ANCSA 17(d)(1) Withdrawals Final Environmental Impact Statement, Alaska

Notice of Availability of the Record of Decision for the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act 17(d)(1) Withdrawals Final Environmental Impact Statement, Alaska

The Bureau of Land Management announces the availability of the Record of Decision (ROD) for the ANCSA 17(d)(1) Withdrawals Final EIS in Alaska. The Secretary of the Interior signed the ROD on August 23, 2024, selecting the No Action Alternative, which keeps in place the ANCSA section 17(d)(1) withdrawals affecting approximately 28 million acres across the Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, East Alaska, Kobuk-Seward Peninsula, and Ring of Fire planning areas. A companion Public Land Order (No. 7947) simultaneously rescinds PLO Nos. 7899 through 7903, which had been issued with procedural and legal defects including insufficient NEPA analysis.

Notice of Availability of the ANCSA 17(d)(1) Withdrawals Final Environmental Impact Statement, Alaska

The Bureau of Land Management issued a Notice of Availability for the Final EIS evaluating the potential revocation of ANCSA Section 17(d)(1) withdrawals covering approximately 28 million acres across five Alaska planning areas: Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, East Alaska, Kobuk-Seward Peninsula, and Ring of Fire. The 2021 Action (Public Land Orders 7899 through 7903) was found to have procedural and legal defects, including insufficient NEPA analysis, prompting this updated EIS. Four alternatives range from retaining all withdrawals to full revocation, with partial revocation options in between. Revocation could open lands to mineral extraction and rights-of-way, with significant potential impacts to subsistence uses for many Alaska Native communities.