 99513
NOTE: Before including personal identifying information (address, email, phone number), commenters should be aware that their entire comment – including their personal identifying information – may be made publicly available at any time. While those commenting can ask in their comments to have this information withheld from public review, the BLM cannot guarantee that it will be able to do so.
