Subject to AS 38.05.850, the Division of Mining, Land, & Water has received a permit application for the following:
APPLICANT: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
PROJECT NAME: LAS 33971-NOAA Meteorological Stations
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION: Three separate locations along the Dalton Highway, north of Franklin Bluffs.
GPS Coordinates:
Station 1) 70.085450N; -148.570160W
Station 2) 69.919430N; -148.764280W
Station 3) 70.025680N; -148.657280W
LEGAL DESCRIPTION:
Station 1) Township 009N Range 014E Section 34, Umiat Meridian
Station 2) Township 007N Range 013E Section 36, Umiat Meridian
Station 3) Township 008N Range 014E Section 28, Umiat Meridian
REQUESTED ACTIVITY:
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has requested to install three ground-based meteorological research stations to support on-going research on measuring greenhouse gas exchange in the area. All sites are along the Dalton Highway, north of Franklin Bluffs. Stations 2 and 3 are located on State Land. Station 1 is location on North Slope Borough (NSB) Land. NOAA has contacted the NSB to obtain a separate authorization for Station 1. Each station will consist of a ten-foot tall aluminum tower with a tripod support structure. The tower will be set on pads. A small rack of solar panels with four gel-type deep cycle batteries will provide power to the equipment. The batteries will be inside a metal enclosure at the base of the solar panels. Installation of stations will occur in the summer of 2022 and remain in place year-round for the life of the permit. Site inspections will occur once a week mainly in the summer of 2023.
DEADLINE FOR COMMENTS: April 18, 2022 by 5:00 pm
You are invited to review the attached Land Use Permit application. Please direct any questions or comments you may have to Charlene Bringhurst at charlene.bringhurst@alaska.gov . You need not respond if you do not have any comments. The purpose of this notice is to gather input before a decision is made on the proposed activity.