[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 199 (Wednesday, October 15, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59415-59416]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-25286]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[AK-310-2810-DG]
Notice of Intent To Amend Land Use Plans and Prepare an
Associated Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent to amend land use plans in Alaska and prepare
an Associated Environmental Assessment.
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SUMMARY: This document provides notice that the Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) intends to address wildland fire and fuels management
in its land use plans, through a statewide plan amendment and
Environmental Assessment (EA). This amendment will provide a consistent
approach for incorporating current wildland fire and fuels management
policy into land use plans in order to comply with the National Fire
Plan and 2001 Federal Fire Policy. It will also provide interim
guidance for wildland fire and fuels management on BLM-managed lands
for which completion of new land use plans is scheduled or on-going.
The amendment will include an analysis of fire and fuels management
actions on a landscape scale and their impacts on the human
environment. An EA level analysis is anticipated to be sufficient to
address the complexity of known issues.
The amendment will provide wildland fire and fuels management
direction to all public lands managed by the Anchorage, Glennallen and
Northern Field Offices. The following land use plans will be addressed
during this amendment process and amended as appropriate: the Southwest
Management Framework Plan (MFP), Southcentral MFP, Fortymile MFP,
Northwest MFP, Central Yukon Resource Management Plan (RMP), White
Mountains National Recreation Area RMP, Utility Corridor RMP, Fort
Wainwright RMP, Fort Greely RMP, and the Steese National Conservation
Area RMP. Fire management direction will also be developed for the
National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska in conjunction with this planning
effort.
Several concurrent land use planning efforts will be occurring at
each Field Office. These include the Ring of Fire RMP (Anchorage Field
Office, draft due 2004, final 2005), the Kobuck-Seward RMP (Northern
Field Office, scheduled to begin 2004), and the East Alaska RMP
(Glennallen Field Office, draft due 2004, final 2005). The fire
decisions reached through the fire planning effort outlined in this
Federal Register notice will be incorporated into these and other
future land use planning efforts as they are completed.
The Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) planning process
(43 CFR 1600) will be used for all lands, except for the Alaska
Petroleum Reserve-Alaska lands, which are not governed by the FLPMA
planning process. The BLM will work closely with interested parties to
identify the management decisions that are best suited to the needs of
the public. This process will take into account local, regional and
national needs and concerns. This includes public and firefighter
safety. This notice initiates the public scoping process to identify
specific issues and develop planning criteria. The scoping process will
include an evaluation of the needs and interests of the public.
DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of
this notice and end 60 days after publication. Comments regarding
issues and planning criteria should be received on or before the end of
the scoping period. Specific dates and locations for public
participation will be published in local papers and broadcast on local
community calendars at a later date.
ADDRESSES: Comments regarding the Wildland Fire and Fuels Management
Land Use Plan Amendment for Alaska should be sent to: Planning and
Environmental Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire
Service, P.O. Box 35005, Ft. Wainwright, AK 99703.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Lynch, Planning and Environmental
Coordinator, Bureau of Land Management, Alaska Fire Service, P.O. Box
35005, Ft. Wainwright, AK 99703, (907) 356-5863.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments, including names and street
addresses of respondents, will be available for public review at the
above address during regular business hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except holidays, and may be published as part of
the EA. Individual respondents may request confidentiality. If you wish
to withhold your name or street address from public review or from
disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act, you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your written comment. Such requests
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. All submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying
themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or
businesses, will be made available for public inspection in their
entirety. Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the
Alaska Fire Service at the address listed above.
Fire suppression in Alaska has been addressed on an interagency,
multi-jurisdictional, landscape scale in the Alaska Interagency
Wildland Fire Management Plan 1998 (AIWFMP). Four appropriate
management responses defined as Management Options
[[Page 59416]]
(Critical, Full, Limited, and Modified) are identified in the plan. The
four management options offer land managers a choice of the full range
of suppression alternatives. Aggressive initial attack to surveillance
to be implemented by the suppression organizations are options that
have been included. BLM-managed lands in Alaska have designated
management options. However, wildland fire management encompasses more
than suppression actions. A spectrum of fire and fuels management
activities to achieve ecosystem sustainability, accomplish resource-
related objectives and protect communities or public safety are
available. Current Federal fire policy states that land use plans will
define and identify overall wildland fire and fuel management direction
to meet land use and resource management objectives.
The proposed plan amendment and planning process would improve
wildland fire management on BLM-managed lands in Alaska and more
adequately integrate fire management direction with resource objectives
by: (1) Reviewing management option designations and documenting
related resource objectives and criteria to evaluate changing those
designations (2) establishing broad objectives for wildland fire and
fuels management, (3) identifying general guidelines for fuel
treatments, and (4) identifying general restrictions for fire
management practices. Anticipated issues for the plan amendments
include: protection of human life, protection of property, protection
of natural and cultural resources, integration of fire and resource
management, and wildlife habitat. The interdisciplinary planning team
will be comprised of resource specialists with the expertise necessary
to address these issues.
The planning process will allow the public, Native organizations,
State and Federal agencies, local elected officials, and BLM subject
matter specialists to participate in scoping and alternative
development and analysis. Public scoping to identify specific issues to
be addressed in the plan will be an early opportunity for the public to
provide input. Subsequent opportunities for public involvement will
occur at specific stages in the planning process. Agency
representatives and interested persons are invited to contact Alaska
Fire Service officials at any time during the EA process.
Dated: August 19, 2003.
Henri Bisson,
Alaska State Director.
[FR Doc. 03-25286 Filed 10-14-03; 8:45 am]
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