§3200 Denali Scenic Highway Study

Summary

Public lands along a corridor one mile on each side of the centerline of several roads — the Parks Highway (from the Denali National Park entrance to the Talkeetna junction 136 miles south of Cantwell), the Denali Highway (Cantwell to Paxson), the Richardson and Edgerton Highways (Paxson to Chitina), and the road from Chitina to McCarthy as shown on Alaska DOT maps — are taken out of mining claims and federal mineral leasing, as long as existing valid rights are respected. Minor road shifts, small road work, and taking gravel for those road projects are still allowed. Starting December 2, 1980, and for three years, the Secretary must study whether to create a Denali Scenic Highway using some or all of those lands. A study team with officials from Transportation, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the State, and each Regional Corporation for the area must look at scenic and recreation values, protection needs, linking national parks in south central Alaska, and improving motor travel between them. Non-federal team members get per diem and travel pay at the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Alaska GS–15 rates. The Secretary must work with the State, consult Village Corporations and nearby landowners when possible, give public notice (at least in local newspapers), and hold hearings. Within three years after December 2, 1980, the Secretary must report to the President with the team’s views and a recommendation, and if recommending creation, include maps, boundaries, cost estimates, administration suggestions, and draft legislation. The lands stay withdrawn until Congress acts, but no longer than two years after the President’s recommendation is sent to Congress.