[Federal Register: January 22, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 14)]
[Notices]
[Page 3755-3756]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22ja10-75]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[LLNVS01000 L58530000 EU0000; 09-08807; TAS: 14X5232]
Notice of Availability of Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact
Statement for the Upper Las Vegas Wash Conservation Transfer Area, Las
Vegas, NV
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of Availability.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for
establishing a final boundary for the Upper Las Vegas Wash Conservation
Transfer Area, Las Vegas, Nevada, and by this Notice is announcing the
opening of the comment period.
DATES: To ensure comments will be considered, the BLM must receive
written comments on the Upper Las Vegas Wash Conservation Transfer Area
Draft Supplemental EIS within 60 days following the date the
Environmental Protection Agency publishes its Notice of Availability in
the Federal Register. The BLM will announce future meetings or hearings
and any other public involvement activities at least 15 days in advance
through public notices, media releases, and/or mailings.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments related to the Upper Las Vegas Wash
Conservation Transfer Area by any of the following methods:
Web site: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/leaving.cgi?from=leavingFR.html&log=linklog&to=http://www.blm.gov/nv/st/en/fo/lvfo.html.
E-mail: NV_SNDO_Planning@blm.gov.
Fax: 702-515-5023.
Mail: Bob Ross, Field Manager, BLM Las Vegas Field Office,
4701 North Torrey Pines Drive, Las Vegas, Nevada 89130-2301.
Copies of the Draft Supplemental EIS for the Upper Las Vegas Wash
Conservation Transfer Area are available in the Las Vegas Field Office
at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information contact Gayle
Marrs-Smith, telephone (702) 515-5156 or e-mail Gayle_Marrs-
Smith@blm.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft Supplemental EIS describes and
analyzes possible boundary adjustments to the Upper Las Vegas Wash
Conservation Transfer Area (CTA) referenced in the 2004 Final Las Vegas
Valley Disposal Boundary
[[Page 3756]]
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision. Because of
the significance of paleontological, botanical, hydrological, and
cultural resources present within the CTA study area and the need for
additional public input, the BLM is preparing a Supplemental EIS. The
BLM proposes to establish a final boundary for the CTA. This decision
was not made in the 2004 Record of Decision. The CTA study area is
located in the northern portion of the Las Vegas Valley. A defined
final boundary is needed to ensure protection of sensitive resources,
including fossils, cultural resources, the natural functioning of the
wash, and endemic plants on public lands available for disposal within
the CTA study area, in accordance with applicable laws.
Six alternatives for boundaries are analyzed, ranging from
approximately 13,000 acres to less than 1,500 acres. Alternative A, at
12,953 acres, includes the fossil formation, sensitive cultural and
plant resources, active wash, the adjacent alluvial fan, and a one mile
resource protection zone around northern and eastern boundaries of the
Las Vegas Paiute reservation. Alternative B, at 11,008 acres, includes
the fossil formation, sensitive cultural and plant resources, active
wash, and the adjacent alluvial fan. Alternative B is the BLM's
Preferred Alternative. Alternative C, at 6,362 acres, includes the
fossil formation, sensitive cultural and plant resources, active wash,
and a portion of the adjacent alluvial fan. Alternative D, at 5,301
acres, includes most of the fossil formation, the sensitive cultural
and rare plant resources, and the active wash. Alternative E, at 3,314
acres, includes some of the fossil formation, the sensitive cultural
and rare plant resources, and part of the active wash. The No Action
alternative, at 1,448 acres, includes the Tule Spring cultural site and
the 300-acre Eglington Preserve. Scoping of the project occurred from
June 6 to August 20, 2007, and was extended to September 4, 2007. A
total of 1,183 individuals submitted comments. Comments received
pertained to a variety of broad categories, including alternatives,
boundaries, management, and physical/natural resources. Additional
stakeholder involvement has been achieved through the BLM's newsletters
that provided updates on the Supplemental EIS process.
The Draft Supplemental EIS addresses the following issues
identified during scoping: NEPA process (consultation/coordination,
proposal description, alternatives, and connected actions/cumulative
impacts); social resources (cultural resources, visual resources,
noise, land use, recreation, transportation, and socioeconomic
resources); and physical/natural resources (botanical resources, water
resources, paleontological resources, and geologic/soil resources).
Maps of the CTA study area and the alternatives being analyzed in
the Supplemental EIS are available at the BLM Las Vegas Field Office.
Please note that public comments and information submitted including
names, street addresses, and e-mail addresses of persons who submit
comments will be available for public review and disclosure at the
above address during regular business hours (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Monday
through Friday, except holidays.
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.
Authority: 40 CFR 1506.6 and 1506.10.
Angie Lara,
Associate District Manager.
[FR Doc. 2010-976 Filed 1-21-10; 8:45 am]
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