ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Bureau of Land Management is holding eight public scoping meetings to gather public comments that help guide the development of a new Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) and associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the 22.1-million acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A).
Meetings will be held in the following communities:
* Anchorage: Monday, Dec. 10, 5:30-8:30 pm at the BLM Campbell Creek Science Center
* Atqasuk: Tuesday, Dec. 11, 7-10 pm at the community center
* Anaktuvuk Pass: Wednesday, Dec. 12, 7-10 pm at the community center
* Fairbanks: Thursday, Dec. 13, 5:30-8:30 pm at the Morris Thompson Center
Meetings planned for the following communities were postponed due to the Nov. 30 earthquake in Anchorage and will be rescheduled:
* Wainwright: at the community center
* Point Lay: at the community center
* Utqiaġvik: at the Iñupiat Heritage Center
* Nuiqsut: at the community center
The purpose of the IAP and EIS is to develop a new management strategy for the NPR-A consistent with Secretarial Order 3352, which was signed in June 2017. The order calls for the review and development of a revised IAP “that strikes an appropriate balance of promoting development while protecting surface resources."
The BLM published the Notice of Intent in the Federal Register Nov. 21, 2018. This initiated a 45-day public scoping period that will conclude Jan. 7, 2019. Comments may be submitted at the public scoping meetings or by regular mail to: BLM Alaska State Office, Attention - NPR-A IAP/EIS, 222 W. 7th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99513. Comments may also be faxed to (907) 271-5479 or submitted online at http://www.blm.gov/alaska/NPR-A-IAP-EIS. Comments must be received before the end of the scoping period to be included in the scoping report.
Source: U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management
