§ 2361.1 - Purpose.

§ 2361.1 Protection of the environment.

(a) The authorized officer shall take such action, including monitoring, as he deems necessary to mitigate or avoid unnecessary surface damage and to minimize ecological disturbance throughout the reserve to the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act for the exploration of the reserve.

(b) The Cooperative Procedures of January 18, 1977, for National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska between the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Geological Survey (GS) (42 FR 4542, January 25, 1977) provides the procedures for the mutual cooperation and interface of authority and responsibility between GS and BLM concerning petroleum exploration activities (i.e., geophysical and drilling operations), the protection of the environment during such activities in the Reserve, and other related activities.

(c) Maximum protection measures shall be taken on all actions within the Utikok River Uplands, Colville River, and Teshekpuk Lake special areas, and any other special areas identified by the Secretary as having significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, or historical or scenic value. The boundaries of these areas and any other special areas identified by the Secretary shall be identified on maps and be available for public inspection in the Fairbanks District Office. In addition, the legal description of the three special areas designated herein and any new areas identified hereafter will be published in the Federal Register and appropriate local newspapers. Maximum protection may include, but is not limited to, requirements for:

(1) Rescheduling activities and use of alternative routes,

(2) types of vehicles and loadings,

(3) limiting types of aircraft in combination with minimum flight altitudes and distances from identified places, and

(4) special fuel handling procedures.

(d) Recommendations for additional special areas may be submitted at any time to the authorized officer. Each recommendation shall contain a description of the values which make the area special, the size and location of the area on appropriate USGS quadrangle maps, and any other pertinent information. The authorized officer shall seek comments on the recommendation(s) from interested public agencies, groups, and persons. These comments shall be submitted along with his recommendation to the Secretary. Pursuant to section 104(b) of the Act, the Secretary may designate that area(s) which he determines to have special values requiring maximum protection. Any such designated area shall be identified in accordance with the provision of § 2361.1(c) of this subpart.

(e)

(1) To the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act and after consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies and Native organizations, the authorized officer may limit, restrict, or prohibit use of and access to lands within the Reserve, including special areas. On proper notice as determined by the authorized officer, such actions may be taken to protect fish and wildlife breeding, nesting, spawning, lambing of calving activity, major migrations of fish and wildlife, and other environmental, scenic, or historic values.

(2) The consultation requirement in § 2361.1(e)(1) of this subpart is not required when the authorized officer determines that emergency measures are required.

(f) No site, structure, object, or other values of historical archaelogical, cultural, or paleontological character, including but not limited to historic and prehistoric remains, fossils, and artifacts, shall be injured, altered, destroyed, or collected without a current Federal Antiquities permit

Purpose.

The purpose of the regulations in this subpart is to provide procedures for protection and control of the environmental, fish and wildlife, and historical and scenic values of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska from significantly adverse effects of oil and gas activities on the surface resources of the Reserve and assuring maximum protection of significant resource values in Special Areas pursuant to and consistent with the provisions of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (90 Stat. 303; 42 U.S.C. 6501 et seq.), Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (94 Stat. 2371, 16 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.), and other applicable authorities.