USC Subchapter IV

USC Subchapter IV
in effect

16 U.S.C. § 3161 Congressional declaration of findings

Congress finds that— (a) Alaska’s transportation and utility network is largely undeveloped and the future needs for transportation and utility systems in Alaska would best be identified and provided for through an orderly, continuous decisionmaking process involving the State and Federal Governments and the public; (b) the existing authorities to approve or disapprove applications for transportation and utility systems through public lands in Alaska are diverse, dissimilar, and, in some cases, absent; and (c) to minimize the adverse impacts of siting transportation and utility systems within units established or expanded by this Act and to insure the effectiveness of the decisionmaking process, a single comprehensive statutory authority for the approval or disapproval of applications for such systems must be provided in this Act.

16 U.S.C. § 3162 Definitions

For purposes of this subchapter— (1) The term “applicable law” means any law of general applicability (other than this subchapter) under which any Federal department or agency has jurisdiction to grant any authorization (including but not limited to, any right-of-way, permit, license, lease, or certificate) without which a transportation or utility system cannot, in whole or in part, be established or operated. (2) The term “applicant” means any public or private person, including, but not limited to, any Federal department or agency. (3) The term “Federal agency” means any Federal department or agency that has any function or duty under applicable law. (4)(A) The term “transportation or utility system” means any type of system described in subparagraph (B) if any portion of the route of the system will be within any conservation system unit, national recreation area, or national conservation area in the State (and the system is not one that the department or agency having jurisdiction over the unit or area is establishing incident to its management of the unit or area). (B) The types of systems to which subparagraph (A) applies are as follows:(i) Canals, ditches, flumes, laterals, pipes, pipelines, tunnels, and other systems for the transportation of water. (ii) Pipelines and other systems for the transportation of liquids other than water, including oil, natural gas, synthetic liquid and gaseous fuels, and any refined product produced therefrom. (iii) Pipelines, slurry and emulsion systems and conveyor belts for the transportation of solid materials. (iv) Systems for the transmission and distribution of electric energy. (v) Systems for transmission or reception of radio, television, telephone, telegraph, and other electronic signals, and other means of communication. (vi) Improved rights-of-way for snow machines, air cushion vehicles, and other all-terrain vehicles. (vii) Roads, highways, railroads, tunnels, tramways, airports, landing strips, docks, and other systems of general transportation. Any system described in this subparagraph includes such related structures and facilities (both temporary and permanent) along the route of the system as may be minimally necessary for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the system. Such related structures and facilities shall be described in the application required by section 3164 of this title, and shall be approved or disapproved in accordance with the procedures set forth in this subchapter.

16 U.S.C. § 3163 Effect on other laws

Except as specifically provided for in this subchapter, applicable law shall apply with respect to the authorization and administration of transportation or utility systems.

