[Federal Register: October 15, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 200)]
[Notices]
[Page 61163-61164]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15oc08-127]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CO 130 2009 001]
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Resource Management Plan (RMP) and
Associated Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Initiate the Public
Scoping Process
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Bureau of Land Management
(BLM), Grand Junction Field Office (GJFO), Colorado, is initiating a
planning effort to prepare the Grand Junction RMP and associated EIS.
The RMP will replace the existing 1987 Resource Management Plan.
DATES: The scoping comment period will commence with the publication of
this notice and will end on January 9, 2009. However, collaboration
with the public will continue throughout the planning process. Public
meetings will be announced through the local news media, newsletters,
and a BLM Web site at least 15 days prior to the event. Comments on
issues and planning criteria should be received on or before the end of
the scoping period at the address listed below.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the Grand Junction Field
Office, Bureau of Land Management, 2815 H Road, Grand Junction, CO
81506 or via fax at (970) 244-3083. E-mail comments may be set to
GJFO_mail@blm.gov. Comments, including names and addresses of
respondents, will be available for public review at the BLM GJFO,
during regular business hours 7:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday,
except holidays. Individual respondents may request confidentiality.
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so. 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: For further information and/or to have
your name added to our mailing list; contact Matt Anderson, Project
Manager, Telephone (970) 244-3027. Project documents may be reviewed on
BLM's Grand Junction's Field Office Web site at http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.blm.gov
(select Grand Junction on the interactive map).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The purpose of the public scoping process is
to identify issues that should be considered in the RMP/EIS and to
initiate public participation in the planning process. BLM personnel
will also be present at scoping meetings to explain the planning
process and other requirements for preparing the RMP/EIS. The planning
area includes lands within the BLM GJFO administrative boundary. The
GJFO RMP decision area encompasses about 1.2 million acres of public
lands, which are located within Mesa, Garfield, Montrose, and Delta
Counties, Colorado. The decision area includes public lands
administered by the BLM GJFO, and does not include
[[Page 61164]]
private lands, state lands, tribal trust lands, federal lands not
administered by the BLM, lands located within the planning area of the
RMP for the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area and associated
Wilderness Area.
The plan will fulfill the needs and obligations set forth by the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and associated Council of
Environmental Quality Regulations 40 CFR part 1500. The plan also
fulfills requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act
(FLPMA: 43 U.S.C. 1711), applicable planning regulations at 43 CFR part
1600, and BLM management policies.
Parties interested in leasing and development of Federal coal in
the planning area should provide coal resource data for their area(s)
of interest. Specifically, information is requested on the location,
quality, and quantity of Federal coal with development potential, and
on surface resource values related to the 20 coal unsuitability
criteria described in 43 CFR part 3461. This information will be used
for any necessary updating of coal screening determination (43 CFR
3420.1-4) in the area and in the environmental analysis. In addition to
coal resource data, the BLM seeks resource information and data for
other public land values (e.g., air quality, cultural and historic
resources, fire/fuels, fisheries, forestry, lands and realty, non-
energy minerals and geology, oil and gas (including coalbed methane),
paleontology, rangeland management, recreation, soil, water, and
wildlife) in the planning area. The purpose of this request is to
assure that the planning effort has sufficient information and data to
consider a reasonable range of resource uses, management options, and
alternatives for the public lands.
Proprietary data marked as confidential may be submitted in
response to this call for coal and other resource information. Please
submit all proprietary information submissions to the address listed
above. The BLM will treat submissions marked as ``Confidential'' in
accordance with the laws and regulations governing the confidentiality
of such information.
The BLM GJFO will work collaboratively with interested parties to
identify the management actions and decisions that are best suited to
local, regional, and national needs and concerns of the public, subject
to planning criteria to be developed to guide the plan. Preliminary
issues and management concerns have been identified by the BLM, other
agencies, and meetings with individuals and user groups. The major
issue themes to be addressed in the RMP effort include:
Management and protection of public land resources while
allowing for multiple uses.
Management of riparian areas and water quality concerns.
Recreation/visitor use and safety management.
Travel management, including Off Highway Vehicle.
Management of areas with special values.
Energy and minerals management.
Management of wildlife habitat including protection of
sensitive species habitat.
Community expansion and urban interface.
Land Tenure Adjustments.
After gathering public comments, issues will be placed in one of three
categories.
1. Issues to be resolved by the plan;
2. Issues resolved through policy or administrative action; or
3. Issues beyond the scope of this plan.
Rationale will be provided in the plan for each issue placed in
category two or three. In addition to these major issues, a number of
management questions and concerns will be addressed in the plan. The
public is encouraged to help identify these questions and concerns
during the scoping phase. An interdisciplinary approach will be used to
develop the plan in order to consider the variety of issues and
concerns identified. Disciplines involved in the planning process will
include specialists with expertise in rangeland management, minerals
and geology, outdoor recreation, archaeology, paleontology, wildlife,
fisheries, wild horse, weeds, lands and realty, hydrology, soils,
engineering, fire, wilderness, hazardous materials, and social and
economic. The BLM has identified some preliminary planning criteria to
guide the development of the plan. The following planning criteria have
been proposed to guide the development of the plan, to avoid
unnecessary data collection and analyses, and to ensure the plan is
tailored to issues. Other criteria may be identified during the public
scoping process. Proposed planning criteria include the following:
The plan will comply with all applicable laws, regulations
and current policies.
Broad-based public participation will be an integral part
of the planning and EIS process.
The plan will recognize valid existing rights.
Areas with special designations as appropriate.
Dated: October, 2008.
Raul Morales,
Associate Field Manager, Grand Junction Field Office.
[FR Doc. E8-24374 Filed 10-14-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P