Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 152 / Tuesday, August 7, 2018 / Notices 38725 

and Outlet in Alaska’’ (Draft Summary 

Report). To file comments by mail, send 

to: RDI Program Manager (AK–942), 

Division of Lands and Cadastral, BLM 

Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th 

Avenue, #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99513. 

To submit comments by email, send to 

anichols@blm.gov. 

Copies of the State’s application, 

supporting evidence, the Draft Summary 

Report, and comments, including names 

and street addresses of commenters, will 

be available for public review at the 

BLM Alaska Public Information Center 

(Public Room), 222 West 8th Avenue, 

Anchorage, Alaska, during regular 

business hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except holidays. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Angie Nichols, RDI Program Manager, 

222 West 7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, 

Alaska 99513; 907–271–3359; anichols@

blm.gov; or visit the BLM RDI website 

at https://www.blm.gov/programs/landsand-realty/regional-information/alaska/ 

RDI/bristol-bay. 

People who use a telecommunications 

device for the deaf (TDD) may call the 

Federal Relay System (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 a question with the above individual. 

You will receive a reply during normal 

business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On Sept. 

7, 2016, the State filed an application 

(AA–94269) for an RDI pursuant to 

Section 315 of the Federal Land Policy 

and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA) 

and the regulations contained in 43 CFR 

subpart 1864 for the lands underlying 

the Egegik River, Becharof Lake, and 

Ruth Lake and Outlet. The State asserts 

that these waterbodies were navigable at 

the time of Alaska Statehood. As such, 

the State contends that ownership of the 

lands underlying this river system 

automatically passed from the United 

States to the State in 1959 at the time 

of Statehood under the Equal Footing 

Doctrine; the Submerged Lands Act of 

1953; the Alaska Statehood Act; and 

other title navigability law. Section 315 

of FLPMA authorizes the BLM to issue 

an RDI when it determines that a record 

interest of the United States in lands has 

terminated by law or is otherwise 

invalid, and a disclaimer will help 

remove a cloud on title to such lands. 

The State’s application is for an RDI 

for all submerged lands underlying the 

portions described below of the Egegik 

River, Becharof Lake, and Ruth Lake 

and Outlet. Specifically, these are 

Becharof Lake: All submerged lands and 

bed up to and including the ordinary 

high water lines of Becharof Lake 

upstream from its outlet within section 

5, township 25 south, range 46 west, 

Seward Meridian, Alaska; Egegik River: 

All submerged lands and bed of the 

Egegik River lying between the ordinary 

high water lines of the left and right 

banks of the Egegik River, beginning at 

the outlet of Becharof Lake, downstream 

to the limit of tidal influence; Unnamed 

outlet Ruth Lake: All submerged lands 

up to and including the ordinary high 

water lines of Unnamed outlet of Ruth 

Lake upstream from its outlet at 

Becharof Lake within section 5, 

township 30 south, range 42 west, 

Seward Meridian, Alaska, upstream to 

Ruth Lake; and Ruth Lake: All 

submerged lands and bed up to and 

including the ordinary high water lines 

of Ruth Lake upstream from its outlet 

within section 9, township 30 south, 

range 42 west, Seward Meridian, 

Alaska. 

The State listed the coverage area on 

the USGS 1:63,360 series topographic 

maps as follows: Naknek A–1 through 

A–3, Karluk C–6, D–6 and Ugashik C– 

1 and D–1, D–2, D–3. Over time, the 

precise location of the submerged lands 

described above may vary between 

townships due to the ambulatory nature 

of these water bodies. 

An RDI is a legal document through 

which the BLM disclaims the United 

States’ interest in, or ownership of, 

specified lands, but the disclaimer does 

not grant, convey, transfer, or renounce 

any title or interest in the lands, nor 

does it release any tax, judgment, or 

lien. This Notice of Application is to 

inform the public of the pending 

application and the State’s supporting 

evidence, as well as to provide the 

opportunity to comment or provide 

additional information to the BLM. 

The BLM will not make a final 

decision on the merits of the State’s 

application before November 5, 2018. 

During this 90-day period, interested 

parties may comment on the State’s 

application, AA–94269, and supporting 

evidence. Interested parties may also 

comment on the BLM’s Draft Summary 

Report, which is available on the BLM’s 

RDI website (see FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT above). 

