[Federal Register: July 24, 2009 (Volume 74, Number =
141)]
[Notices] =20
[Page 36736-36737]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24jy09-120] =20
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLCAD06000-L16100000]
=20
Notice of Availability of Draft South Coast Resource Management=20
Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Santa=20
Ana River Wash Land Exchange, California
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of=20
1969 (NEPA) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976=20
(FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has prepared a Draft South=20
Coast Resource Management Plan Amendment and Draft Environmental Impact=20
Statement (EIS) for the Santa Ana River Wash Land Exchange and by this=20
Notice is announcing the opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive=20
written comments on the Draft EIS within 90 days following the date the=20
Environmental Protection Agency
[[Page 36737]]
publishes its Notice of Availability in the Federal Register. The BLM=20
will announce future meetings or hearings and any other public=20
involvement activities at least 15 days in advance through public=20
notices, media news releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
Web Site: ht=
tp://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3DleavingFR.html&a=
mp;log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings.
E-mail: mbennett@ca.blm.gov.
Fax: (760) 833-7199.
Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Palm Springs-South Coast=20
Field Office, 1201 Bird Center Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262.
Copies of the Draft South Coast Resource Management Plan Amendment=20
and Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Santa Ana Wash=20
Land Exchange are available for review at the Palm Springs-South Coast=20
Field Office and via the Internet at ht=
tp://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=3DleavingFR.html&a=
mp;log=3Dlinklog&to=3Dhttp://www.blm.gov/ca/palmsprings.=20
Electronic (on CD-ROM) or paper copies may also be obtained by=20
contacting Michael Bennett at the addresses and phone number below.=20
Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other=20
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware=20
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying=20
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can=20
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying=20
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be=20
able to do so.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Bennett; Bureau of Land=20
Management, Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, 1201 Bird Center=20
Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262; (760) 833-7139; mbennett@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft EIS analyzes a proposed exchange=20
of ownership of approximately 315 acres of BLM land with approximately=20
320 acres of land owned by the San Bernardino Valley Water Conservation=20
District (District), and the amendment of the South Coast Resource=20
Management Plan (SCRMP) to support this exchange. Additional lands,=20
including up to 85 acres of BLM lands (Federal lands managed by the=20
BLM) and up to 60 acres of District land, will be exchanged if=20
necessary to equalize values. The lands proposed for exchange are=20
located within the Santa Ana River Wash in southwestern San Bernardino=20
County, California. A primary purpose of the exchange is for the BLM to=20
dispose of isolated lands which have been previously degraded by mining=20
activities within the Santa Ana River Wash ACEC, and in exchange, to=20
acquire District lands with high habitat value. Lands acquired by the=20
BLM through the proposed exchange would be given the ACEC land use=20
designation. These lands would also become part of the planned multi-
jurisdictional, multi-species Habitat Conservation Area (HCA) described=20
in the 2008 Upper Santa Ana River Wash Land Management and Habitat=20
Conservation Plan (Wash Plan). Of the lands acquired by the District,=20
approximately 259 acres would be leased for mining and approximately 56=20
acres would be set aside for habitat conservation. This action would=20
fulfill the need for a comprehensive solution to competitive land uses=20
within the Wash Plan Area by preserving unique habitats under the BLM=20
ACEC while allowing mineral development and other uses to occur in=20
predominantly disturbed areas. These Federal actions are analyzed in=20
the Draft EIS. A Record of Decision for the proposed land exchange and=20
plan amendment will be prepared following the Final EIS in accordance=20
with the planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610 and the NEPA, 42 U.S.C.=20
4321 et seq. The Notice of Intent to publish this EIS was published in=20
the Federal Register on April 26, 2004. Public workshops and scoping=20
meetings were held in the cities of Highland and Redlands in May 2004.=20
Predominant issues identified so far include threatened, endangered,=20
and other special status species, mineral resources, water resources,=20
recreation, visual resources, cultural resources, land management, and=20
traffic management.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6, 43 CFR 1610.2.
John R. Kalish,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. E9-17574 Filed 7-23-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-40-P