[Federal Register: September 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 180)]
[Notices]
[Page 56077-56078]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17se04-88]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CA-939-04-1610-00]
Notice of Availability of the California Coastal National
Monument Draft Resource Management Plan and Draft Environmental Impact
Statement
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, and under the authority of the Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft
Resource Management Plan (RMP)/Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) for the California Coastal National Monument (CCNM) that is now
available for public review.
DATES: Written comments on the Draft RMP/Draft EIS will be accepted for
90 days following the Environmental Protection Agency's publication of
the Notice of Availability for this Draft RMP/Draft EIS in the Federal
Register. Future public meetings and any other public involvement
activities will be announced at least 15 days in advance through public
notices, media news
[[Page 56078]]
releases, mailings, and/or the project Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ca.blm.gov/pa/coastal_monument/
.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Rick Hanks, California
Coastal National Monument, 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940 or by
Fax at (831) 647-4244, or e-mail at cacnm@ca.blm.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list, contact Rick Hanks, California
Coastal National Monument, 299 Foam Street, Monterey CA 93940 or
telephone (831) 372-6115 or e-mail at cacnm@ca.blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The CCNM was established by Presidential
Proclamation on January 11, 2000, under the discretionary authority
given to the President of the United States by Section 2 of the
Antiquities Act of 1906 (34 Stat. 225, 16 U.S.C. 431). The purpose of
the CCNM, as stated in the Presidential Proclamation, is to protect
``all unappropriated or unreserved lands and interest in the lands
owned or controlled by the United States in the form of islands, rocks,
exposed reefs, and pinnacles above mean high tide within 12 nautical
miles of the shoreline of the State of California.'' The Presidential
Proclamation tasked the Secretary of the Interior, through the BLM with
the ultimate responsibility for ensuring protection and providing long-
term management of the CCNM.
The CCNM consists of more than 20,000 rocks and small islands
situated within an offshore area of more than 14,600 square nautical
miles that stretches the entire length of the 1,100 miles of the
California coastline. The CCNM, however, totals no more than 1,000
acres of exposed surface area. The CCNM does not include Santa Catalina
and the other Channel Islands (although it does include some of the
rocks associated with the Channel Islands), the Farallon Islands, the
islands of San Francisco Bay, or rocks and islands under the
jurisdiction of the military, National Park Service, Fish and Wildlife
Service, Forest Service, or other landowners. The CCNM is within the
jurisdiction of five BLM California field offices and adjoins or
borders on 10 California State Park district offices, 11 California
Department of Fish and Game's Marine Division field offices, six
National Park Service units, a variety of military properties
(including Vandenberg Air Force Base), 15 California coastal counties,
and dozens of municipalities, as well as being above four National
Marine Sanctuaries and the subsurface responsibilities of the USDI
Minerals Management Service and the California State Lands Commission.
During the initial scoping process for the plan, eight public
meetings were held in towns and cities along the California coast
(i.e., Trinidad, Elk, Bodega Bay, Monterey, Santa Barbara, Laguna
Beach, and San Francisco) in order to solicit input for use in the
development of the draft plan. Based on the direction provided in the
Presidential Proclamation, comments received during the scoping
process, and input from the multi-agency/organization interdisciplinary
team overseeing the development of the CCNM planning effort, five issue
areas were identified for analysis in the Draft RMP/Draft EIS. The
Draft RMP/Draft EIS examines four alternatives that respond to these
issues. The issues include the following: (1) How will biological
resources be protected? (2) How will cultural, geologic, and visual
resources be protected? (3) How will BLM coordinate its CCNM planning
and management activities to be consistent with the numerous
jurisdictions that have existing plans and policies associated with the
Coastal Zone? (4) How will people's activities and uses along the coast
be affected by management of the CCNM? and (5) What programs,
facilities, infrastructure, and partnerships are needed to provide the
public with interpretive and educational material regarding the values
and significance of the CCNM? Alternative A is the No Action
Alternative (i.e., continuation of existing management condition).
Alternative B, C, and D present a range of management scenerios with
varying amounts of natural resource protection and focus and differing
levels of recreation/interpretation actions and facilities. Alternative
B is the Preferred Alternative. Alternatives C and D are variations in
management approaches from Alternative B.
Please note that comments, including names and street addresses of
respondents, are available for public review and/or release under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Individual respondents may request
confidentiality. Respondents who wish to withhold names and/or street
address from public review or from disclosure under FOIA, must state
this prominently at the beginning of the written comment. Such requests
will be honored to the extent allowed by law. BLM will not consider
anonymous comments. All submissions from organizations or businesses,
and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or
officials or organizations or businesses, will be made available for
public inspection in their entirety.
Copies of the Draft RMP/Draft EIS have been sent to affected
Federal, tribal, State, and local government agencies, and to
interested publics and are available at the California Coastal National
Monument headquarters at 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA. In addition,
copies of the Draft RMP/Draft EIS may be viewed at the following BLM
offices: California State Office, Information Access Center, 2800
Cottage Way, Sacramento, CA; Arcata Field Office, 1695 Heindon Rd.,
Arcata, CA; Ukiah Field Office, 2550 North State St., Ukiah, CA;
Hollister Field Office, 20 Hamilton Court, Hollister, CA; Bakersfield
Field Office, 3801 Pegasus Drive, Bakersfield, CA; Palm Springs/South
Coast Field Office, 690 W. Garnet Ave., North Palm Springs, CA; and
California Desert District Office, 22835 Calle San Juan de Los Lagos,
Moreno Valley, CA. Information regarding additonal viewing
opportuntities may be announced through public notices, media news
releases, mailings, and/or the project Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.ca.
blm.gov/pa/coastal-- monument/. The Draft RMP/Draft EIS and associated
documents may be viewed and downloaded in PDF format at the CCNM Web
site at cacnm@ca.blm.gov.
Dated: March 25, 2004.
J. Anthony Danna,
Deputy State Director, Natural Resources.
[FR Doc. 04-20917 Filed 9-16-04; 8:45 am]
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