Cumulative effects are defined as “the impact on the environment which results from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions regardless of what agency (federal or non-federal) or person undertakes such other actions” (40 CFR Section 1508.7). Guidelines for cumulative effects analysis have been outlined and clarified in the Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ’s) Considering Cumulative Effects Under the National Environmental Policy Act (CEQ 1997b).

The cumulative effects analysis for this EIS incorporates the principles outlined by CEQ (CEQ 1997b) and BLM’s NEPA Handbook (H-1790-1). In this analysis the geographic scope and time frames for past, present, and foreseeable future actions are described for federal and non-federal land uses and activities in the region of the planning area. Cumulative effects are analyzed for only those resources or issues that had direct or indirect impacts.

Geographic Scope: The Eastern Interior Planning Area (Map 1) is the general geographic scope for the cumulative effects analysis. Within this area, the BLM manages 6.5 million acres (twenty-one percent) of the land. In addition to this area, military lands occur immediately adjacent to the planning area, adding another 1.6 million acres. Geographic scope varies, and is further described in the respective subsections below.

Time frame: A general time frame for this analysis begins in the 1880s, when mining and community development became widespread in Interior Alaska, to 30 years in the future (2040). Forecasting beyond 30 years would be highly speculative. Specific time frames for resources and issues will be discussed in the respective subsections below.