[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 22, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68075-68076]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30379]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[LLORV00000-L10200000.DF0000; HAG 9-0189]


Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for 
the Trout Creek Geographic Management Area, Jordan Resource Area, Vale 
District, OR

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Vale District Office, 
Vale, Oregon intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 
for proposed actions pertaining to livestock grazing systems and 
rangeland developments that will affect 10 livestock grazing permit 
terms and conditions in the Trout Creek Geographic Management Area 
(TCGMA) Vale District. Actions may include, for example, installation 
and/or removal of fences and water developments, changes to duration or 
season of use of grazing, and other changes to the terms and conditions 
of affected grazing permits. By this notice the BLM is announcing the 
beginning of the scoping process and soliciting input on the 
identification of issues.

DATES: To identify relevant issues, the BLM will announce public 
scoping meetings through local news media, newsletters, and the BLM Web 
site: http:www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/plans/tcgma_eis.php at least 
15 days prior to each meeting.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on issues related to the TCGMA EIS 
by any of the following methods:
     District Web site: http:www.blm.gov/or/districts/vale/plans/valermp.php.
     E-mail: [email protected]
     Fax: (541) 473-6213.
     Mail: Bureau of Land Management, Vale District Office, 100 
Oregon Street, Vale, OR 97918.
    Documents pertinent to this proposal may be examined at the Vale 
District Office during regular business areas.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information and/or to have 
your name added to our mailing list, contact Trisha Skerjanec, (541) 
473-6222; or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This document provides notice that the BLM 
District Office, Vale, Oregon, intends to prepare an EIS for proposed 
actions for livestock grazing systems and rangeland developments that 
will affect 10 livestock grazing permit terms and conditions in the 
TCGMA. The project area covers about 627,900 acres of co-mingled 
Federal, private, and State land located in Southeastern Oregon and 
Northwestern Nevada. About 586,900 acres (or 94.4 percent) of the land 
is public domain administered by the BLM. Subsequent grazing decisions 
will be based on the EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) and conform to 
the BLM grazing regulations at 43 CFR subpart 4180, Fundamentals of 
Rangeland Health Standards and Guidelines for Grazing Administration, 
and the Southeastern Oregon Resource Management Plan and ROD.

[[Page 68076]]

    The analysis will involve a variety of issues pertaining to the 
following: rangeland vegetation, rangeland grazing use, wild horses, 
special status plants, water resources and riparian areas, fish and 
aquatic habitat, including a Federal threatened species of fish, 
wildlife, and wildlife habitat, special status animals, recreation, 
wilderness study areas, land outside of wilderness study areas 
possessing wilderness characteristics, and archeological and 
paleontological materials.
    This document also announces the beginning of the public scoping 
process and seeks public input on the aforementioned issues. The BLM 
has previously held scoping meetings for this land area in preparation 
for an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. 
However, for reasons related to ongoing litigation, the Vale District 
now will examine its proposed action through an EIS. Thus, for 
procedural reasons, a second opportunity for public scoping is 
available with this EIS. The purpose of the public scoping is to 
determine concerns and ideas that will help guide the decision-making 
process. You may submit comments on the aforementioned issues in 
writing to the BLM at any public scoping meeting, or you may submit 
them to the BLM using one of the methods listed in the ADDRESSES 
section above. To have your name added to the mailing list, reply to 
the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section above.
    To be most helpful, you should submit comments by January 21, 2010. 
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. The minutes and list of attendees for each scoping 
meeting will be available to the public and open for 30 days after the 
meeting to any participant who wishes to clarify the views he or she 
expressed.
    The BLM will evaluate identified issues, and will place them into 
one of three categories:
    1. Issues to be resolved in the EIS;
    2. Issues to be resolved through policy or administrative action; 
or
    3. Issues beyond the scope of this EIS.
    The BLM will provide an explanation in the EIS as to why we placed 
an issue in category two or three.

Carolyn R. Freeborn,
Jordan Field Manager, Vale District Office.
[FR Doc. E9-30379 Filed 12-21-09; 8:45 am]
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