Copies of the State’s application, 

supporting evidence, the Draft Summary 

Report, and comments, including names 

and street addresses of commenters, will 

be available for public review at the 

BLM Alaska Public Information Center 

(Public Room), 222 West 8th Avenue, 

Anchorage, Alaska, during regular 

business hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday 

through Friday, except holidays. Before 

including your address, phone number, 

email address, or other personally 

identifiable information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personally identifiable information— 

may be made publicly available at any 

time. While you can ask the BLM in 

your comment to withhold your 

personally identifiable information from 

public review, we cannot guarantee that 

we will be able to do so. 

If the BLM determines the State’s 

evidence and any additional 

information the agency receives 

concerning the State’s application is 

sufficient to reach a favorable 

determination, and neither the records 

nor a valid objection discloses a reason 

not to disclaim, the BLM may decide to 

approve the application for the RDI. 

Authority: 43 CFR 1864.2. 

Erika L. Reed, 

Deputy State Director, Division of Lands and 

Cadastral, Alaska. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16858 Filed 8–6–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[18X.LLAK930100.L51010000.000000

.LVRWL18L1090] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement for 

the Willow Master Development Plan 

Oil and Gas Prospect, Alaska 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior 

ACTION: Notice of Intent. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the 

Naval Petroleum Reserves Production 

Act of 1976, as amended, the Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Alaska State 

Office, Anchorage, Alaska, intends to 

prepare a Master Development Plan 

Environmental Impact Statement (MDP/ 

EIS) for the Willow oil and gas prospect 

within the Bear Tooth Unit of the 

National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska 

(NPR–A). 

DATES: This Notice initiates the public 

scoping process for the Willow oil and 

gas prospect MDP/EIS. Comments on 

issues, impacts, and potential 

alternatives to be analyzed may be 

submitted in writing until September 6, 

2018. The BLM will hold public scoping 

meetings in Anchorage, Fairbanks, 

Nuiqsut, and Utqiagvik. The dates, 

times, and locations of scoping meetings 

will be announced through local news 

media, newspapers, and the BLM 

Alaska website. Any Federal, state, local 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES
38726 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 152 / Tuesday, August 7, 2018 / Notices 

agency, or Tribe that is interested in 

serving as a cooperating agency for the 

development of the MDP/EIS is asked to 

submit such requests to the BLM by 

September 6, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

on issues related to the scope of the 

proposed Willow MDP/EIS by any of the 

following methods: 

• Email: BLM_AK_Willow_

Comments@blm.gov. 

• Mail: Willow MDP/EIS Scoping 

Comments, Bureau of Land 

Management, 222 West 7th Avenue, 

Stop #13, Anchorage, AK 99513. 

Requests for information regarding the 

Willow MDP/EIS and cooperating 

agency requests may be mailed to: Attn: 

Willow MDP/EIS, 222 West 7th Avenue, 

Stop #13, Anchorage, Alaska 99517. 

You may also request to be added to the 

mailing list for the MDP/EIS. 

Documents and other information 

pertaining to the MDP/EIS are available 

on the BLM Alaska website at http://

www.blm.gov/alaska. 

You may examine documents 

pertinent to this proposal at the BLM 

Alaska Public Room, Arctic District 

Office, 222 University Avenue, 

Fairbanks, Alaska 99709, and at the 

BLM Alaska Public Information Center, 

Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Ave., 

Anchorage, Alaska 99513. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ferris Couture, BLM Alaska State Office, 

907–271–1306. 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, seven days a 

week, to leave a message or question 

with the above individual. You will 

receive a reply during normal business 

hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. 

(ConocoPhillips) initiated discussions 

with the BLM regarding potential 

development of its recently announced 

Willow oil and gas prospect, which is 

located on Federal oil and gas leases 

ConocoPhillips holds within the Bear 

Tooth Unit of the NPR–A approximately 

30 air miles west of the Native Village 

of Nuiqsut. The BLM manages 

approximately 23 million acres 

comprising the NPR–A, located on 

Alaska’s North Slope. 

