ANCSA Section 17(d)(1) Public Land Order EIS

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the revocation of withdrawals pursuant to ANCSA Section 17(d)(1) on lands in the Ring of Fire, Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, and East Alaska planning areas. The EIS will address the legal defects in the decision making processes for PLO Nos. 7899, 7900, 7901, 7902, and 7903 and will ensure compliance with the requirements of NEPA, Section 204(i) of FLPMA, Section 106 of the NHPA, Section 7 of the ESA, and Section 810 of ANILCA.  Full or partial revocation of the ANCSA 17(d)(1) withdrawals may result in changes to land use that could affect local residents, wildlife, vegetation, cultural resources, subsistence use, air resources, and water resources across up to 28 million acres of BLM-administered land in Alaska. ABR is providing subject matter experts in wetlands, vegetation, wildlife, fish and aquatic habitat, birds, and landscape ecology, to conduct impact analysis, write resource sections of the EIS, and support agency consultation required by Section 7 of the Endangered Species Act and for Essential Fish Habitat.