[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 245 (Thursday, December 22, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-31460]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: December 22, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-010-1610-00]

 

Environmental Statements; Availability, etc.: Grass Creek 
Resource Area, WY

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Availability of the Draft Environmental Impact 
Statement for the Grass Creek Resource Management Plan for public 
review and comment.

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SUMMARY: The draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the Grass 
Creek Resource Management Plan (RMP) describes and analyzes four 
alternative resource management plans, including the Bureau of Land 
Management's (BLM's) preferred alternative, developed through public 
scoping and in consultation with local Governments. The planning area 
includes portions of Big Horn, Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie counties 
in the Bighorn Basin of north central Wyoming. When completed, the 
Grass Creek RMP will provide the management direction for future land 
and resource management actions on approximately 968,000 acres of 
public land surface and approximately 1,171,000 acres of Federal 
mineral estate administered by the BLM.
    The draft EIS focuses on resolving three key issues identified 
through public scoping and analysis of current BLM management in the 
Grass Creek planning area. These issues are:

1. Vegetation management
2. Special management area designations
3. Public land and resource accessibility and manageability

    The proposed designation of three Areas of Critical Environmental 
Concern (ACECs) is addressed in the draft EIS. These are the 
Fifteenmile Creek Watershed proposed ACEC (274,300 acres), the 
Meeteetse Draw proposed ACEC (6,800 acres), and the Upper Owl Creek 
proposed ACEC (17,100 acres).
    Management of the Fifteenmile Creek Watershed proposed ACEC would 
emphasize a cooperative approach to improving riparian and upland 
areas, and reducing the amount of sediment delivered to the Bighorn 
River. State and local Government, private landowners, grazing 
permittees, and other interested parties would collaborate in managing 
the area.
    The Meeteetse Draw proposed ACEC would highlight the importance of 
Native American cultural values associated with this area. The primary 
emphasis of BLM's management would be to improve public education, 
interpretation, scientific research, and protection of Native American 
cultural values. Controlled management of this area would also allow 
Native Americans to have access to these sites for ritual purposes and 
aid in preserving aspects of their heritage.
    The Upper Owl Creek proposed ACEC would be managed to maintain 
important wildlife habitat, protect rare plants, maintain scenic 
quality, enhance recreation, and reduce erosion and natural hazards 
associated with the area's landslide potential.
    These proposed ACEC designations would highlight the three areas 
for management and funding, but would not increase the level of 
restrictions on land uses above that which would otherwise be 
appropriate for management. The special management designations also 
would not apply to State or private lands.
    In accordance with the provisions of 38 CFR Part 800, parties who 
are interested in and who wish to be involved in future activity 
planning and implementation of management actions that may involve or 
affect the archaeological and historical resources addressed in the 
proposed plan, are requested to identify themselves. Through contacting 
the Worland District Office at the below address, you will be placed on 
a future contact list.
    The coal screening process (including application of the coal 
unsuitability criteria under 43 CFR Part 3461) was not conducted for 
the planning effort. Any interest in coal exploration or leasing will 
be handled on a case-by-case basis. If an application for a coal lease 
is received sometime in the future, an appropriate land use 
environmental analysis will be conducted (which will include conducting 
the coal screening process) to determine whether or not the coal areas 
applied for are acceptable for development and leasing consideration. 
The RMP will be amended as necessary.
    In the course of conducting the planning effort and preparing the 
Grass Creek RMP EIS, public lands along all waterways in the planning 
area were reviewed to determine their eligibility for inclusion in the 
National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. No public lands were found to 
meet the eligibility criteria.
    The draft EIS contains socio-economic information on the 
population, employment, and income of the planning area and describes 
the impacts on the local economy of implementing each of the four 
alternatives analyzed in the EIS.
    Wilderness management and recommendations on wilderness designation 
have been considered in previous documents and are not addressed in 
this draft EIS.

DATES: Written comments will be accepted for 90 days following the date 
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publishes the filing of the 
draft EIS for the Grass Creek RMP in the Federal Register. This filing 
notice is expected to be published about mid or late December 1994. 
Open houses will be held in communities within the planning area to 
provide opportunities for the public to meet with the BLM and comment 
on the draft EIS. These open houses will be held during January 1995. 
Media releases will provide information on the locations and times of 
the meetings when these are determined.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft EIS for the Grass Creek Resource 
Management Plan are available from the BLM Worland District Office and 
the Grass Creek Resource Area Office at P. O. Box 119, 101 South 23rd 
Street, Worland, Wyoming 82401-0119. Comments and requests to be placed 
on the Grass Creek RMP mailing list should be sent to Bob Ross, RMP 
Team Leader, P. O. Box 119, Worland, Wyoming 82401-0119.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joseph T. Vessels, Grass Creek 
Resource Area Manager or Bob Ross, RMP Team Leader at the above address 
or by telephone (307) 347-9871.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Grass Creek Resource Area is responsible 
for managing the BLM-administered public lands in portions of Big Horn, 
Hot Springs, Park, and Washakie counties in Wyoming. Within the Grass 
Creek RMP planning area there are varied and intermingled land surface 
ownerships and overlapping mineral ownerships. Therefore, the 
administrative jurisdictions for land use planning and for managing the 
land surface and minerals are also varied, intermingled, and sometimes 
overlapping. For this reason, it is important to understand that the 
draft EIS does not address management of lands (about 302,000 acres) or 
minerals (about 8,000 acres) within the planning area that are 
privately-owned or owned by the State of Wyoming or local Governments. 
It also does not address those Federally-owned minerals within the 
planning area that are under Federal land surface managed by other 
agencies (about 4,700 acres).
    The draft EIS for the Grass Creek RMP presents four alternative, 
multiple use resource management plans for managing the BLM-
administered public lands in the planning area. Alternative A 
(continuation of current management) and three other alternatives that 
suggest different combinations and emphases for managing the various 
resource and land uses on the BLM-administered public lands, on the 
basis of needs, opportunities, and public demand. The four alternative 
plans focus on allocating public lands and resources among their valid 
uses and prescribing general management actions that would be taken. 
The preferred alternative is a combination of parts of alternatives A, 
B, and C and represents what BLM believes is the best balance between 
the public lands and resource uses and environmental protection in the 
planning area. The various impacts that would be expected from 
implementing each of the alternatives is also presented in the draft 
EIS.

    Dated: December 5, 1994.
Alan L. Kesterke,
Associate State Director.
[FR Doc. 94-31460 Filed 12-21-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P