Secretary of the Interior Thomas S. Kleppe has directed the State Director of the Bureau of Land Management's Alaska Office to reserve rights-of-way for the transportation of Federally-owned energy, fuel and other natural resources across lands being transferred to Alaska Natives and Native corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.
Under the Act, more than 40 million acres of Federal land will be conveyed to Alaska Natives and Native corporations.
The easements, which will be reserved in patents transferring the lands, will assure the Federal Government of having all rights needed to build roads, pipelines and other facilities required to transport federally owned oil, gas, minerals and other resources across lands awarded to
Alaska Natives. The easements will not be reserved for transportation of private resources.
Earlier, the Secretary rejected a proposal that would have established specific transportation corridors across the State. The present order reserves the right of the Federal Government to establish needed right-of-way and related facilities as those needs are determined, but does not define specific routes at this time.
The order provides for consultation with Natives and other local citizens prior to the time a right-of-way is established and the consent of owners in those cases where the right-of-way makes it necessary to, move or destroy improvements such-as homes, businesses, or industrial facilities. Only those easements actually in use or authorized on the twentieth anniversary of the order will continue to be in force.
The Secretary said that easements will be used to expedite the delivery of Federally-owned energy, fuel, or other natural resources needed to meet the Nation's energy crisis. He said that routes should be carefully and precisely planned, bl.it doing this prior to issuing conveyances to Alaska Natives would detrimentally affect those entitled to receive land. He also said that easements will be exercised to make possible the development and transportation of resources owned by the Federal Government without unnecessary expense or delay; but that they will not be used to provide special benefits for private industry.
Easements for the transportation of energy, fuels, and natural resource will only be reserved in conveyances of land located on mainland Alaska, excluding the southeastern panhandle of Alaska lying south and east of the former withdrawal for the village of Yakutat. Therefore, they will not be reserved on islands off the coast of Alaska, such as Kodiak and the Aleutian Islands.
The order, which is being published in the Federal Register, 1s effective March 3, 1976.
