19318 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 62 / Friday, March 30, 2012 / Notices 

natural functioning of the wash, and 

endemic plants on public lands within 

the CTA study area. The Final 

Supplemental EIS analyzed five action 

alternatives ranging from approximately 

13,000 acres to less than 1,500 acres and 

the no action alternative. 

• Alternative A: 12,953 acres, 

includes the fossil formation, sensitive 

cultural and plant resources, active 

wash, the adjacent alluvial fan, and a 1- 

mile resource-protection zone around 

the northern and eastern boundaries of 

the Las Vegas Paiute reservation. 

• Alternative B: 10,670 acres, 

includes culturally significant lands, the 

fossil formation, sensitive plant 

resources, the active wash, open space 

adjacent to the Las Vegas Paiute 

reservation, and the adjacent alluvial 

fan as unavailable for disposal and 

development. Alternative B includes 

2,653 acres within the 13,000-acre study 

area available for development. 

Alternative B was originally proposed as 

11,008 acres and was revised from the 

Draft Supplemental EIS. 

• Alternative C: 6,362 acres, includes 

the fossil formation, sensitive cultural 

and plant resources, active wash, and a 

portion of the adjacent alluvial fan. 

• Alternative D: 5,301 acres, includes 

most of the fossil formation, the 

sensitive cultural and rare plant 

resources, and the active wash. 

• Alternative E: 3,314 acres, includes 

some of the fossil formation, the 

sensitive cultural and rare plant 

resources, and part of the active wash. 

• No Action Alternative: 1,448 acres, 

includes the Tule Spring cultural site 

and the 300-acre Eglington Preserve. 

On January 22, 2010, the 

Environmental Protection Agency 

published the Notice of Availability for 

the Draft Supplemental EIS for this 

project in the Federal Register [75 FR 

3730]. The BLM held three public 

meetings and accepted written 

comments during a 60-day comment 

period, which was extended an 

additional 60 days. A total of 1,914 

responses from individuals and 13 

comments from governmental entities 

were received. The comments pertained 

to a variety of broad categories, 

including alternatives, boundaries, 

management, and physical/natural 

resources. The Final Supplemental EIS 

addresses the following issues identified 

during the comment period: the NEPA 

process (consultation/coordination, 

proposal description, alternatives, and 

connected actions/cumulative impacts); 

social resources (cultural, visual, noise, 

land use, recreation, transportation, and 

socioeconomic); and physical/natural 

resources (botanical, water, 

paleontological, and earth). 

Comments on the Draft Supplemental 

EIS received from the public and 

internal BLM review were considered 

and incorporated as appropriate into the 

Final Supplemental EIS. Public 

comments resulted in the addition of 

clarifying text, but did not significantly 

change the proposed decision. 

Filing an Appeal: 

The decision by BLM to select the 

revised Alternative B boundary as the 

agency’s Preferred Alternative is 

appealable subject to 43 CFR part 4, 

subpart E—Special Rules Applicable to 

Public Land Hearings and Appeals, and 

43 CFR 2801.10. Any party adversely 

affected by this decision may appeal 

within the 30 day timeframe by filing an 

appeal with the BLM Las Vegas Field 

Manager, 4701 N. Torrey Pines Drive, 

Las Vegas, Nevada 89130, or fax: 702– 

515–5023. A copy of the notice of 

appeal, and statement of reasons and all 

pertinent documents must be served on 

each adverse party named in the 

decision from which the appeal is taken 

and on the Office of the Regional 

Solicitor, U.S. Department of the 

Interior, Pacific Southwest Region, 2800 

Cottage Way, Room E–1712, 

Sacramento, California 95826, no later 

than 15 days after filing documents with 

the Las Vegas Field Manager. 

To file a petition for stay of the ROD 

pursuant to 43 CFR 4.21 while an 

appeal is pending before the Interior 

Board of Land Appeals (IBLA), the 

petition for stay must accompany the 

Notice of Appeal (43 CFR 4.21 or 43 

CFR 2801.10). A petition for stay must 

show sufficient justification based on 

the standards listed in 43 CFR 4.21(b). 

