82 FR 25808 - Notice of Application for a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest for Lands Underlying the George River in Alaska

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 106 (June 5, 2017)

The State of Alaska (State) has filed an application with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest (RDI) from the United States in those lands underlying the George River from its mouth to Julian Creek. The State asserts that the George River, a major tributary of the Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska, was navigable and unreserved at the time of Alaska Statehood in 1959.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 106 (Monday, June 5, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25808-25809]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11531]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[17X.LLAK942000.L54200000.FR0000.LVDIL0440000; AA086373]


Notice of Application for a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest for 
Lands Underlying the George River in Alaska

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The State of Alaska (State) has filed an application with the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest 
(RDI) from the United States in those lands underlying the George River 
from its mouth to Julian Creek. The State asserts that the George 
River, a major tributary of the Kuskokwim River in southwestern Alaska, 
was navigable and unreserved at the time of Alaska Statehood in 1959.

DATES: Comments on this action are due on or before September 5, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on the State of Alaska's Application 
for an RDI or the BLM Draft Summary Report for the State's Application 
for a Recordable Disclaimer of Interest by mail or email. To file by 
mail, send to: RDI Program Manager (AK-942), Division of Lands and 
Cadastral, BLM Alaska State Office, 222 West 7th Avenue, #13, 
Anchorage, AK 99513. To submit by email, send to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Angie Nichols, RDI Program Manager, at 
222 West 7th Avenue, #13, Anchorage, AK 99513; 907-271-3359; or 
[email protected]; or visit the BLM Recordable Disclaimer of Interest 
Web site at https://www.blm.gov/programs/lands-and-realty/regional-information/alaska/RDI/kuskokwim. Persons who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay System (FRS) at 1-
800-877-8339 to contact the individual identified in this section 
during normal business hours. The FRS is available 24 hours a day, 
seven days a week, to leave a message or a question with that 
individual. You will receive a reply during normal business hours.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 10, 2006, as modified on September 
16, 2015, the State of Alaska filed an application (AA-86373) for an 
RDI pursuant to section 315 of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 and the regulations contained in 43 CFR subpart 1864 for 
the lands underlying the George River. The State asserts that this 
river was navigable at the time of Alaska Statehood. As such, the State 
contends that ownership of the lands underlying this river 
automatically passed from the United States to the State of Alaska in 
1959 at the time of Statehood under the Equal Footing Doctrine; the 
Submerged Lands Act of 1953; the Alaska Statehood Act; and other title 
navigability law.
    The State's application is for all submerged lands underlying the 
portion of the George River from its mouth to Julian Creek. 
Specifically, these are the submerged lands within the bed of the 
George River between the ordinary high water mark of the left and right 
banks, beginning at the confluence of Julian Creek in Township 24 
North, Range 44 West, Section 4, Seward Meridian, Alaska, U.S. 
Geological Survey (USGS) 1:63,360 series topographic map Iditarod A-3 
(1954). Thence southerly to its confluence with the Kuskokwim River in 
Township 21 North, Range 46 West, Section 21, Seward Meridian, Alaska, 
USGS 1:63,360 series topographic map Sleetmute D-5 (1954, minor 
revisions 1975). The applied section of the George River flows through 
the following Townships and Ranges:
    Seward Meridian:
    Township 24 North, Ranges 44-45 West;
    Township 23 North, Ranges 45-46 West;
    Township 22 North, Ranges 45-46 West;
    Township 21 North, Range 46 West.
    The precise location may be within other townships due to the 
ambulatory nature of these water bodies.
    An RDI is a legal document through which the United States disavows 
ownership of specified land, but it does

[[Page 25809]]

not grant, convey, transfer, or renounce any title or interest in the 
lands, nor does it release any tax, judgment, or lien. This Notice of 
Application is intended to inform the public of the pending application 
and the State's supporting evidence.
    A final decision on the merits of the State's application will not 
be made before September 5, 2017. During the 90-day period, interested 
parties may comment on the State's application, AA-086373, and 
supporting evidence. This supporting evidence from the State includes 
three navigability reports prepared by the BLM on May 6, 1980; November 
8, 1984; and July 8, 1985. The State's application also included an 
extract of the ``Regional Report'' for the Kuskokwim River Region 
prepared by the BLM in 1985. In addition, the application contained 
three maps based upon the USGS 1:63,360 topographic maps with water 
body data extracted from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset--2004, 
detailing the river from its mouth to its source.
    On August 25, 1982, the BLM determined the George River is 
navigable through Georgetown Native Corporation's selected lands, 
situated along the lower 22 miles of the river. BLM extended its 
navigability determination an additional 19 miles upriver to Julian 
Creek on November 8, 1984. Subsequent navigability opinions in 1985, 
1988, and 2004 affirmed that the lower 41 miles of the river are 
navigable up to Julian Creek.
    Interested parties may also comment during this time on the BLM's 
Draft Summary Report for the State's Application for a Recordable 
Disclaimer of Interest, which is available on the RDI Web site (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).
    Copies of the State application, supporting evidence, the BLM Draft 
Summary Report, and comments, including names and street addresses of 
commenters, will be available in the case file for public review at the 
BLM Alaska State Office, Public Room, 222 West 7th Avenue, #13, 
Anchorage, AK 99513, during regular business hours from 7:30 a.m. to 
4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Before including 
your address, phone number, email address, or other personal 
identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your 
entire comment
    --including your personal identifying information--may be made 
publicly available at any time. While you can ask the BLM in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so. If the BLM 
determines the State's evidence is sufficient to find a favorable 
determination and neither the records nor a valid objection disclose a 
reason not to disclaim, then the BLM may decide to approve the 
application.

    Authority: 43 CFR 1864.3.

Erika L. Reed,
Deputy State Director, Division of Lands and Cadastral.
[FR Doc. 2017-11531 Filed 6-2-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-JA-P