RDC urges Forest Service to amend Tongass plan
In extensive comments to the U.S. Forest Service, RDC said the 2008 Tongass Land Management Plan (TLMP) needs to be amended in order for the nation’s largest national forest to better provide for the economic needs of Southeast Alaska communities and residents.
The plan is currently undergoing a five-year review and revisions to it will help determine what is allowed to take place in the forest.
RDC said a modified plan should help provide for a fullyintegrated forest products industry and development of mineral prospects in the forest.
RDC noted the Tongass was established as a multiple use working forest but it is now being managed like a national park. Today, only four percent of the forest is available for logging and most of it is closed to other development activities.
Under the federal government’s current management direction, the Tongass is likely to produce little in the way of resources to support local economies. Changes to TLMP have trumped the congressional mandate to provide for the needs of citizens and communities.
Among a number of recommendations, RDC urged the Forest Service to honor its 2003 settlement agreement with the State of Alaska to exempt the Tongass from the Roadless Rule. To read RDC’s comments, please visit: akrdc.org/alerts/2013/tlmpcomments.html
Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Steller sea lion jeopardizes NEPA process
A recent Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) on Steller sea lion protection measures in the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands management area has drawn deep criticism from virtually every stakeholder.
Industry groups, environmental organizations, and members of the public recently testified to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council (NPFMC) that the current DEIS does not contain complete supporting analysis and that key information needed to make an informed decision on a preferred alternative is missing, in turn jeopardizing the NEPA process.
Additionally, the DEIS cites draft unpublished studies throughout the document and does not address the recent scientific reviews of the 2010 Biological Opinion (BiOp), which asserted that there is no scientific support that fisheries jeopardize Steller sea lions through competition for prey.
In June, NPFMC recommended that the DEIS should, at minimum, contain a section addressing the Independent Reviews of the 2010 BiOp and NMFS’ response to the issues identified, emphasizing that accurate scientific analysis is essential to implementing NEPA.
Public comment ended on the DEIS in July. To view RDC’s comments, visit akrdc.org.
Arctic environmental document is unworkable
A supplemental environmental impact statement on the impacts of oil and gas exploration activities in the Arctic Ocean is unworkable and seriously flawed, RDC wrote the National Marine Fisheries Service.
The agency is conducting the environmental impact statement (EIS) to help it make determinations on permitting exploration activities in the Arctic. RDC said there is no demonstrated need for the EIS, given authorizations and regulations have been issued on a project-by-project basis under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which has proven effective in protecting marine mammals.
RDC said that proposed measures within the EIS are unwarranted and warned they could preclude future development.
RDC weighs in on Arctic strategy
The federal government should play a critical role in ensuring essential resources are developed in a safe and timely manner, RDC told a high level federal panel that met in Anchorage last month to receive input from Alaskans on the National Strategy for the Arctic Region.
RDC urged government agencies to coordinate efforts to move forward in harnessing the Arctic’s potential, as opposed to taking actions which indefinitely stall development opportunities.
“There are formidable challenges to operating in the Arctic and more research and study is needed to get a clearer understanding of this vast region,” RDC said. “However, a pre-cautionary approach demanding that all questions be answered and data gaps filled before any kind of development moves forward, is unreasonable and would essentially equate to a moratorium on development and commerce. If such an approach was followed in the 1960s and 70s, the vast North Slope oil fields would never have been developed and Alaska’s economy today would be half its size.”
RDC said the objective and focus should be on the sustainable and responsible development of the region’s natural resources as opposed to paralysis by analysis.
Serious consideration and accommodations need to be given to traditional uses and subsistence, research efforts must be accelerated and advanced, and key infrastructure should be developed, RDC said.
“All of this can occur as part of the process of advancing responsible resource development, as was done when Americans embarked on the deliberate, but responsible development of the vast energy resources of the remote and challenging North Slope, more than a generation ago,” RDC said. “Research and infrastructure expansion occurred simultaneously with exploration and development activities.”
Tonya Parish serving as RDC intern this summer
RDC has a new face around the office this summer in helping to grow Alaska through responsible resource development.
Tonya Parish, a student at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, is covering a wide range of duties, from litigation research to getting to know the business of RDC members in all industries.
Parish will be a junior in the fall, where she will continue to study marketing and psychology. In addition to interning at RDC, this past March Parish spent spring break interning for Senator Kevin Meyer.
“A Dimond High graduate, with roots here in Alaska, we are eager to see Tonya return to Alaska after attaining her degree,” said Rick Rogers, RDC Executive Director. “The importance of educating our youth can’t be neglected, and an internship is a good way to get your foot in the door.”
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