[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 45 (Friday, March 7, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10578-10579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-5513]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[NM-060-07-1610-00 (0003)]


Availability of Proposed Roswell Resource Management Plan/Final 
Environmental Impact Statement and Proposed Carlsbad Resource 
Management Plan Amendment/Final Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces the availability 
for public review of the Proposed Roswell Resource Management Plan 
(RMP)/Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and the Proposed 
Carlsbad Resource Management Plan Amendment (RMPA)/Final Environmental 
Impact Statement. The proposed plans are combined in a single document 
consisting of two volumes. A 30-day protest period is provided 
according to the BLM's land use planning regulations at 43 CFR 1610.5-
2.
    The Proposed Roswell RMP describes the future management of all 
uses on about 1,490,000 acres of public lands in the Roswell Resource 
Area where both the surface and subsurface estates are in federal 
ownership and are administered by the BLM. The Proposed Roswell RMP 
also describes management for an additional 8.4 million acres of 
federal mineral estate where the surface is managed by other surface 
management agencies of the federal or New Mexico state governments, or 
is in private ownership. In these cases, the leasing of fluid minerals 
(i.e., oil and gas) is administered by the BLM. The public lands 
covered by the Proposed Roswell RMP, including the mineral estate, are 
administered by the BLM through its Roswell Resource Area Office. The 
Roswell Resource Area encompasses Chaves County (except for the 
``bootheel'') and all of Lincoln, DeBaca, Roosevelt, Curry, Quay and 
Guadalupe counties in southeastern and east-central New Mexico.
    The Proposed Carlsbad RMPA describes the future management for oil 
and gas resources and use on about 2,197,000 acres in the Carlsbad 
Resource Area where both the surface and subsurface estates are in 
federal ownership and are administered by the BLM. The Proposed Plan 
Amendment also describes management for an additional 1.9 million acres 
of federal mineral estate where the surface is managed by other surface 
management agencies of the federal or New Mexico State governments, or 
is in private ownership. In these cases, the leasing of fluid minerals 
(i.e., oil and gas) is administered by the BLM. The public lands 
covered by the Carlsbad RMPA, including the mineral estate, are 
administered by the BLM through its Carlsbad Resource Area Office. The 
Carlsbad Resource Area encompasses the ``bootheel'' of Chaves County 
and all of Eddy and Lea counties in southeastern New Mexico.
    The Proposed Roswell Resource Management Plan/Final Environmental 
Impact Statement includes the designation of five areas of critical 
environmental concern (ACEC) totalling 64,669 surface acres. Within the 
boundaries of the proposed ACECs are lands that are privately-owned or 
owned by the State of New Mexico. The ACEC designations would pertain 
only to the federally-owned land surface and mineral estate managed by 
the BLM and to the BLM-administered federal mineral estate under state 
and privately-owned lands. The non-federal land surface would not be 
affected by the ACEC designations. The Proposed RMP designates 10 
special recreation management areas (SRMA) totalling 71,725 acres. 
Under the Proposed Plan, off-highway vehicle (OHV) use designations of 
open, closed or limited use would be made for the entire Roswell 
Resource Area. Under OHV management, 1,546 acres would be open; 
1,449,878 acres would be limited to designated roads or trails; and, 
38,576 acres would be closed to OHV use. Existing designations would be 
retained for: Outstanding Natural Area (Mescalero Sands, 6,713 acres), 
National Natural Landmark (Mescalero Sands, 3,280 acres; Border Hill, 
150 acres; Mathers, 242 acres; Torgac Cave, 120 acres; and, Fort 
Stanton Cave, 985 acres), and Research Natural Area (Mathers, 242 
acres).
    The Proposed RMP and the Proposed RMPA are modified versions of the

[[Page 10579]]

Preferred Alternative in the Draft RMP/EIS and Draft RMPA/EIS. Comments 
on the draft plans received from the public and internal BLM review 
were incorporated in the Proposed RMP/FEIS and the Proposed RMPA/FEIS.
    All parts of the Proposed RMP and Proposed RMPA may be protested by 
parties who participated in the planning process. A protesting party 
may raise only those issues which he or she submitted for the record 
during the planning process. Specific protest procedures are described 
in the User's Guide section of the Proposed RMP/RMPA/FEIS. Protest 
procedures also can be obtained on the Internet at http://
www.nm.blm.gov, or by contacting the Roswell District Office at the 
address listed below under FURTHER INFORMATION.

