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.

The primary statutory authority for this subpart is the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, as amended by the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. L. 96-514). Additional authority is provided by the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.)—other than the land use planning and wilderness study requirements, which do not apply to the Reserve under 42 U.S.C. 6506a(c)—and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.).

The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the surface and subsurface management of the Reserve, including protecting surface resources from environmental degradation and assuring maximum protection of significant resource values in Special Areas. The Act authorizes the Bureau to prepare rules and regulations necessary to carry out surface management and protection duties.

As used in this subpart, the term:

Act means the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 (as amended and codified at 42 U.S.C. 6501-6508).

Authorized officer means any employee of the Bureau of Land Management who has been delegated the authority to perform the duties of this subpart.

Bureau means the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

Co-Stewardship broadly refers to cooperative and collaborative engagements of Bureau land managers and Tribes related to shared interests in managing, conserving, and preserving natural and cultural resources under the primary responsibility of Federal land managers. Such cooperative and collaborative engagements can take a wide variety of forms based on the circumstances and applicable authorities in each case. Forms of co-stewardship may include, among other forms, sharing of technical expertise; combining Tribal and Bureau capabilities to improve resource management and advance the responsibilities and interests of each; and making Tribal knowledge, experience, and perspectives integral to the public's experience of Federal lands.

Exploration means activities conducted on the Reserve for the purpose of evaluating petroleum resources, including crude oil, gases (including natural gas), natural gasoline, and other related hydrocarbons, oil shale, and the products of any such resources.

Indigenous Knowledge (IK) means a body of observations, oral and written knowledge, practices, and beliefs developed by Tribes and Indigenous Peoples through interaction and experience with the environment. It is applied to phenomena across biological, physical, social, and cultural systems. IK can be developed over millennia, continues to develop, and includes understanding based on evidence acquired through direct contact with the environment and long-term experiences, as well as extensive observations, lessons, and skills passed from generation to generation. IK is developed by Indigenous Peoples including, but not limited to, Tribal Nations, American Indians, and Alaska Natives.

Infrastructure means a permanent or semi-permanent structure or improvement on BLM-administered lands within the Reserve that is built to support commercial oil and gas activities, such as pipelines, gravel drilling pads, man camps, and other structures or improvements. Infrastructure does not include exploratory wells that are drilled in a single season; or construction, renovation, or replacement of facilities on existing gravel pads at previously disturbed sites where the facilities will promote safety and environmental protection. Additionally, infrastructure does not include: structures or improvements intended for use by subsistence hunters, trappers, fishers, berry-pickers, and other subsistence users to facilitate subsistence activities; construction that is ephemeral (such as snow or ice roads); infrastructure constructed in support of science or public safety; or infrastructure that will primarily be used by and provide a benefit to communities located within or in close proximity to the Reserve.

Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) means a land use management plan that governs the management of all BLM-administered lands and minerals throughout the Reserve.

Reserve means those lands within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (prior to June 1, 1977, designated Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4) which was established by Executive order, dated February 27, 1923, except for tract Numbered 1 as described in Public Land Order 2344 (the Naval Arctic Research-Laboratory—surface estate only) dated April 24, 1961.

Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior.

Significant resource value means any surface value, including subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, scenic, or other surface value that the Bureau identifies as significant and supports the designation of a Special Area.

Special Areas means areas within the Reserve identified by the Secretary or by statute as having significant resource values and that are managed to assure maximum protection of such surface values, to the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act for the exploration and production of the Reserve.

Use authorization means a written approval of a request for use of land or resources.

(a) Subject to valid existing rights, and except as provided by the Department of the Interior Appropriations Act, Fiscal Year 1981 (Pub. L. 96-514), all lands within the exterior boundaries of the Reserve are reserved and withdrawn from all forms of entry and disposition under the public land laws, including the mining and mineral leasing laws, and all other acts.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of this section, the Secretary is authorized to:

(1) Make dispositions of mineral materials pursuant to the Act of July 31, 1947 (61 Stat. 681), as amended (30 U.S.C. 601), for appropriate use by Alaska Natives and the North Slope Borough.

