BLM Alaska Air Resources

BLM Alaska protects air resources across the State of Alaska in accordance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and coordinates with other federal and state agencies that have authority under the federal Clean Air Act (CAA) to regulate air emissions. These agencies include the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (ADEC), Division of Air Quality (https://dec.alaska.gov/air/). BLM Alaska also collaborates with other federal land management and resource agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to address air quality concerns that may affect shared resources and airsheds. 

Most authorized sources of air emissions on BLM-managed lands in Alaska are associated with oil and gas exploration and development, mining activities, infrastructure projects, and other energy-related actions. BLM Alaska manages lands in proximity to sensitive resources, including national conservation units, wilderness study areas, wild and scenic rivers, subsistence use areas, and Class I airsheds. As a result, BLM Alaska ensures that air resource analyses conducted under NEPA are thorough and protective of air quality and air quality–related values while supporting responsible resource development on public lands. Completion of air resource analyses requires an adaptive management approach that incorporates project-specific operational information, BLM emission estimation tools, and, where appropriate, air dispersion modeling to evaluate potential air quality impacts and support comprehensive NEPA decision-making.