If a petition for stay is submitted with 

the notice of appeal, a copy of the notice 

of appeal and petition for stay must be 

served on the IBLA at the same time it 

is filed with the Las Vegas Field 

Manager. Persons interested in filing an 

appeal are encouraged to consult the 

cited Federal regulations for additional 

appeal requirements. 

Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10. 

Robert B. Ross, Jr., 

Las Vegas Field Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7546 Filed 3–29–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLAK930000 L16100000.DS0000.12XL] 

Notice of Availability of the Draft 

Integrated Activity Plan/Environmental 

Impact Statement for the National 

Petroleum Reserve—Alaska and 

Announcement of Public SubsistenceRelated Hearings 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act of 

1969, as amended, the Naval Petroleum 

Reserves Production Act of 1976, as 

amended, and the Federal Land Policy 

and Management Act of 1976, as 

amended, the Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) has prepared the 

National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska 

(NPR–A) Draft Integrated Activity Plan/ 

Environmental Impact Statement (IAP/ 

EIS) and by this notice is announcing 

the opening of the comment period. The 

BLM is also announcing that it will hold 

public meetings on the Draft IAP/EIS 

and subsistence resource hearings to 

receive comments on the Draft IAP/EIS 

and its potential to impact subsistence 

resources and activities. 

DATES: To ensure that comments will be 

considered, the BLM must receive 

written comments on the Draft IAP/EIS 

on or before May 29, 2012, following the 

date the Environmental Protection 

Agency publishes its notice of the Draft 

IAP/EIS in the Federal Register. Public 

meetings on the Draft IAP/EIS will be 

held in the following communities in 

Alaska: Anaktuvuk Pass, Anchorage, 

Atqasuk, Barrow, Fairbanks, Nuiqsut, 

Point Lay, and Wainwright. Public 

hearings on subsistence resources and 

activities will occur in conjunction with 

the public meetings for the Draft IAP/ 

EIS in the potentially affected 

communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, 

Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, 

and Wainwright. The dates, times, and 

locations of the meetings and hearings 

will be announced through public 

notices, media news releases, and/or 

other mailings at least 15 days in 

advance. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

related to the Draft IAP/EIS for the 

National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska by 

any of the following methods: 

• Web site: http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/ 

en.html. 

• Fax: 866–611–9420 (toll Free) or 

907–268–4224. 

• Mail: NPR–A IAP/EIS Comments, 

AECOM Project Office, 1835 South 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 62 / Friday, March 30, 2012 / Notices 19319 

Bragaw Street, Suite 490, Anchorage, 

AK 99508. 

• Hand delivery: AECOM, 1835 South 

Bragaw Street, Suite 490, Anchorage, 

AK, or to the BLM Public Information 

Center in the Federal Building, 222 W. 

7th Avenue, Anchorage, AK. 

Copies of the Draft IAP/EIS are available 

for review at the BLM’s Alaska Web site 

at http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en.html. A 

CD or paper copy may be requested by 

calling Jim Ducker, BLM project lead, at 

907–271–3130. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim 

Ducker, BLM Alaska State Office, 907– 

271–3130. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

to contact the above individual during 

normal business hours. The FIRS 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: Please 

note that public comments and 

information submitted, including 

names, street addresses, and email 

addresses of persons who submit 

comments, will be available for public 

review and disclosure at the above 

address 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 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

This IAP/EIS will result in a Record 

of Decision (ROD) that will supersede 

the RODs for two previous plans for 

portions of the NPR–A: The Northwest 

NPR–A IAP ROD signed January 22, 

2004 and the Northeast NPR–A 

Supplemental IAP ROD signed July 16, 

2008 and may amend the Colville River 

Special Area Management Plan signed 

July 18, 2008. This Draft IAP/EIS offers 

four alternatives for future management 

of the NPR–A. There is no Preferred 

Alternative. 