16 U.S.C. § 3164 Procedural requirements

(a) In generalNotwithstanding any provision of applicable law, no action by any Federal agency under applicable law with respect to the approval or disapproval of the authorization, in whole or in part, of any transportation or utility system shall have any force or effect unless the provisions of this section are complied with. (b) Consolidated applications(1) Within one hundred and eighty days after December 2, 1980, the Secretary, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Transportation, in consultation with the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall jointly prescribe and publish a consolidated application form to be used for applying for the approval of each type of transportation or utility system. Each such application form shall be designed to elicit such information as may be necessary to meet the requirements of this subchapter and the applicable law with respect to the type of system concerned. (2) For purposes of this section, the heads of all appropriate Federal agencies, including the Secretary of Transportation, shall share decisionmaking responsibility in the case of any transportation or utility system described in section 3162(4)(B)(ii), (iii), or (vii) of this title; but with respect to any such system for which he does not have programmatic responsibility, the Secretary of Transportation shall provide to the other Federal agencies concerned such planning and other assistance as may be appropriate. (c) FilingEach applicant for the approval of any transportation or utility system shall file on the same day an application with each appropriate Federal agency. The applicant shall utilize the consolidated form prescribed under subsection (b) for the type of transportation or utility system concerned. (d) Agency notice(1) Within sixty days after the receipt of an application filed pursuant to subsection (c), the head of each Federal agency with whom the application was filed shall inform the applicant in writing that, on its face—(A) the application appears to contain the information required by this subchapter and applicable law insofar as that agency is concerned; or (B) the application does not contain such information. (2) Any notice provided under paragraph (1)(B) shall specify what additional information the applicant must provide. If the applicant provides additional information, the head of the Federal agency must inform the applicant in writing, within thirty days after receipt of such information, whether the information is sufficient. (e) Environmental impact statementThe draft of any environmental impact statement required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 [42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.] in connection with any application filed under this section shall be completed, within nine months from the date of filing, by the head of the Federal agency assigned lead responsibility for the statement. Any such statement shall be jointly prepared by all Federal agencies with which the application was filed under subsection (c). The final environmental impact statement shall be completed within one year from the date of such filing. Such nine-month and one-year periods may be extended for good cause by the Federal agency head assigned lead responsibility for the preparation of such statement if he determines that additional time is necessary for such preparation, notifies the applicant in writing of such determination, and publishes notice of such determination, together with the reasons therefor, in the Federal Register. The provisions of section 1734 of title 43 shall apply to each environmental impact statement under this subsection in the same manner as such provisions apply to applications relating to the public lands referred to in section 1734 of title 43. The Federal agency assigned lead responsibility shall, in conjunction with such other Federal agencies before which the application is pending, hold public hearings in the District of Columbia and an appropriate location in the State on each draft joint environmental impact statement and the views expressed therein shall be considered by all Federal agencies concerned before publication of the final joint environmental impact statement. (f) Other viewsDuring both the nine-month period, and the succeeding three-month period plus any extension thereof provided for in subsection (e), the heads of the Federal agencies concerned shall solicit and consider the views of other Federal departments and agencies, the Alaska Land Use Council, the State, affected units of local government in the State, and affected corporations formed pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act [43 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.], and, after public notice, shall receive and consider statements and recommendations regarding the application submitted by interested individuals and organizations. (g) Agency decision(1) Within four months after the final environmental impact statement is published in accordance with subsection (e) with respect to any transportation or utility system, each Federal agency shall make a decision to approve or disapprove, in accordance with applicable law, each authorization that applies with respect to the system and that is within the jurisdiction of that agency. (2) The head of each Federal agency, in making a decision referred to in paragraph (1), shall consider, and make detailed findings supported by substantial evidence, with respect to—(A) the need for, and economic feasibility of, the transportation or utility system; (B) alternative routes and modes of access, including a determination with respect to whether there is any economically feasible and prudent alternative to the routing of the system through or within a conservation system unit, national recreation area, or national conservation area and, if not, whether there are alternative routes or modes which would result in fewer or less severe adverse impacts upon the conservation system unit; (C) the feasibility and impacts of including different transportation or utility systems in the same area; (D) short- and long-term social, economic, and environmental impacts of national, State, or local significance, including impacts on fish and wildlife and their habitat, and on rural, traditional lifestyles; (E) the impacts, if any, on the national security interests of the United States, that may result from approval or denial of the application for a transportation or utility system; (F) any impacts that would affect the purposes for which the Federal unit or area concerned was established; (G) measures which should be instituted to avoid or minimize negative impacts; and (H) the short- and long-term public values which may be adversely affected by approval of the transportation or utility system versus the short- and long-term public benefits which may accrue from such approval.

16 U.S.C. § 3165 Standards for granting certain authorizations

In any case in which there is no applicable law with respect to a transportation or utility system, the head of the Federal agency concerned shall, within four months after the date of filing of any final Environmental Impact Statement, make recommendations, for purposes of section 3166(b) of this title, to grant such authorizations as may be necessary to establish such system, in whole or in part, within the conservation system unit concerned if he determines that— (1) such system would be compatible with the purposes for which the unit was established; and (2) there is no economically feasible and prudent alternative route for the system.