(2) Make such dispositions of mineral materials and grant such rights-of-way, licenses, and permits as may be necessary to carry out the Secretary's responsibilities under the Act.

(3) Convey the surface of lands properly selected on or before December 18, 1975, by Native village corporations pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, as amended (43 U.S.C. 1601, et seq.).

(4) Grant such rights-of-way to the North Slope Borough, under the provisions of title V of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1761 et seq.) or section 28 of the Mineral Leasing Act, as amended (30 U.S.C. 185), as may be necessary to permit the North Slope Borough to provide energy supplies to villages on the North Slope.

(c) All other provisions of law heretofore enacted and actions heretofore taken reserving such lands as a Reserve shall remain in full force and effect to the extent not inconsistent with the Act.

(d) To the extent not inconsistent with the Act, all other public land laws are applicable.

If a court holds any provision of the regulations in this part or their applicability to any person or circumstances invalid, the remainder of the regulations in this part and their applicability to other people or circumstances will remain unaffected.

(a) In administering the Reserve, the Bureau must protect surface resources by adopting whatever conditions, restrictions, and prohibitions it deems necessary or appropriate to mitigate reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects of proposed oil and gas activities. Such conditions, restrictions, or prohibitions may involve conditioning, delaying action on, or denying some or all aspects of proposed oil and gas activities, and will fully consider community access and other infrastructure needs, after consultation with the North Slope Borough and consistent with § 2361.6.

(b) The Bureau will use the following procedures to protect surface resources from the reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects of proposed oil and gas activities:

(1) The Bureau will maintain an Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) addressing management of all BLM-administered lands and minerals throughout the Reserve. When issuing a use authorization, the authorization must conform to the IAP and this subpart, including any subsequent designation or modifications of Special Areas. To the extent there is any inconsistency between the IAP and this subpart, this subpart governs;

(2) In each decision concerning proposed activity in the Reserve, the authorized officer will document consideration of, and adopt measures to mitigate, reasonably foreseeable and significantly adverse effects on fish and wildlife, water, cultural, paleontological, scenic, and any other surface resource. The authorized officer will take particular care to account for, and mitigate adverse effects on, surface resources that support subsistence uses and needs; and

(3) In assessing effects of a decision concerning proposed activity in the Reserve, the authorized officer will document consideration of any uncertainty concerning the nature, scope, and duration of potential effects on surface resources of the Reserve and shall ensure that any conditions, restrictions, or prohibitions on proposed oil and gas activities account for and reflect any such uncertainty.

(c) When affected surface resources are located in a Special Area, the authorized officer must comply with the procedures and requirements of §§ 2361.20 through 2361.60.

(d) The authorized officer must include in each decision and authorization related to proposed oil and gas activity in the Reserve such terms and conditions that provide the Bureau with sufficient ability to fully implement the requirements of this subpart.

(e)(1) To the extent consistent with the requirements of the Act, other applicable law, and the terms of any applicable existing authorization, and after consultation with appropriate Federal, State, and local agencies, federally recognized Tribes, and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, the authorized officer may limit, restrict, or prohibit the use of or access to lands within the Reserve, including Special Areas. Upon proper notice, as determined by the authorized officer, such actions may be taken to protect fish and wildlife breeding, nesting, spawning, lambing or calving, or migrations; subsistence uses and resources; and other environmental, scenic, or historic values.

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

(f) No site, structure, object, or other values of historical, cultural, or paleontological character, including, but not limited to, historic and prehistoric remains, fossils, and artifacts, shall be injured, altered, destroyed, or collected without authorization under an appropriate Federal permit and without compliance with applicable law governing cultural items, archaeological resources, and historic properties.

