S. 181 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 1st Session S. 181 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES January 30, 2013 Ms. Murkowski (for herself and Mr. Begich) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources A BILL To authorize the establishment of the Niblack and Bokan Mountain mining area road corridors in the State of Alaska, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Niblack and Bokan Mountain Mining Area Roads Authorization Act. 2. Niblack and Bokan Mountain mining area road corridors (a) Establishment Notwithstanding any prohibition against road construction in inventoried roadless areas under the Roadless Area Conservation Rule established under part 294 of title 36, Code of Federal Regulations (and successor regulations), not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, shall, for purposes of connecting the Prince of Wales Island road system in the State of Alaska to the area of the Niblack and Bokan Mountain patented mineral claims on the southeast side of Prince of Wales Island, establish— (1) a road corridor that follows 1 of the 2 routes identified as Niblack Route 1 or Niblack Route 2 on the map entitled Road to Niblack Mine and Bokan Mountain Route Extension, numbered 1, and dated June 21, 2012; and (2) a road corridor to the Bokan Mountain mine that branches off the Niblack Mine road corridor established under paragraph (1). (b) Requirements A road corridor established under subsection (a) shall— (1) minimize the economic costs of the road corridor by using, to the maximum extent practicable, the road network in existence on the date of the establishment; (2) minimize effects of the road corridor on surface resources; (3) prevent unnecessary or unreasonable surface disturbance; and (4) comply with all applicable laws (including regulations). (c) Cooperating agencies The State of Alaska and the Prince of Wales Community Advisory Council may participate as cooperating agencies during the preparation of any environmental impact statement prepared with respect to a road corridor under subsection (a). (d) Federal permits It is the intent of Congress that any Federal permit required for construction of a road corridor established under subsection (a) be issued or denied by the date that is not later than 1 year after the date of application for the permit.