Decisions to be made as part of the 

plan include, but are not limited to, 

lands that would be made available for 

oil and gas leasing, restrictions on oil 

and gas activities and other BLMauthorized land uses, expansion of the 

number and size of Special Areas, and 

recommendations for inclusion of rivers 

in the national Wild and Scenic Rivers 

System. None of the alternatives would 

preclude development of infrastructure 

across NPR–A in support of Chukchi 

Sea oil and gas development. 

Alternative A is the No Action 

Alternative and represents the decisions 

made in the existing Northeast NPR–A 

and Northwest NPR–A plans. Those two 

plans do not address more than 9 

million acres in the southwestern part of 

the NPR–A. 

Alternatives B through D would make 

decisions for the entire NPR–A. 

Alternative B would make 48 percent 

of the NPR–A available for oil and gas 

leasing, add more than 7 million acres 

of Special Areas, and recommend 12 

rivers for Wild and Scenic River 

designation. 

Alternative C would make 76 percent 

of the Reserve available for oil and gas 

leasing, add approximately 700,000 

acres of Special Areas, and recommend 

three rivers for Wild and Scenic River 

designation. 

Alternative D would make all of the 

NPR–A available for oil and gas leasing 

and would not expand Special Areas or 

recommend any Wild and Scenic River 

designation. 

The public is encouraged to comment 

on any of these alternatives. The BLM 

asks that those submitting comments 

make them as specific as possible with 

reference to chapters, page numbers, 

and paragraphs in the Draft EIS 

document. Comments that contain only 

opinions or preferences will not receive 

a formal response; however, they will be 

considered and included as part of the 

BLM decision-making process. The most 

useful comments will contain new 

technical or scientific information, 

identify data gaps in the impact 

analysis, or will provide technical or 

scientific rationale for opinions or 

preferences. 

Section 810 of the Alaska National 

Interest Lands Conservation Act 

requires the BLM to evaluate the effects 

of the alternatives presented in this 

Draft IAP/EIS on subsistence activities, 

and to hold public hearings if it finds 

that any alternative may significantly 

restrict subsistence activities. The 

analysis of environmental consequences 

indicates that actions anticipated to be 

taken under Alternative D and the 

cumulative impacts associated with 

actions anticipated under all 

alternatives may significantly restrict 

subsistence activities. 

Therefore, the BLM will hold public 

hearings on subsistence in conjunction 

with the public meetings on the Draft 

IAP/EIS in the potentially affected 

communities of Anaktuvuk Pass, 

Atqasuk, Barrow, Nuiqsut, Point Lay, 

and Wainwright. 

Ronald L. Dunton, 

Acting State Director. 

[FR Doc. 2012–7547 Filed 3–29–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–JA–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLCON00000 L10200000.DF0000 

LXSS080C0000] 

Notice of Public Meeting, Northwest 

Colorado Resource Advisory Council 

Meeting 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act (FLPMA) and the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Northwest 

Colorado Resource Advisory Council 

(RAC) will meet as indicated below. 

DATES: The Northwest Colorado RAC 

scheduled its remaining 2012 meetings 

for May 10, August 23 and November 

29. Each meeting will begin at 8 a.m. 

and adjourn at approximately 3 p.m., 

with public comment periods regarding 

matters on the agenda at 10 a.m. and 

2 p.m. Agendas will be available before 

the meeting at www.blm.gov/co/st/en/ 

BLM_Resources/racs/nwrac.html. 

ADDRESSES: The May 10 meeting will be 

held in Silt, Colorado, at the BLM 

Colorado River Valley Field Office, 

2300 River Frontage Road. The August 

23 meeting will be in Meeker, Colorado, 

at the Fairfield Center, 200 Main St. The 

November 29 meeting will be in Grand 

Junction, Colorado, at the Hampton Inn, 

205 Main St. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

David Boyd, Public Affairs Specialist, 

Colorado River Valley Field Office, 

2300 River Frontage Road, Silt, CO; 

(970) 876–9008. Persons who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 

to contact the above individual during 

normal business hours. The FIRS 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 

Northwest Colorado RAC advises the 

Secretary of the Interior, through the 

BLM, on a variety of public land issues 

in northwestern Colorado. 

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