Any lands within the Reserve designated as a Special Area as of June 6, 2024, will continue to be managed as a Special Area except as modified pursuant to § 2361.30, including:

(a) Colville River Special Area. The Colville River Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of June 6, 2024, and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Colville River Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30:

(1) Important habitat for raptor species, including, but not limited to, the Arctic peregrine falcon;

(2) Important habitat for other bird species, including, but not limited to, neotropical migratory birds, shorebirds, loons, waterfowl, inland dwelling sea birds, and passerines;

(3) Important habitat for moose;

(4) Important habitat for fish;

(5) Important subsistence activities;

(6) Important recreational activities;

(7) World-class paleontological deposits; and

(8) Significant cultural resources, including numerous sites from the prehistoric and historic eras.

(b) Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area. The Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of June 6, 2024, and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Kasegaluk Lagoon Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30:

(1) Important habitat for marine mammals;

(2) Unique ecosystem for the Arctic Coast;

(3) Opportunities for primitive recreational experiences;

(4) Important habitat for migratory birds; and

(5) Important subsistence activities.

(c) Peard Bay Special Area. The Peard Bay Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of June 6, 2024, and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Peard Bay Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30:

(1) Haul-out areas and nearshore waters for marine mammals; and

(2) High-use staging and migration areas for shorebirds and waterbirds.

(d) Teshekpuk Lake Special Area. The Teshekpuk Lake Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of June 6, 2024, and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Teshekpuk Lake Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30:

(1) Important nesting, staging, and molting habitat for a large number of migratory and other waterbirds;

(2) Important caribou habitat;

(3) Important shorebird habitat;

(4) Subsistence hunting and fishing activities;

(5) Pik Dunes; and

(6) Overwintering habitat for fish.

(e) Utukok River Uplands Special Area. The Utukok River Uplands Special Area encompasses the area within the boundaries depicted on maps that are published as of June 6, 2024, and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office. The Utukok River Uplands Special Area shall be managed to assure maximum protection of the following significant resource values, as well as additional values identified through the process set forth in § 2361.30:

(1) Important habitat for the Western Arctic Caribou Herd;

(2) Subsistence hunting activities;

(3) Grizzly bear habitat; and

(4) Important wilderness values.

(a) In designating, de-designating, or otherwise changing boundaries or management of Special Areas, the authorized officer must:

(1) Rely on the best available scientific information, including Indigenous Knowledge, as well as the best available information concerning subsistence uses and resources within the Reserve;

(2) Provide the public and interested stakeholders with notice of, and meaningful opportunities to participate in, the evaluation process;

(3) Consult with any federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations that use the affected Special Area for subsistence purposes or have historic, cultural, or economic ties to the Special Area; and

(4) In designating, de-designating, or otherwise changing boundaries of Special Areas, base their decisions solely on the presence or absence of significant resource values and not the existence of measures that have been or may be adopted to protect or otherwise administer those values.

(b) The Bureau must evaluate lands within the Reserve for the presence of significant subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, or scenic values and shall designate lands as Special Areas containing such values in accordance with the following procedures:

(1) Every 10 years, or sooner if the authorized officer determines that changing conditions warrant, the authorized officer must evaluate and determine whether to:

(i) Designate new Special Areas;

(ii) Expand existing Special Areas;

(iii) Recognize the presence of additional significant resource values in existing Special Areas; or

(iv) Require additional measures or strengthen existing measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource values within existing Special Areas.

(2) The authorized officer may, but is not required to, conduct the evaluation and otherwise designate and amend Special Areas through amendment of the IAP.

(3) The authorized officer must provide the public and interested stakeholders with the opportunity to recommend lands that should be considered for designation as a Special Area, significant resource values that the authorized officer should consider recognizing for existing Special Areas, and measures that the authorized officer should consider requiring to assure maximum protection of significant resource values within Special Areas. The authorized officer will evaluate and respond to recommendations that are made in completing its evaluation. Such recommendations should identify and describe:

(i) The size and location of the recommended lands;

(ii) The significant resource values that are present within or supported by the recommended lands;

(iii) Measures that may be necessary to assure maximum protection of those values; and

(iv) Any other pertinent information.

(4) If, at any point after receipt of an internal or external recommendation, the authorized officer determines that interim measures are required to assure maximum protection of significant resource values in lands under consideration for designation as a new or modified Special Area, the authorized officer may implement such measures that are consistent with the governing management prescriptions in the IAP during the period for which the lands remain under consideration; provided, however, that the authorized officer will provide public notice that interim measures are in place and such measures will be reassessed to determine if they are still needed if they remain in place for more than 5 years.

