[Federal Register: December 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 242)]
[Notices]
[Page 75558-75560]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17de04-90]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WY-030-1610-DS]
Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the Rawlins Resource Management Plan Revision
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement (DEIS) for the Rawlins Resource Management Plan (RMP),
Wyoming.
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[[Page 75559]]
SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 202 of the National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
announces the availability of the DEIS for the Rawlins RMP Revision.
The DEIS describes and analyzes alternatives for the planning and
management of public lands and resources administered by the BLM
Rawlins Field Office.
DATES: The Rawlins RMP and DEIS will be available for review for 90
calendar days from the date the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
publishes its NOA in the Federal Register. The BLM can best utilize
comments and resource information submissions within this review
period.
Formal hearings and open houses will be scheduled to provide the
public additional opportunities to submit comments on the Rawlins RMP
revision and DEIS. All meetings or hearings and any other public
involvement activities will be announced at least 15 days in advance
through public notices, media news releases, Rawlins RMP Web site
announcements, or mailings.
ADDRESSES: A copy of the DEIS has been sent to affected Federal, State,
and local Government agencies and to interested parties. The document
will be available electronically on the following Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.wy.blm.gov/rfo/rfoplan.htm.
Copies of the DEIS will be available
for public inspection at the following locations:
Bureau of Land Management, Wyoming State Office, 5353
Yellowstone Road, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82003
Bureau of Land Management, Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N.
Third Street, Rawlins, Wyoming 82301
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. John Spehar, Project Manager, BLM
Rawlins Field Office, 1300 N. Third Street, Rawlins, WY 82301. Requests
for information may be sent electronically to: Rawlins_wymail@blm.gov
with ``Attention: Rawlins RMP Information Request'' in the subject
line. Mr. Spehar may also be reached at (307) 328-4264.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The administrative area is located in south
central and southeastern Wyoming and includes approximately 11.2
million acres of land in Albany, Carbon, Laramie, and Sweetwater
Counties. Within that area, the BLM administers approximately 3.3
million acres of public land surface and underlying Federal mineral
estate. The BLM administers an additional 0.1 million acres of surface
estate over State and private minerals, and administers an additional
1.2 million acres of Federal mineral estate under private or State-
owned surface.
In 1990, the BLM approved the Great Divide RMP. This RMP
established management direction for the surface and mineral estates
and associated resources administered by the BLM Rawlins Field Office,
Wyoming. In July 2001, an evaluation of the Great Divide RMP,
predecessor to the Rawlins RMP, concluded that the RMP was deficient in
certain areas as a result of changed conditions and demands on the
area's resources.
In 2002, under the provisions found at 43 CFR 1610, the BLM
published a Notice of Intent to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) that would be used to review and analyze current
conditions considering new data, new or revised policies, and
circumstances affecting the entire or major portions of the geographic
area addressed in the Great Divide RMP. To reflect changes in
administrative units, the BLM also established that the revised plan
would henceforth be known as the Rawlins RMP.
The DEIS describes the physical, biological, cultural, historic,
and socioeconomic resources in and around the planning area. The focus
for impact analysis is based on resource issues and concerns identified
during scoping and public involvement activities and opportunities.
Potential impacts of concern regarding possible management direction
and planning decisions (not in priority order) are development of
energy resources and mineral-related issues; special management
designations; resource accessibility; wildland-urban interface; special
status species management; water quality; vegetation management; and
recreation, cultural and paleontological resources management.
The DEIS documents the direct, indirect, and cumulative
environmental impacts of four alternatives for management of BLM-
administered public lands within the Rawlins Field Office. When
completed, the revised RMP will fulfill the obligations set forth by
NEPA, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, and associated
Federal regulations. Four alternatives are analyzed in detail:
1. Alternative 1. Continues Existing Management Direction (``No
Action'' Alternative);
2. Alternative 2. Encourages development and use opportunities
while minimizing adverse impacts to cultural and natural resources
(Development Alternative);
3. Alternative 3. Fosters conservation of natural and cultural
resources while providing for compatible development and use
(Protection Alternative);
4. Alternative 4. Provides development opportunities while
protecting sensitive resources (Agency Preferred Alternative).
The Rawlins RMP DEIS considers, and is in conformance with, BLM's
National Fire Plan. The potential for energy development in the Rawlins
RMP planning area is high, both east and west of Rawlins, Wyoming.
Based on the high potential within the area administered by the Rawlins
Field Office, the DEIS considers oil and gas and wind energy
development in support of the National Energy Plan.
In the time since the BLM published its Notice of Intent to prepare
an RMP and EIS in the Federal Register, BLM has conducted open houses,
taken surveys, and issued mailings to solicit comments and input. The
Rawlins Field Office has been coordinating with various County
Governments, Conservation Districts, and Wyoming State Government
throughout the development of the DEIS. Tribal Governments with
interests in the Rawlins area were also contacted. Commencing with the
date that BLM's NOI was published in the Federal Register, through
April 7, 2003, the BLM solicited for, and received, in excess of,
26,000 comments from interested parties. In addition, public meetings
were held to provide the public with an opportunity to acquire
information about the RMP revision process, as well as to provide the
public with an opportunity to submit comments. Public meetings were
held in: Rock Springs, Wyoming, March 3, 2003; Rawlins, Wyoming, March
4, 2003; Baggs, Wyoming, March 5, 2003; and Laramie, Wyoming, March 6,
2003. BLM has considered all comments presented throughout the process
in the preparation of the Draft RMP EIS. Background information and
maps used in developing the Draft RMP EIS are available for public
viewing in the Rawlins Field Office.
How To Submit Comments
The BLM welcomes comments on the Rawlins RMP DEIS. Comments may be
submitted as follows:
1. The Rawlins RMP Revision Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.rawlinsrmp.com is
designed to allow commenters to submit comments electronically by
resource subject directly onto a comment form posted on the Web site;
2. Comments may be uploaded in an electronic file directly to the
above Web site;
3. Comments may be electronically mailed to
comments@rawlinsrmp.com.
[[Page 75560]]
4. Comments may be submitted during the public open houses and
hearings that will be held at a later date; and
5. Written comments may be mailed directly, or delivered, to the
BLM at:Rawlins RMP/EIS, Bureau of Land Management Rawlins Field Office,
1300 N. Third Street, P.O. Box 2407, Rawlins, WY 82301-2407.
BLM will only accept comments on the Rawlins RMP DEIS if they are
submitted in one of the five methods as described above. To facilitate
analysis of comment and information submitted, BLM strongly encourages
the public to submit comments in an electronic format through either
the Web site or electronic mail. To be given consideration by BLM all
DEIS comment submittals must include the commenter's name and street
address.
Our practice is to make comments, including the names and street
addresses of each respondent, available for public review at the BLM
office listed above during business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.),
Monday through Friday, except for Federal holidays. Your comments may
be published as part of the EIS process. Individual respondents may
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street
address or both from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom
of Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of
your written comments. Such requests will be honored to the extent
allowed by law. We will not consider anonymous comments. All
submissions from organizations or businesses will be made available for
public inspection in their entirety.
Dated: January 4, 2004.
Editorial Note: This document was received at the Office of the
Federal Register December 13, 2004.
Robert A. Bennett,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 04-27532 Filed 12-16-04; 8:45 am]
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