Bureau of Land Management seeks public input for supplemental analysis of Willow project
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ANCHORAGE, Alaska – The Bureau of Land Management will publish an opportunity for public input to inform its development of a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the Willow Master Development Plan submitted by Conoco Phillips Alaska, Inc., which will be available in the Federal Register’s Reading Room tomorrow morning. The supplemental analysis will address deficiencies identified in the August 2021 U.S. District Court of Alaska decision to vacate the earlier Record of Decision and Final EIS and ensure compliance with applicable law.
The supplemental analysis is an opportunity for the BLM to receive meaningful input from federal agencies, environmental organizations, Alaska Native Tribes and corporations, industry organizations, numerous State of Alaska agencies, and the affected communities along the North Slope.
The Bureau’s Alaska State Office is coordinating closely with eight cooperating agencies (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, North Slope Borough, State of Alaska, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Native Village of Nuiqsut, and City of Nuiqsut) and external stakeholders to develop the supplemental analysis. The BLM will also undertake formal consultation with Alaska Native Tribes and Alaska Native Corporations during the review.
Members of the public are encouraged to submit comments and input during this informal scoping period. Information on how to comment can be found at: eplanning.blm.gov/eplanning-ui/project/109410/510. Public input concerning the scope of the analysis and identification of relevant information, studies, and analyses to be considered may be submitted electronically in the Documents tab or by mail to 222 W. 7th Avenue, Stop #13, Anchorage, AK 99513. The BLM will accept public input until March 9, 2022.
The BLM anticipates publishing a Draft Supplemental EIS in the second quarter of 2022. Public meetings will be held after the Draft Supplemental EIS is released.
For more information on this project, please contact BLM project manager Stephanie Rice at srice@blm.gov.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.