DATES: Protests on the Proposed Roswell RMP/FEIS or the Proposed 
Carlsbad RMPA/FEIS must be postmarked no later than the last day of the 
protest period, which is April 5, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Protests on the Proposed Roswell RMP/FEIS or the Proposed 
Carlsbad RMPA/FEIS must be filed in writing to: Director (WO-210), 
Bureau of Land Management, Attn: Brenda Williams, 1849 C Street, N.W., 
Washington, D.C. 20240.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Stout, Bureau of Land 
Management, Roswell District Office, 2909 West Second Street, Roswell, 
New Mexico, 88201, telephone 505-627-0272.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Proposed Roswell RMP/FEIS and the 
Proposed Carlsbad RMP/FEIS are published as a single document composed 
of two volumes. Volume 1 contains the Proposed Plan and Proposed Plan 
Amendment, and supporting material. Volume 2 contains public comments 
and the BLM's responses to those comments. The alternatives considered 
in the Draft RMP/EIS and Draft RMPA/EIS, the environmental effects of 
those alternatives, the affected environment discussion, some 
appendixes and the references have not been reprinted in the Proposed 
RMP/RMPA/FEIS. It is necessary, therefore, to use both the Draft and 
Final EIS documents for a complete review of the EIS.
    Copies of the Draft RMP/RMPA/EIS and the Proposed RMP/RMPA/FEIS may 
be obtained from the Roswell District Office, at the address listed 
above in FURTHER INFORMATION. Volume 1 of the Proposed RMP/RMPA/FEIS 
can be viewed on, and downloaded from, the Internet at http://
www.nm.blm.gov.
    The Proposed Plan is a complete, comprehensive management proposal 
for the public surface and mineral estate in the Roswell Resource Area. 
The Proposed Plan Amendment is a complete, comprehensive management 
proposal for oil and gas resources on public lands in the Carlsbad 
Resource Area. The Proposed Plan and Proposed Plan Amendment are 
refinements of the BLM's Preferred Alternative presented in the Draft 
RMP/RMPA/EIS, which was made available for public review in November 
1994. Comments from the public, review by BLM staff, and new 
information developed since the distribution of the draft have prompted 
some changes in the Preferred Alternative. The environmental effects of 
the Proposed Plan and Proposed Plan Amendment are not greatly different 
from those of the Preferred Alternative.
    The Proposed Plan focuses on the comprehensive management of the 
public lands and the resolution of four key issues and two management 
opportunities, which were identified with public involvement early in 
the planning processes. The issues are: (1) Oil and Gas Operations; (2) 
Land Tenure Adjustment; (3) Access; and, (4) Special Management Areas. 
The management opportunities are: (1) Recreation; and, (2) Wildlife 
Habitat Management.
    The Proposed Plan Amendment focuses on comprehensive management of 
the oil and gas resources on public lands and the resolution of the key 
issue of Oil and Gas Operations, which was identified with public 
involvement early in the planning processes.
    At the end of the 30-day protest period, the Proposed RMP and the 
Proposed RMPA will become final. If protests are filed, however, 
approval of the entire RMP or RMPA, or both, will be withheld pending 
resolution of the protests. The Approved RMP and Approved RMPA will be 
published following approval of the Record of Decision (ROD) for each 
plan. Individuals wanting to comment on one or both of the plans, but 
not wanting to file a protest, may send comments to the BLM, Roswell 
District Office, 2909 West Second Street, Roswell, New Mexico, 88201, 
within the 30-day protest period. Comments received will be considered 
in the preparation of the RODs.
    Copies of the Proposed RMP/RMPA/FEIS have been distributed to a 
mailing list of participants in the planning process and other 
interested parties. Single copies of the Proposed RMP/RMPA/FEIS may be 
obtained from the Roswell District Office at the address listed above 
under FURTHER INFORMATION. Copies may be reviewed at any BLM office in 
New Mexico or Oklahoma; at public libraries in Alamogordo, Albuquerque, 
Artesia, Carlsbad, Clovis, Eunice, Fort Sumner, Hobbs, Jal, Lovington, 
Portales, Roswell, Ruidoso, Santa Rosa, Tatum, and Tucumcari, New 
Mexico; in school libraries in Capitan, Carrizozo, Corona, and Vaughn, 
New Mexico; and in university libraries in Las Cruces, Carlsbad, 
Roswell, and Portales, New Mexico.
    In accordance with the provisions of 36 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 archeological and historical resource aspects addressed in 
the Proposed Plan or Proposed Plan Amendment are requested to identify 
themselves. Contact the Roswell District Office at the address listed 
above under FURTHER INFORMATION to be placed on a future contact list.

    Dated: February 24, 1997.
Edwin L. Roberson,
District Manager.
[FR Doc. 97-5513 Filed 3-6-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-VA-P