(5) When the authorized officer designates lands as Special Areas or recognizes the presence of additional significant resource values in existing Special Areas, the authorized officer must adopt measures to assure maximum protection of significant resource values. Such measures are not constrained by the provisions of the current IAP. Once adopted, these measures supersede inconsistent provisions of the IAP then in effect for the Reserve and will be incorporated into the IAP during the next revision or amendment.

(6) For any lands designated as a Special Area, the authorized officer will publish a legal description of those lands in the Federal Register, along with a concise summary of the significant resource values that support the designation. The Bureau will also maintain a map of the Special Area on its website and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office.

(c) The Bureau may not remove lands from the Teshekpuk Lake and Utukok River Uplands Special Areas unless directed to do so by statute. The Bureau may remove lands within other Special Areas only when all of the significant resource values that support the designation are no longer present. When determining whether to remove lands from a Special Area designation, the authorized officer must:

(1) Prepare a summary of its proposed determination, including the underlying factual findings;

(2) Provide the public and interested stakeholders with the opportunity to review and comment on the proposed determination; and

(3) Issue a determination that documents how the views and information provided by the public, federally recognized Tribes, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, federally qualified subsistence users, and other interested stakeholders have been considered.

The management priority within Special Areas is to assure maximum protection of significant resource values, consistent with the requirements of the Act for exploration and production of the Reserve. The Bureau must fulfill this duty at each stage in the decision-making process for oil and gas activities in the Reserve, and in accordance with the following procedures:

(a) The authorized officer must, to the extent consistent with the Act, take such steps as are necessary to avoid the adverse effects of proposed oil and gas activities on the significant resource values of Special Areas. This includes, but is not limited to, conditioning, delaying action on, or denying proposals for activities, either in whole or in part, and ensuring that leasing and production is approved only subject to the provisions of this section.

(b) The authorized officer will identify and adopt maximum protection measures for each significant resource value that is present in a Special Area when Special Areas are designated. The authorized officer will update maximum protection measures as appropriate thereafter, including in the IAP, lease terms, and permits to conduct oil and gas activities.

(c) Maximum protection may include, but is not limited to, requirements for:

(1) Rescheduling activities, including specifying rates of development, and requiring use of alternative routes;

(2) Limiting new infrastructure and roads;

(3) Limiting extraction of sand and gravel or withdrawal of water;

(4) Limiting types of vehicles and loadings;

(5) Limiting types of aircraft in combination with minimum flight altitudes and distances from identified places; and

(6) Applying special fuel handling procedures.

(d) Subject to any revisions made pursuant to § 2361.30, oil and gas leasing and authorization of new infrastructure in Special Areas will conform to the land use allocations and restrictions identified on the maps published as of June 6, 2024, and available for public inspection at the Arctic District Office.

(e) On lands within Special Areas that are allocated as closed to leasing or unavailable to new infrastructure, certain uses may be authorized under limited circumstances:

(1) The authorized officer may issue oil and gas leases in Special Areas if drainage is occurring. Any lease issued for drainage purposes will include provisions that prohibit surface-disturbing oil and gas activities on the entire lease tract.

(2) The authorized officer may approve new roads, pipelines, transmission lines, and other types of infrastructure in Special Areas provided that:

(i) The infrastructure will primarily be used by and provide a benefit to communities located within or in close proximity to the Reserve or will support subsistence activities; and

(ii) Appropriate measures are adopted to assure maximum protection of significant resource values.

(3) The authorized officer may approve new permanent infrastructure related to existing oil and gas leases only if such infrastructure is necessary to comport with the terms of a valid existing lease.

(f) On lands within Special Areas that are allocated as available for future oil and gas leasing or new infrastructure, the authorized officer will presume that proposed oil and gas activities should not be permitted unless specific information available to the authorized officer clearly demonstrates that those activities can be conducted with no or minimal adverse effects on significant resource values or unless they are necessary to comport with the terms of a valid existing lease.

