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US House passes omnibus lands bill
The omnibus lands bill, passed by the U.S. House of Representatives March 25, concurred with a version already passed by the Senate and was signed by President Barak Obama March 30.
There are 160-plus bills in the Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009.
Alaska provisions include authorization for the secretary of the Interior to determine whether a land exchange between the state and King Cove Native Corp. and Interior allowing a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is in the public interest.
In the proposed exchange the state would receive some 1,800 acres and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service would receive nearly 62,000 acres.
This would be the first step to a road between King Cove and the all-weather airport in Cold Bay.
EIS required The bill requires an environmental impact statement, a process that could take one to two years. The Interior secretary would then determine whether the land exchange is in the public interest, based on the EIS and mitigation efforts in the bill.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would need to issue permits for any road because of area wetlands. The bill also requires the state to work with Fish and Wildlife on mitigation measures to protect waterfowl.
The bill specifies that other than taxis and other shared rides, the road would be only for noncommercial purposes.
If built, the road would be a single-lane gravel road, and a wire barrier would be required on either side.
The bill also amends the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act to authorize the federal coordinator to establish fees that could be spent without further appropriation from Congress for activities authorized under current law.
—Petroleum News
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