16 U.S.C. § 3166 Agency, Presidential, and Congressional actions

(a) Agency action in cases other than those involving section 3165 or wilderness areas(1) In the case of any application for the approval of any transportation or utility system to which section 3165 of this title does not apply or that does not occupy, use, or traverse any area within the National Wilderness Preservation System, if, in compliance with section 3164 of this title—(A) each Federal agency concerned decides to approve each authorization within its jurisdiction with respect to that system, then the system shall be deemed to be approved and each such agency shall promptly issue, in accordance with applicable law, such rights-of-way, permits, licenses, leases, certificates, or other authorizations as are necessary with respect to the establishment of the system; or (B) one or more Federal agencies decide to disapprove any authorization within its jurisdiction with respect, to that system, then the system shall be deemed to be disapproved and the applicant for the system may appeal the disapproval to the President. (2) If an applicant appeals under paragraph (1)(B), the President, within four months after receiving the appeal, shall decide whether to approve or deny the application. The President shall approve the application if he finds, after consideration of the factors set forth in section 3164(g)(2) of this title, that such approval would be in the public interest and that (1) such system would be compatible with the purposes for which the unit was established; and (2) there is no economically feasible and prudent alternative route for the system. In making a decision, the President shall consider any environmental impact statement prepared pursuant to section 3164(e) of this title, comments of the public and Federal agencies received during the preparation of such statement, and the findings and recommendations, if any, of each Federal agency that rendered a decision with respect to the application. The President’s decision to approve or deny the application shall be published in the Federal Register, together with a statement of the reasons for his determination. (3) If the President approves an application under paragraph (2), each Federal agency concerned shall promptly issue, in accordance with applicable law, such rights-of-way, permits, licenses, leases, certificates, or other authorizations as are necessary with respect to the establishment of the system (4) If the President denies an application under paragraph (2), the applicant shall be deemed to have exhausted his administrative remedies and may file suit in any appropriate Federal court to challenge such decision. (b) Agency action in cases involving section 3165 or wilderness areas(1) In the case of any application for the approval of a transportation or utility system to which section 3165 of this title applies or that proposes to occupy, use, or traverse any area within the National Wilderness Preservation System, each Federal agency concerned shall promptly submit to the President notification whether the agency tentatively approved or disapproved each authorization within its jurisdiction that applies with respect to the system. Such notification shall be accompanied by a statement of the reasons and findings supporting the agency position. (2) Within four months after receiving all notification referred to in paragraph (1) and after considering such notifications, any environmental impact statement prepared pursuant to section 3164(e) of this title, and the comments of the public and Federal agencies received during the preparation of such statement, the President shall decide whether or not the application for the system concerned should be approved. If the President denies an application the applicant shall be deemed to have exhausted his administrative remedies, and may file suit in any appropriate Federal court to challenge such decision. If the President approves the application, he shall submit to Congress his recommendation for approval of the transportation or utility system covered, whereupon the Congress shall consider the application as provided in subsection (c). The President shall include with his recommendation to Congress—(A) the application which is the subject of his recommendation; (B) a report setting forth in detail the relevant factual background and the reasons for his findings and recommendation; (C) the joint environmental impact statement; 11 So in original. Probably should be followed by “and”. (D) a statement of the conditions and stipulations which would govern the use of the system if approved by the Congress. (c) Congressional approval(1) No application for any transportation or utility system with respect to which the President makes a recommendation for approval under subsection (b) shall be approved unless the Senate and House of Representatives approve a resolution described in paragraph (4) within the first period of one hundred and twenty calendar days of continuous session of the Congress beginning on the date after the date of receipt by the Senate and House of Representatives of such recommendation. (2) For purposes of this subsection—(A) continuity of session of the Congress is broken only by an adjournment sine die; and (B) the days on which either House is not in session because of an adjournment of more than three days to a day certain are excluded in the computation of the one-hundred-and-twenty-day calendar period. (3) This subsection is enacted by the Congress—(A) as an exercise of the rulemaking power of each House of the Congress respectively, but applicable only with respect to the procedure to be followed in the House in the case of resolutions described by paragraph (6) of this subsection; and it supersedes other rules only to the extent that it is inconsistent therewith; and (B) with full recognition of the constitutional right of either House to change the rules (so far as those relate to the procedure of that House) at any time, in the same manner and to the same extent as in the case of any other rule of such House. (4) For the purposes of this subsection, the term “resolution” means a joint resolution, the resolving clause of which is as follows: “That the House of Representatives and Senate approve the application for under title XI of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act submitted by the President to the Congress on , 19 .”; the first blank space therein to be filled in with the appropriate transportation or utility system and the second blank therein to be filled with the date on which the President submits the application to the House of Representatives and the Senate. (5) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the provisions of section 719f(d) of title 15 shall apply to the consideration of the resolution. (6) After an application for a transportation or utility system has been approved under subsection (a), the appropriate Federal agencies shall issue appropriate authorizations in accordance with applicable law. In any case in which an application for a transportation or utility system has been approved pursuant to subsection (b), the appropriate Federal agencies shall issue appropriate authorizations in accordance with title V of the Federal Lands Policy Management Act [43 U.S.C. 1761 et seq.] or other applicable law. After issuance pursuant to this subsection, the appropriate land managing agency shall administer the right-of-way in accordance with relevant management authorities of the land managing agency and title V of the Federal Lands Policy Management Act.