(g) When preparing an environmental analysis of proposed leasing, exploration, development, or new infrastructure in Special Areas, and reaching a final decision, the authorized officer will:

(1) Provide the public with a meaningful opportunity to review and comment, and consider and respond to any relevant comment they receive;

(2) Consult with federally recognized Tribes and Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations that use the affected Special Area for subsistence purposes or have historic, cultural, or economic ties to the Special Area;

(3) Evaluate potential adverse effects and measures to avoid, minimize, or otherwise mitigate such effects to achieve maximum protection of significant resource values;

(4) Document how the proposal falls within one of the exceptions in paragraph (e) of this section or the justification for overcoming the presumption in paragraph (f) of this section, such as if the proposed infrastructure is necessary to comport with the terms of a valid existing lease, or if it will primarily be used by and provide a benefit to communities located within or in close proximity to the Reserve, and the proposal has been conditioned to avoid, minimize, or otherwise mitigate adverse effects;

(5) Document and consider any uncertainty concerning the nature, scope, and duration of potential adverse effects on significant resource values of Special Areas and ensure that any actions taken to avoid, minimize, or mitigate such effects account for and reflect any such uncertainty; and

(6) Prepare a Statement of Adverse Effect, if the authorized officer determines that the proposal cannot avoid adverse effects on significant resource values in a Special Area. The Statement of Adverse Effect will describe the:

(i) Significant resource values that may be adversely affected;

(ii) Nature, scope, and duration of those adverse effects;

(iii) Measures the Bureau evaluated to avoid the adverse effects, including whether any practicable alternatives exist that would have less adverse impact on significant resource values of the Special Area;

(iv) Justification for not requiring those measures;

(v) Measures the authorized officer will require to minimize, to the maximum extent possible, adverse effects on significant resource values of the Special Area; and

(vi) Measures the authorized officer will require to mitigate any residual adverse effects that cannot be avoided or minimized, including compensatory mitigation, along with an explanation of how those measures will assure maximum protection of significant resource values.

(h) The authorized officer must include in each decision and authorization related to oil and gas activity in the Reserve terms and conditions that provide the authorized officer with sufficient authority to fully implement the requirements of this section.

(a) The Bureau will ensure that Special Areas are managed to protect and support fish and wildlife and fish and wildlife habitat and associated subsistence use of such areas by rural residents as defined in 50 CFR 100.4.

(b) The Bureau will provide reasonable access to and within Special Areas for subsistence purposes.

In accordance with the Bureau's co-stewardship guidance, the Bureau will seek opportunities to engage federally recognized Tribes in co-stewardship for management of Special Areas and subsistence resources throughout the Reserve. Co-stewardship opportunities may include co-management, collaborative and cooperative management, and tribally led stewardship, and can be implemented through cooperative agreements, memoranda of understanding, self-governance agreements, and other mechanisms. The Bureau may also partner with Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act corporations, local governments, or organizations as provided by law.

(a) Use authorizations must be obtained from the authorized officer prior to any use within the Reserve. Only uses that are consistent with the purposes and objectives of the Act and this subpart will be authorized.

(b) Except as may be limited, restricted, or prohibited by the authorized officer, use authorizations are not required for:

(1) Subsistence uses (e.g., hunting, fishing, and berry-picking); and

(2) Non-commercial recreational uses (e.g., hunting, fishing, backpacking, and wildlife observation).

(c) Applications for use authorizations shall be filed in accordance with applicable regulations in this chapter. In the absence of such regulations, the authorized officer may consider and act upon applications for uses allowed under the Act.

(d) In addition to other statutory or regulatory requirements, approval of applications for use authorizations shall be subject to such terms and conditions as the authorized officer determines to be necessary to protect the environmental, subsistence, recreational, fish and wildlife, historical, and scenic values of the Reserve and to assure maximum protection of significant resource values within Special Areas.

Any person who violates or fails to comply with regulations of this subpart is subject to prosecution, including trespass and liability for damages, pursuant to the appropriate laws.