This is devastating not only for the forest and endangered species, think climate change. This is the last intact temperate forest in our country.
Dear Interested Party:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published the proposed Alaska Roadless Rule and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). Electronic copies of the proposed rule and DEIS, as well as other information, may be accessed on the project website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/project/?project=54511.
The publication of the proposed rule and DEIS initiates a 60-day public comment period. Public information meetings will be scheduled in select communities in Southeast Alaska and in Anchorage, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. Subsistence hearings (Section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act) will also be scheduled immediately following the public meetings in Southeast Alaska. The meetings/hearings schedule, community times, locations, and other information will be located on the project website at
https://www.fs.usda.gov/roadmain/roadless/alaskaroadlessrule.
How to Submit a Formal Comment: In order for a comment to be considered and become part of the record for the Alaska Roadless Rule, the written comment must be postmarked or date-stamped at the Forest Service office below within 60 days of the publication date of the proposed rule in the Federal Register. Testimony provided at the subsistence hearings will also be recorded and become part of the record. Comments on the DEIS and proposed rule may be submitted via:
1) Web: https://cara.ecosystem-management.org/Public//CommentInput?Project=54511;
2) Email: akroadlessrule@fs.fed.us;
3) Mail: USDA Forest Service, Attn: Alaska Roadless Rule, P.O. Box 21628,
Juneau, Alaska, 99802;
4) Fax: 907-586-7852; or
5) In-person delivery to USDA Forest Service, 709 W. 9th Street, Room 535B,
Juneau, Alaska, 99801.
Comments may also be submitted through the Alaska Roadless Rule story map, accessible via a link on the project website referenced above. All comments, including names and addresses, are placed in the record and are available for public inspection and copying.
USDA anticipates completing and publishing a final Alaska Roadless Rule and Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) mid-year 2020. Thank you for your interest in the management of your national forests.
Sincerely,
s//
DAVID E. SCHIMID
Regional Forester