[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 61 (Thursday, March 28, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13870-13871]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7510]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[OR-015-96-1610-00: G6-0088]


Management Framework Plans; Oregon

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: High Desert Management Framework Proposed Plan Amendment and 
Final Environmental Impact Statement for Lake Abert Area of Critical 
Environmental Concern, Notice of Availability.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(c) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act, section 202(f) of the Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act, and 43 CFR Part 1610, the Lakeview District has completed a 
proposed plan amendment and final environmental impact statement (PA/
FEIS) covering a proposal to designate the Lake Abert and the 
surrounding vicinity as an area of critical environmental concern 
(ACEC).
    The proposed PA/FEIS addresses the management of resources within 
approximately 123,000 acres of public land and 101,700 acres of 
reserved mineral estate administered by the BLM located approximately 
30 miles north of the town of Lakeview in central Lake County, Oregon. 
The proposed ACEC includes approximately 49,900 acres of public lands 
administered by the BLM.

DATES: The public review/protest period for the proposed PA/FEIS will 
officially begin when the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 
publishes its Notice of Availability of the proposed PA/FEIS in the 
Federal Register, which is expected on or about March 29, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Whitman, BLM, Lakeview District 
Office, P.O. Box 151, Lakeview, Oregon 97630 (Telephone: 541-947-6110). 
Those wishing to provide comments should submit them in writing to 
Scott Florence at the above address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The document presents management goals, 
objectives, and seven management alternatives for BLM-administered 
lands within the planning area. The alternatives range from no action 
(no change in present management), to designating portions of the 
planning area as an ACEC with somewhat restrictive management, to 
designating the entire planning area as an ACEC with very restrictive 
management. Alternative 7 is the agency preferred plan and involves 
designating about 49,900 acres of public lands as an ACEC. The area was 
evaluated and found to meet the ACEC designation criteria and require 
special management for four resource values: wildlife, visual, 
cultural, and ecological processes. Off-highway vehicle (OHV) use, 
mining location, and rights-of-way location would be restricted within 
the ACEC. Livestock grazing would be restricted within that portion of 
Abert Rim wilderness study area (WSA) falling within the ACEC, as well 
as within most riparian zones, and ecologically sensitive areas. 
Mineral leasing would be closed within approximately 18,000 acres of 
the ACEC with the remainder of the area being restricted.
    A draft plan amendment and environmental impact statement was 
issued for a 90-day review period in May 1995. The review period ended 
on August 16, 1995. A total of 37 comment letters were received during 
the review period. An interdisciplinary planning team assessed these 
comments and utilized them in making changes in the proposed PA/FEIS. 
The final document has been prepared in an abbreviated format. Major 
sections of the draft are not repeated in the final. Copies of the 
draft are available for reference by contacting the point of contact 
listed above.
    Those individuals, organizations, native American tribes, and 
agencies with a known interest in the plan have been sent a copy of the 
proposed PA/FEIS. Persons desiring a copy of the document should 
contact the point of contact listed above. Reading copies of the 
document are available at the Lake, Klamath, and Harney County, Oregon, 
libraries and at the following BLM locations: Office of External 
Affairs, Main Interior Building, Room 5600, 18th and C Streets, NW, 
Washington DC 20240, and Public Room, Oregon State Office, 1515 SW 5th, 
Portland, Oregon 97201.

[[Page 13871]]


Administrative Remedies

    Approval of this plan amendment constitutes official ACEC 
designation and will be documented in a public Record of Decision (ROD) 
which will be made available to all parties who received a copy of the 
proposed PA/FEIS. The BLM planning process provides an opportunity for 
an administrative review via a plan protest to the BLM Director, if you 
believe the approval of the proposed plan amendment would be in error 
under 43 CFR 1610.5-2. Careful adherence to the following guidelines 
will assist in preparing such a protest that will assure the greatest 
consideration to your point of view:
    (1) A protesting party may raise only those issues which he/she 
submitted for the record during the planning process.
    (2) There is no provision within BLM's regulations allowing for an 
extension of time to file a protest, nor will one be granted. To be 
considered timely, a protest must be postmarked no later than the 
closing date of the comment/protest period. It is recommended that your 
protest be sent certified mail, return receipt requested.
    (3) Protests must be submitted in writing to: Director (480), 
Bureau of Land Management, Resource Planning Team, 1849 C Street, NW, 
Washington, DC 20240.
    (4) To be considered complete, a protest must contain, at a 
minimum, the following information:
    (a) The name, address, telephone number, and interest of the person 
filing the protest.
    (b) A statement of the issue(s) being protested.
    (c) A statement of the part(s) of the proposed plan amendment being 
protested, referencing specific pages, paragraphs, sections, tables, 
maps, etc. * * * within the document.
    (d) A copy of all documents addressing the issue(s) that you 
submitted during the planning process or a reference to the date the 
issue(s) were discussed by you for the record.
    (e) A concise statement explaining why the BLM State Director's 
decision is believed to be incorrect. A protest which merely expresses 
disagreement with the State Director's decision, without presenting 
support data/information, will be dismissed.

    Dated: March 15, 1996.
Edwin J. Singleton,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 96-7510 Filed 3-27-96; 8:45 am]
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