[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 217 (Friday, November 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Page 88805]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-26039]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[BLM-AK-FRN-MO4500180311]


Notice of Availability of the Final Coastal Plain Oil and Gas 
Leasing Program Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969, as amended (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces 
the availability of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact 
Statement (SEIS) for the Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program.

DATES: The BLM will issue a decision on the Leasing Program no sooner 
than 30 days after the date that the Environmental Protection Agency 
(EPA) publishes its Notice of Availability (NOA) in the Federal 
Register. The EPA usually publishes its NOAs on Fridays.

ADDRESSES: The Final Leasing SEIS and related documents are available 
for review on the BLM ePlanning project website at https://eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/2015144/510.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: At the BLM: Serena Sweet, Branch Chief 
of Planning and Project Management; telephone: 907-271-4345; email: 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#98ebebeffdfdecd8faf4f5b6fff7ee"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="c8bbbbbfadadbc88aaa4a5e6afa7be">[email protected]</span></a>. Stephanie Kuhns, Planning and Environmental Specialist; 
telephone: 907-271-4208; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d2a1b9a7babca192b0bebffcb5bda4"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="05766e706d6b76456769682b626a73">[email protected]</span></a>.
    At the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS): Bobbie Jo 
Skibo, Strategic Conservation and Coastal Plain Coordinator; telephone: 
907-441-1539; email: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dab8b5b8b8b3bfb0b585a9b1b3b8b59abcada9f4bdb5ac"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="17757875757e727d7848647c7e75785771606439707861">[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 for contacting 
Ms. Sweet. 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: The Final Leasing SEIS was developed by the 
BLM and USFWS as joint lead agencies to address deficiencies in the 
2019 Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Environmental Impact 
Statement (EIS) and the 2020 Record of Decision (ROD) implementing the 
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing 
Program (85 FR 51754).
    The joint lead agencies have prepared this Leasing SEIS in 
accordance with NEPA to implement an oil and gas leasing program in the 
Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. This Leasing SEIS 
serves to inform BLM's implementation of the Public Law 115-97, section 
20001(c)(1), requirement to hold two lease sales of at least 400,000 
acres each by December 22, 2024. It also informs management of on-the-
ground oil and gas activities, including seismic and drilling 
exploration, development, and transportation of oil and gas in and from 
the Coastal Plain.
    The Leasing SEIS considers and analyzes the environmental impacts 
of four action alternatives for implementation of an oil and gas 
program in the Coastal Plain, including the areas to offer for sale, 
and the indirect impacts that could result in consideration of 
hypothetical development. The joint lead agencies have identified 
Alternative D2 as their preferred alternative. This Leasing SEIS does 
not authorize on-the-ground oil and gas exploration or development 
activities; it evaluates which lands will be made available for lease 
and the terms and conditions to be applied to leases and on-the-ground 
oil and gas activities. Future on-the-ground actions requiring BLM 
approval, including proposed exploration plans and development 
proposals, would require further NEPA analysis based on the project-
specific proposal.
    Although section 20001(a)(2) and (b)(2)(A) of Public Law 115-97 
assigns responsibility to the BLM for administering the oil and gas 
program, it is understood that all activities, including plan 
development, study development, and consideration of exceptions, 
modifications, waivers, or any operations that are proposed to be 
conducted on the surface of the Coastal Plain would include close 
coordination with the USFWS to ensure that its considerations as the 
surface management agency would be taken into account. In addition, the 
BLM would consult or coordinate with other appropriate federal, state, 
and North Slope Borough agencies, Tribal Governments, Alaska Native 
Claims Settlement Act corporations, and other Native organizations as 
appropriate.
    Comments on the Draft Leasing SEIS received from the public and 
internal BLM and USFWS review were considered and incorporated as 
appropriate into the Final SEIS. In response to public comment and 
cooperating agency input, the joint lead agencies developed alternative 
D2, a variation on alternative D.

(Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 40 CFR 1506.10)

Steven M. Cohn,
BLM Alaska State Director.
[FR Doc. 2024-26039 Filed 11-7-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331-10-P


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