16 U.S.C. § 3167 Rights-of-way terms and conditions

(a) Terms and conditionsThe Secretary, or the Secretary of Agriculture where national forest wilderness is involved, shall include in any right-of-way issued pursuant to an application under this subchapter, terms and conditions which shall include, but not be limited to—(1) requirements to insure that, to the maximum extent feasible, the right-of-way is used in a manner compatible with the purposes for which the affected conservation system unit, national recreation area, or national conservation area was established or is managed; (2) requirements for restoration, revegetation, and curtailment of erosion of the surface of the land; (3) requirements to insure that activities in connection with the right-of-way will not violate applicable air and water quality standards and related facility siting standards established pursuant to law; (4) requirements, including the minimum necessary width, designed to control or prevent—(A) damage to the environment (including damage to fish and wildlife habitat), (B) damage to public or private property, and (C) hazards to public health and safety; (5) requirements to protect the interests of individuals living in the general area of the right-of-way who rely on the fish, wildlife, and biotic resources of the area for subsistence purposes; and (6) requirements to employ measures to avoid or minimize adverse environmental, social or economic impacts. (b) Wild and Scenic Rivers SystemAny transportation or utility system approved pursuant to this subchapter which occupies, uses, or traverses any area within the boundaries of a unit of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System shall be subject to such conditions as may be necessary to assure that the stream flow of, and transportation on, such river are not interfered with or impeded, and that the transportation or utility system is located and constructed in an environmentally sound manner. (c) Pipeline rights-of-wayIn the case of a pipeline described in section 185(a) of title 30, a right-of-way issued pursuant to this subchapter shall be issued in the same manner as a right-of-way is granted under section 185 of title 30, and the provisions of subsections (c) through (j), (l) through (q), and (u) through (y) of section 185 of title 30 shall apply to rights-of-way issued pursuant to this subchapter.

16 U.S.C. § 3168 Injunctive relief

No court shall have jurisdiction to grant any injunctive relief lasting longer than ninety days against any action pursuant to this subchapter except in conjunction with a final judgment entered in a case involving an action pursuant to this subchapter.

16 U.S.C. § 3169 Valid existing right of access

Nothing in this subchapter shall be construed to adversely affect any valid existing right of access.