On May 10, 2018, ConocoPhillips 

submitted a letter requesting the 

development of the Willow prospect 

through a MDP/EIS. The letter, available 

on the BLM Alaska website, includes a 

description of the foreseeable 

infrastructure and activity associated 

with the proposed Willow prospect 

development and a map of the proposed 

area of development. Analyzing the 

entire proposed Willow development in 

a single MDP/EIS will allow the BLM to 

make determinations of National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

adequacy when individual applications 

for permits to drill are submitted. This 

is expected to result in a quicker and 

more efficient process for the approval 

of applications for permits to drill. 

The MDP/EIS will analyze the 

environmental impacts and appropriate 

mitigation measures to reduce adverse 

effects to surface resources of the 

proposed Willow prospect which would 

involve the construction, operation, and 

maintenance of an oil and gas 

development project which may 

include: One central processing facility, 

an infrastructure pad, up to five drill 

pads with up to fifty wells on each pad, 

access and infield roads, an airstrip, 

pipelines, a gravel mine, and a 

temporary island to support module 

delivery via sealift barges. 

The MDP/EIS will be prepared in 

accordance with recently issued 

Executive Orders and Secretarial 

guidance on streamlining and 

improving the NEPA and other 

regulatory processes. At present, the 

BLM has identified the following 

preliminary issues for evaluation in the 

MDP/EIS, impacts to: Subsistence use 

and access; biological resources, 

including caribou, polar bears, 

spectacled and Stellar eiders, yellow 

billed loons, and fisheries; social and 

cultural resources; air quality and 

climate; and aquatic resources. 

The BLM will use NEPA public 

participation guidelines to assist the 

agency in satisfying the public 

involvement requirements under 

Section 106 of the National Historic 

Preservation Act (54 U.S.C. 306108), 

pursuant to 36 CFR 800.2(d)(3). 

The information about historic and 

cultural resources within the area 

potentially affected by the Willow 

development project will assist the BLM 

in identifying and evaluating impacts to 

cultural resources in the context of both 

NEPA and Section 106 of the National 

Historic Preservation Act. 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personally identifiable information in 

your comment, you should be aware 

that your entire comment—including 

your personally identifiable 

information—may be made publicly 

available at any time. While you can ask 

the BLM in your comment to withhold 

your personally identifiable information 

from public review, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

The BLM will consult with federally 

recognized Tribes on a government-togovernment basis in accordance with 

Executive Order 13175 and other 

policies. Tribal concerns will be given 

appropriate consideration. 

Federal, state, local agencies, and 

Tribes that may be interested in or 

substantially affected by the proposal 

that the BLM is evaluating are invited to 

request participation in the 

development of the MDP/EIS as 

cooperating agencies. Appropriate 

cooperating agencies are those with 

jurisdiction by law and/or those that can 

offer special expertise in the 

development of the MDP/EIS. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1501.7. 

Karen E. Mouritsen, 

Acting State Director, Alaska. 

[FR Doc. 2018–16783 Filed 8–6–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P 

MISSISSIPPI RIVER COMMISSION 

Sunshine Act Meetings 

TIME AND DATE: 9:00 a.m., August 20, 

2018. 

PLACE: On board MISSISSIPPI V at City 

Front, Caruthersville, Missouri. 

STATUS: Open to the public. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: (1) 

Summary report by President of the 

Commission on national and regional 

issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers and Commission programs 

and projects on the Mississippi River 

and its tributaries; (2) District 

Commander’s overview of current 

project issues within the St. Louis and 

Memphis Districts; and (3) Presentations 

by local organizations and members of 

the public giving views or comments on 

any issue affecting the programs or 

projects of the Commission and the 

Corps of Engineers. 

TIME AND DATE: 9:00 a.m., August 21, 

2018. 

PLACE: On board MISSISSIPPI V at 

Beale Street Landing, Memphis, 

Tennessee. 

STATUS: Open to the public. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: (1) 

Summary report by President of the 

Commission on national and regional 

issues affecting the U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers and Commission programs 

and projects on the Mississippi River 

and its tributaries; (2) District 

Commander’s overview of current 

project issues within the Memphis 

District; and (3) Presentations by local 

organizations and members of the 

public giving views or comments on any 


daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES