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Alaska Resource Advisory Council

Meeting Summary

BLM Northern Field Office
1150 University Avenue, Fairbanks, AK

April 25-26, 2002

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Thursday, April 25, 2002

Council members present:	BLM representatives present:
Charlie Boddy	Gene Terland, Acting Associate State Director
Tom Crafford	Jerry Brossia, Joint Pipeline Office
Gary "Gus" Gustafson, Chair	Rob McWhorter, Joint Pipeline Office
Larry Houle	Ramone McCoy, Glennallen Field Office
Susan Olsen	Susan Will, Northern Field Manager
Jim Posey	Gary Foreman, Northern Field Manager
Paul Roehl	Mike Kleven, Northern Field Manager
Rick Solie, Jr.	Herb Brownell, Northern Field Manager
John Stroud	Lenore Heppler, Northern Field Manager
David van den Berg, vice chair	Teresa McPherson, External Affairs (recorder)

Council members absent:
Sandra Key
Stephen Simmons
Larry Taylor

The chair called the meeting to order at 1 p.m.

The chair welcomed council members and BLM representatives and opened the meeting with a safety moment. The council then reviewed and accepted the agenda as proposed. The council also approved January 2002 RAC meeting minutes as written. The chair called for anyone wishing to speak during public comment. No members of the public were present, so the RAC returned to the agenda.

State Director's Update

Gene Terland explained Fran Cherry was in Salt Lake City attending the Environmental Summit on the West II, sponsored by the Western Governors Association and the White House Council on Environmental Quality. He said Cherry would fly back later in the day to attend the second day of the RAC meeting and provide a summary of the summit. He said Linda Rundell was on a 60-day detail in Washington and would return the first week of June.

Field managers provided a brief update of their respective field offices.

Ramone McCoy, Glennallen Field Office

McCoy handed out a summary of work efforts at the field office. She also provided copies of the Gulkana River planning newsletter and said public meetings on the draft Gulkana River Management Plan would be held in Fairbanks, Anchorage and Glennallen. BLM will then develop a preferred alternative for amending the river management plan by the end of 2002. McCoy said BLM has 19 pending applications for commercial use of the river.

Trail inventory and assessment work continues. An additional 120 miles of trail will be inventoried this summer.

March wrapped up the federal subsistence caribou hunt. Most hunters were cooperative, but some illegal hunting and waste occurred.

BLM permitted the Arctic Man snowmachine race. Approximately 7,500 persons participated. BLM includes stips in the permit for cleanup.

RAC members asked how heliski operations went. McCoy said BLM had staff on site to monitor activities one to two times a week. One operator was cited for operating prior to getting a permit. The season ends May 1. BLM will hold a post season meeting May 13 to assess how the process worked.

Several members of the RAC also expressed concern over the wanton waste of caribou meat that resulted from illegal hunting during the federal subsistence openings. This was particularly troublesome given the recent reduction in the size of the Nelchina caribou herd.

Susan Will, Northern Field Office

Will said Bob Schneider was in Barrow to attend a meeting of the North Slope Borough Planning Commission and would be back to attend day two of the RAC meeting.

Will asked Herb Brownell to provide an update on the NPR-A Subsistence Advisory Panel and Research and Monitoring Team.

Brownell said the Subsistence Advisory Panel is a government-to-government advisory board with representatives from the borough and North Slope villages who advise BLM on issues relating to subsistence and oil and gas exploration and development activities. While this panel was created as a result of stips in the Northeast NPR-A plan, BLM uses the panel to identify issues for the entire reserve.

Brownell explained the subsistence panel provides local traditional knowledge, while the Research and Monitoring Team supplements this with scientific data. The team includes borough, state, and federal representatives, industry reps, academicians, and members from the public at large. The team will identify areas where more data are needed. BLM will look at ways to use other organizations, such as the Nature Conservancy or USGS, to assist in this research.

Stroud asked how BLM monitors the effectiveness of stipulations and expressed concerns about BLM conducting planning for NW NPR-A before evaluating the effectiveness of the stipulations in the NE plan. Brownell said BLM had and would continue to monitor the stipulations, but planning for NW NPR-A would continue as part of the national energy strategy.

Will thanked Brownell and continued with a summary of field office efforts. BLM has authorized Phillips to leave a well rig in place over the summer at Puviaq. The rig will be used for exploration work on leases west of Teshekpuk Lake next season. Phillips consulted with cabin and allotment owners from Barrow before BLM approved the permit.

Will asked Lenore Heppler to provide an update on the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center. Heppler said BLM would break ground for the center in about six weeks. The timeline calls for the center to open in June of 2003, but the project is over budget due to problems with cost estimates. Heppler showed an artist's rendering of the center's design.

Will then gave an overview of cleanup efforts of several old exploratory wells at Umiat. Two wells are within 150 feet of the Colville River. The riverbank has eroded, causing concerns that the wells could be compromised and contaminate the river. A Corps of Engineers contractor began cleanup of the site in 2001. The Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation will inspect the site to determine the extent of cleanup needed.

Anchorage Field Office

Gene Terland explained Anchorage Field Manager Peter Ditton couldn't make the meeting, but provided a written summary of current work efforts.

The Anchorage Water and Wastewater Utility task force has identified a preferred route for the waterline extension through the Campbell Tract and Far North Bicentennial Park. The preferred route follows an existing utility corridor along the west boundary of BLM's Campbell Tract. A third-party contractor is completing an environmental assessment. BLM will then issue a decision and right-of-way grant.

Terland provided a handout about a firearms and fireworks closure at the Knik River access on the Glenn Highway. Target shooting at the site has resulted in safety hazards and illegal dumping. BLM law enforcement officers will work with State Troopers to cite violators. The area will remain open to licensed hunters during hunting seasons.

Next, Paul Roehl introduced a resolution re obsolete land withdrawals on BBNC lands.
Roehl said the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC) lands total 34 million acres, of which 19 million are encompassed in national and state refuges, monuments, parks and preserves. Commercial fishing has recently taken a hit and Bristol Bay residents need other sources of income. Magnetic anomalies indicate mineral potential on lands tied up in withdrawals which are no longer needed.

Roehl drafted a resolution asking that BLM revoke obsolete withdrawals and restore the lands to the public domain to encourage economic diversity within the Bristol Bay region.

RAC members asked what happens to withdrawals if they are no longer needed for the purposes for which they were set aside. Terland explained many withdrawals have no specific sunset date, but are evaluated during land use planning. Members discussed whether this situation was best addressed region by region, or whether to ask BLM to address obsolete withdrawals on a statewide basis. Gustafson noted this approach would impact other BLM work efforts, that revocation is a legal process which takes time and funding.

Some RAC members felt the issue would resolve itself during regular land use planning. Others favored asking BLM to address the issue now. One member wanted to hear from agencies for which the lands were withdrawn before asking BLM to initiate revocation. Other members felt it would be best for BBNC to first adopt its own resolution on the matter before the RAC should take up the issue.

The chair suggested the RAC table the topic for the day, and asked members to give some thought to how they'd like to proceed on the following day.

BREAK

TAPS right-of-way reauthorization process

The chair introduced Joint Pipeline Officer Jerry Brossia, who provided an overview of the TAPS reauthorization process. Brossia introduced project manager Rob McWhorter.

Brossia explained the Joint Pipeline Office (JPO) provides a synergistic approach to pipeline oversight by serving as a one-stop source for permits, technical reviews, and compliance verification. JPO's objectives are to move oil safely while protecting assets, public safety, and the environment. Brossia highlighted the steps involved in both the federal and state renewal processes and reviewed timelines.

Scoping comments focused on the following topics:

age and condition of the pipeline system

maintenance and support operations

climate changes

Native hire

citizen oversight

Rob McWhorter then reviewed project milestones and timelines. The draft EIS will be available for public comment in early July. Public hearings will follow through early August. The final EIS will be ready in late November, with the Record of Decision issued by December 30.

Meeting recessed 4:15 p.m.

Friday, April 26, 2002

The chair reconvened the meeting at 8:40 a.m. He explained State Director Fran Cherry's flight was delayed, but Cherry might be able to teleconference in later in the day. The chair said Paul Roehl was ill but would like to teleconference in from his hotel when the RAC was ready to resume discussion of his resolution of the previous day.

Northwest NPR-A & Colville planning

Bob Schneider introduced Gary Foreman and Mike Kleven of the Northwest NPR-A and Colville planning team. Schneider gave a PowerPoint presentation on the Northwest NPR-A planning schedule.

Scoping meetings

A total of 136 persons attended eight scoping meetings held over the winter by the BLM. BLM identified two issues of special concern based on public comments: 1) management of bays and lagoons between barrier islands and the mainland, and 2) management of the Colville River on a watershed basis. As a result, BLM adjusted the boundary of the planning area. The entire portion of the Colville River watershed under BLM control is now in the South NPR-A planning area.

The overriding concern from North Slope meetings was protection of subsistence resources from the impacts of leasing and from special land use allocations such as wilderness and wild and scenic river designation. Other concerns included scope of the plan, unrealistic development scenarios, confusion over the boundary of the study area, and public understanding of planning and the oil and gas permitting process.

Written comments

BLM received 21 written comments on the Northwest NPR-A plan from individuals, industry, the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, and conservation groups.

Written comments included the following concerns:

How stipulations from NE NPR-A plan are evaluated and/or applied to NW NPR-A plan

Short exploration season and logistical considerations

Need for clear federal, state & local government jurisdictions

Impacts to subsistence and cultural uses

Consultation with local residents

Need for permanent protection of sensitive areas through formal designation of wilderness and wild and scenic rivers

Need for resource inventories prior to making decisions

Long term cumulative effects of leasing activities

Evaluate effectiveness of the NE NPR-A stipulations before adopting stipulations in the NW NPR-A plan

Development of the Draft Integrated Activity Plan/EIS and Alternatives
Schneider said the planning team will continue analysis of scoping comments, resource/land use information, impacts, and alternatives. The team has identified five alternatives:

No Action

Alternative A: areas of important surface resources closed to leasing, remainder open

Alternative B: all planning area open for leasing except wilderness assessment units and bays and lagoons

Alternative C: all planning area open for leasing except Kasegaluk Lagoon

Alternative D: all planning area open to oil and gas leasing

Schneider said the team's preferred alternative at this point is C. However, BLM might borrow site-specific requirements from alternative B in some cases, such as protections for the yellow-billed loon.

Next steps
BLM is currently working with the Minerals Management Service to develop scenarios for oil and gas leasing, exploration and development.

The team will continue to define assumptions and predictions for each alternative and begin drafting impact analysis in May. BLM will continue consultation and coordination with federal, state, borough, tribal governments, stakeholders, and the public.

Gary Foreman gave an overview of Colville River planning

Scoping ended in March. BLM received 14 comments from the public. The primary concern expressed was the need to plan for the Colville River on a watershed basis and to protect wilderness and wild and scenic river values.

Foreman said the Colville River is now under the South NPR-A planning area scheduled for 2004 or 2005. Data collection will continue, but BLM will delay actual writing of the plan. RAC members asked to see a revised boundary map, which Klevin provided during the break.

BREAK

Following the break, State Director Fran Cherry joined the meeting via teleconference.

Cherry said he'd just returned from a meeting with BLM Director Kathleen Clarke in Salt Lake City. He reported that the Director is customer oriented and excited about increasing BLM's involvement with RACs around the country.

Cherry said Clarke planned a fall conference with RAC chairs in Phoenix. The conference will focus on how the councils function, what can be improved, and how RACs can help BLM achieve collaborative, community-based solutions. The conference will include a satellite downlink with RACs in each state.

Cherry then provided highlights from the environmental summit in Salt Lake City. He said BLM and western states are looking at ways to reduce fire danger and improve forest health.

Energy needs were a big topic at the summit, and BLM lands in the west are key to meeting these energy needs. Summit participants talked about ways to make BLM's planning process more friendly so energy credits don't expire during the process. BLM will look at sites with high energy potential in determining planning priorities.

Another huge issue for western states is competing demands for water and lowering water tables as the West grapples with the largest drought in the last 100 years.

RAC members asked Cherry about a proposed rule amending regulations pertaining to recordable disclaimers of interest in land. Members asked if this rule could be used by states to assert RS 2477 routes. Cherry said he hadn't reviewed the rule and couldn't comment, but would research what this might mean to BLM and report back.

The chair then asked John Stroud to introduce his resolution.

Stroud explained that during the RAC's visit to the Colville River last summer, members talked about the RAC's 1998 resolution asking BLM to adopt a preferred alternative for the Northeast NPR-A that ensures "maximum protection" of the Colville River Special Area prior to any development activities.

Stroud said conservation members on the RAC want to introduce a resolution which reinforces that request when BLM begins planning for the Colville area. He read a draft resolution and said he would provide copies later in the meeting.

The RAC then looked at a map of the Colville area showing the revised planning boundaries. Members discussed the purpose of the reserve and the special area designation. Conservation members wanted the Colville removed from current planning efforts in favor of a more holistic approach, and felt this request was compatible with the RAC's earlier resolution.

Bob Childers

Childers said he was on the mail list for the northwest planning effort. He said he had read the materials provided and had concerns that BLM had used political boundaries rather than watershed boundaries to identify planning areas within NPR-A.

LUNCH

Roehl resolution (from day one)
Following the lunch break, the chair announced Paul Roehl had returned to Anchorage due to illness and would be unable to speak to his resolution. He then asked how the RAC wanted to proceed regarding Roehl's resolution. The RAC decided to proceed with a discussion but to defer a decision on voting.

Terland said planning for BLM lands in the Bristol Bay region was scheduled for 2004/2005. Members then discussed whether Roehl's resolution was too specific to BBNC given that similar obsolete withdrawals were a problem throughout the state.

The RAC decided to table a vote for this meeting and instead present the State Director with a written request encompassed in the following motion:

"The RAC hereby requests that the BLM Alaska State Director complete an analysis of outdated, archaic and unnecessary public land withdrawals on BLM lands across Alaska. The RAC further requests that the BLM provide the RAC with recommendations on how the BLM intends to address this issue at its next regularly scheduled meeting."

The motion passed without exception.

Stroud resolution: Stroud said he would like to work on the Colville River Special Area draft resolution and would distribute to the RAC 2-4 weeks prior to the next regular meeting.

July Denali Highway field tour

Glennallen Field Manager Ramone McCoy led a discussion about the RAC's scheduled tour of the Denali Highway July 29-30. McCoy said the area is rich in cultural, visual, recreation, and subsistence recourses. The RAC viewed slides of some of the area's resources.

McCoy said the Tangle Lakes archaeological district has dense concentrations of prehistoric sites, so OHV use is permitted only on designated trails. Much of the Denali Highway area is state selected and rich in mineral values. McCoy passed out a geology guide and suggested members bring the guide with them for the field tour.

McCoy and council members decided to limit the tour to the east end of the highway due to time and distance constraints. The RAC decided to drive to Glennallen Sunday afternoon (July 28) and meet from 7-9 p.m. The tour would begin the following morning and conclude Wednesday evening, July 30. McCoy agreed to finalize an itinerary based on the RAC's suggestions and provide to the RAC well in advance of the trip.

Following the field tour, the next regular meeting of the RAC is scheduled for October 15-16 to be held in Anchorage.

Meeting adjourned at 2:15 p.m.

Please contact the Alaska RAC Coordinator for further information.