[Federal Register: January 28, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 18)]
[Notices]
[Page 4146-4147]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ja05-109]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[NM-030-1610-DO]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP)
Revision, a Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA), and Associated
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS); and Notice of Public Scoping
Meetings.
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Intent to Revise the White Sands RMP, New Mexico and
Notice of Intent to Amend the Mimbres RMP, New Mexico, and Notice of
Public Scoping Meetings.
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SUMMARY: The BLM proposes to revise the White Sands RMP and to amend
the Mimbres RMP. The revision and amendment and associated
environmental analysis will update planning level decisions for public
lands in Sierra, Otero, and Dona Ana Counties, which are managed by the
Las Cruces Field Office (LCFO), New Mexico. The proposed RMP revision
and amendment are intended to address issues that have developed since
the previous RMPs were prepared in 1986 and 1994 respectively. This
notice initiates the public scoping process to identify specific issues
related to the proposed revision and amendment and the NEPA process.
DATES: The public scoping period for the proposal will commence with
publication of this Notice. Comments about the proposal must be
submitted on or before 60 calendar days from the date the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) publishes its NOI in the Federal Register. The
BLM can best utilize your participation, comments and resource
information submissions during the 60 day comment period and scheduled
public meetings. Public meetings will be held in Truth or
[[Page 4147]]
Consequences, Alamogordo, and Las Cruces, New Mexico to ensure the
opportunity for local community participation and input. All public
meetings will be announced through the local news media and will be
posted on the New Mexico BLM Web site (http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.nm.blm.gov) at least
15 days in advance.
ADDRESSES: Existing planning documents and information are available at
the Las Cruces Field Office, 1800 Marquess St., Las Cruces, New Mexico
88005. Written comments regarding the proposed plan revision and
amendment should be sent to the BLM at the above address, Attention:
RMP Team Leader. Written comments may also be faxed to 505-525-4412 or
e-mailed to LCFO_RMP@nm.blm.gov. Comments that are faxed or e-mailed
must include ``Scoping Comments for LCFO-RMP'' in the subject line.
Public comments, including names and street addresses of respondents,
will be available for public review at the LCFO during regular business
hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays,
and may be published as part of the EIS. Individual respondents may
request confidentiality. If you wish to withhold your name or street
address from public review or from disclosure under the Freedom of
Information Act, you must state this prominently at the beginning of
your written comment. Such requests will be honored to the extent
allowed by law. All submissions from organizations and businesses, and
from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials
of organizations or businesses, will be available for public inspection
in their entirety.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Phillips, RMP Team Leader, at
(505) 525-4377. To have your name added to our mailing list, contact
Rena Gutierrez at (505) 525-4338 or via e-mail at:
Rena_Gutierrez@nm.blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The area encompassed by this planning effort
includes Sierra, Otero, and Dona Ana Counties, New Mexico. Public lands
in Sierra and Otero County are administered under the White Sands RMP,
while public lands in Dona Ana County are administered under the
Mimbres RMP. This entire Planning Area is about 6.65 million acres with
approximately 2.88 million surface acres of public land and 5.01
million acres of federal minerals. BLM managed lands comprise about 43
percent of the three-county area.
The planning process will comply with the Federal Land Policy and
Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 (NEPA) and associated Federal regulations. The BLM will work
collaboratively with interested parties to identify the management
decisions that are best suited to local and regional needs as well as
national needs and concerns.
There are several preliminary issues that BLM is seeking public
input on through scoping. These issues were identified from evaluation
of decisions in the current RMPs that BLM believes require updating and
include: recreation; off highway vehicle management; threatened and
endangered species management; renewable energy development potential
(solar, wind, etc.); Areas of Critical Environmental Concern (ACECs);
naturalness, solitude, and primitive recreation; special status species
habitat management; access; travel management; rights-of-way; and land
tenure (acquisition or disposal). The preliminary planning criteria,
which have been identified to guide the development of the RMP
Revision-Amendment/EIS, are:
A. Actions must comply with laws, regulations, executive orders,
and BLM Manuals (i.e., supplemental program guidance).
B. Actions must be reasonable and achievable and allow for
flexibility where appropriate (i.e., adaptive management).
C. The Economic Profile System (EPS) developed by the Sonoran
Institute will be used as a community involvement technique and a
source of demographic and economic data for the planning process.
D. Actions will be considered through an interdisciplinary
approach.
E. The White Sands RMP Revision and the Mimbres RMP Amendment
planning team will work cooperatively with county and municipal
governments, other Federal, State and local agencies, and interested
groups and individuals. Collaborative public involvement and
participation will be emphasized throughout this process.
F. The revision and amendment will establish the guidance upon
which the LCFO will manage public lands within the three counties.
G. The planning process will include an EIS that complies with NEPA
standards.
H. The revision and amendment will provide for the maintenance and
enhancement of habitats for special status species within the Planning
Area, while allowing the public the opportunity for access to public
lands in a productive and meaningful way.
I. The revision and amendment will recognize valid existing rights
related to the use of public lands. The revision and amendment will
define the process that the LCFO will use to address applications or
notices filed after the completion of the revision and amendment on
existing land use authorizations.
J. The RMP revision and amendment process will involve Native
American tribal governments and will provide strategies for protection
of cultural resources on public lands.
K. Decisions in the revision and amendment will strive to be
compatible with existing plans and policies of adjacent local, State,
and Federal governments and agencies, as long as the decisions are in
conformance with BLM management policies.
Public participation will be encouraged through the three public
meetings described above. Early participation is encouraged. In
addition to the public meetings, opportunities for public participation
will be available during the development of alternatives and upon
publication of the Draft EIS. Notification of the publications and
updates will be sent to various State and local government agencies,
interest groups, Native American Tribes, permittees, and other
interested public, as well as to the local news media. Federal, State
and county governments have been asked to participate in the process
and will be offered an opportunity to be cooperating agencies to assure
their active participation.
Dated: November 5, 2004.
Linda S. C. Rundell,
New Mexico State Director.
[FR Doc. 05-1567 Filed 1-27-05; 8:45 am]