McGrath Alaska Community Message Board: DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS: MARCH 25, 2008

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DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS: MARCH 25, 2008

Posted by Veronica on 3/25/2008, 9:27 am
206.174.59.34

USFWS PUBLIC PROCESS - Participate today!
DEADLINE TO SUBMIT YOUR COMMENTS: MARCH 25, 2008
Doyon needs your help to convince the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that the Proposed Action or Alternative 1 is in the best interests of Alaska Native people and the general public. As often happens, many of the public hearings on the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) have been dominated by negative comments.

Please participate in the USFWS public process today by going to their website: http://yukonflatseis.ensr.com/yukon_flats/Comments.aspx

Need Comments Ideas?
Here are examples of comments from Doyon shareholders:

o "The exchange is an equal-value trade and the USFWS and Doyon both consolidate their ownership to maximize each of their purposes. Both the Proposed Action and Alternative 1 make sense."

o "I support the Alternative 1 because it means land protected for cultural and subsistence use. This is a way to protect some of the world's best migratory bird habitat. Alternative 1 will keep it off-limits for future development."

o "I like that the local communities proposed Alternative 1 that includes non-development easements from Doyon preventing future development on land that is important to the people of the region but still allows for jobs and future economic opportunities."

o "This is about Native control of lands that we have used for centuries. Who better to decide how to use these lands than Doyon. As a village corporation shareholder, I support both Alternative 1 and the Proposed Action."
Four Options to Consider – Doyon Supports the Proposed Action or Alternative 1

1. Proposed Action – This is the agreement in principle Doyon reached with USFWS. Doyon trades a minimum of 150,000 acres to USFWS in exchange for oil and gas interests on 200,000 acres of USFWS lands, although Doyon would receive title to about 110,000 acres of surface and subsurface. For the remaining 90,000 acres, there would be no surface occupancy allowed, however Doyon could drill diagonally into these lands from adjacent Doyon surface. The lands Doyon receives are adjacent to land already owned by Doyon. If Doyon finds and produces oil and gas from the lands it receives from USFWS, then Doyon would sell up to 120,000 acres of additional lands to the USFWS from an agreed upon list. Doyon intends to proceed with oil and gas exploration whether or not there is a land trade.

2. Alternative 1 – Was developed during the EIS process after gathering public comment about the land trade, especially in the Yukon Flats. It is almost identical to the Proposed Action for the 150,000 acre trade for 200,000 acres of oil and gas interests – with one important difference. Rather than selling 120,000 acres later if there is commercial success, Doyon would give USFWS non-development easements preventing future development on those lands. Doyon will still own these lands, and USFWS will get the land and habitat protections they deem important.

3. Alternative 2 – Is similar to the Proposed Action but trades less lands.

4. Alterative 3 – Addresses no land trade. It is important to understand that Doyon intends to proceed with oil and gas exploration whether or not there is a land trade. The land trade helps Doyon maximize opportunities for Doyon, its shareholders, Alaska Natives statewide through revenue sharing, and the State of Alaska through taxes that will be paid.