16 U.S.C. § 3170 Special access and access to inholdings

(a) Use of snowmachines, motorboats, airplanes, nonmotorized surface transportation, etc. for traditional activities and for travelNotwithstanding any other provision of this Act or other law, the Secretary shall permit, on conservation system units, national recreation areas, and national conservation areas, and those public lands designated as wilderness study, the use of snowmachines (during periods of adequate snow cover, or frozen river conditions in the case of wild and scenic rivers), motorboats, airplanes, and nonmotorized surface transportation methods for traditional activities (where such activities are permitted by this Act or other law) and for travel to and from villages and homesites. Such use shall be subject to reasonable regulations by the Secretary to protect the natural and other values of the conservation system units, national recreation areas, and national conservation areas, and shall not be prohibited unless, after notice and hearing in the vicinity of the affected unit or area, the Secretary finds that such use would be detrimental to the resource values of the unit or area. Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the use of other methods of transportation for such travel and activities on conservation system lands where such use is permitted by this Act or other law. (b) Right of access to State or private owner or occupierNotwithstanding any other provisions of this Act or other law, in any case in which State owned or privately owned land, including subsurface rights of such owners underlying public lands, or a valid mining claim or other valid occupancy is within or is effectively surrounded by one or more conservation system units, national recreation areas, national conservation areas, or those public lands designated as wilderness study, the State or private owner or occupier shall be given by the Secretary such rights as may be necessary to assure adequate and feasible access for economic and other purposes to the concerned land by such State or private owner or occupier and their successors in interest. Such rights shall be subject to reasonable regulations issued by the Secretary to protect the natural and other values of such lands.

16 U.S.C. § 3171 Temporary access

(a) In generalNotwithstanding any other provision of this Act or other law the Secretary shall authorize and permit temporary access by the State or a private landowner to or across any conservation system unit, national recreation area, national conservation area, the National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska or those public lands designated as wilderness study or managed to maintain the wilderness character or potential thereof, in order to permit the State or private landowner access to its land for purposes of survey, geophysical, exploratory, or other temporary uses thereof whenever he determines such access will not result in permanent harm to the resources of such unit, area, Reserve or lands. (b) Stipulations and conditionsIn providing temporary access pursuant to subsection (a), the Secretary may include such stipulations and conditions he deems necessary to insure that the private use of public lands is accomplished in a manner that is not inconsistent with the purposes for which the public lands are reserved and which insures that no permanent harm will result to the resources of the unit, area, Reserve or lands.

16 U.S.C. § 3172 North Slope Haul Road

(a) In generalSo long as that section of the North Slope Haul Road referred to in subsection (c) is closed to public use, but not including regulated local traffic north of the Yukon River, regulated industrial traffic and regulated high occupancy buses, such regulation to occur under State law, except that the Secretary, after consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, and the Governor of Alaska shall agree on the number of vehicles and seasonality of use, such section shall be free from any and all restrictions contained in title 23, as amended or supplemented, or in any regulations thereunder. Prior to executing an agreement pursuant to this subsection, the Secretary and the Governor of Alaska shall consult with the head of any unit of local government which encompasses lands located adjacent to the route of the North Slope Haul Road. The State of Alaska shall have the authority to limit access, impose restrictions and impose tolls, notwithstanding any provision of Federal law. (b) ReleaseThe removal of restrictions shall not be conditioned upon repayment by the State of Alaska to the Treasurer of the United States of any Federal-aid highway funds paid on account of the section of highway described in subsection (c), and the obligation of the State of Alaska to repay these amounts is hereby released so long as the road remains closed as set forth in subsection (a). (c) Application of sectionThe provisions of this section shall apply to that section of the North Slope Haul Road, which extends from the southern terminus of the Yukon River Bridge to the northern terminus of the Road at Prudhoe Bay.

16 U.S.C. § 3173 Stikine River region; Presidential study and report to Congress

Congress finds that there is a need to study the effect of this Act upon the ability of the Government of Canada to obtain access in the Stikine River region of southeast Alaska. Accordingly, within five years from December 2, 1980, the President shall consult with the Government of Canada and shall submit a report to the Congress containing his findings and recommendations concerning the need, if any, to provide for such access. Such report shall include, among other things, an analysis of the need for access and the social, environmental and economic impacts which may result from various forms of access including, but not limited to, a road along the Stikine and Iskut Rivers, or other alternative routes, should such access be permitted.

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