[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 24 (Thursday, February 5, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 5963-5964]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-2817]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[WY-040-08-1610-00]


Notice of Intent To Prepare a Coordinated Activity Plan for the 
Jack Morrow Hills Area, Sweetwater, Fremont, and Sublette Counties, 
Wyoming and Notice of Scoping Meetings

SUMMARY: The Bureau of Land Management proposes to prepare a 
Coordinated Activity Plan for the Jack Morrow Hills area in the Rock 
Springs District in Wyoming. The Jack Morrow Hills Coordinated Activity 
Plan (JMHCAP) is an integrated activity planning effort to provide more 
specific management direction for certain public lands located in 
Sweetwater, Fremont, and Sublette Counties, Wyoming. The JMHCAP will 
supplement the Green River Resource Area Resource Management Plan 
(GRRMP) providing

[[Page 5964]]

decisions for fluid mineral leasing and mineral location within the 
``core area,'' an 88,000 acre parcel of land within the JMHCAP area.
    This notice also requests fluid mineral resource information (oil 
and gas, coalbed methane), mineral location information (gold, 
diamonds), and operational or development plans that will help in 
developing fluid mineral and mineral location management direction, 
Resource Management Plan (RMP) decisions, and in analyzing 
environmental impacts.

DATES: The scoping period for this planning effort will commence with 
the date of publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Two 
open house/information sharing scoping meetings are scheduled. The 
first meeting is scheduled for February 10, 1998, from 1 to 4 p.m. and 
6 to 8 p.m., Room 1301, Western Wyoming Community College, 2500 College 
Drive, Rock Springs, Wyoming. The second meeting will be held February 
19, 1998, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., at The Inn at Lander (Best Western), 
260 Grand View Drive, Lander, Wyoming. Subsequent meetings or hearings 
and any other public involvement activities will be scheduled as 
needed. Notification will be through other public notices, media news 
releases, or mailings. The purpose of scoping and these scoping 
meetings is to identify specific problems, concerns, and issues 
pertaining to the various resource and land use values in the JMHCAP 
planning area and to identify any data gaps, data needs, and data 
sources pertaining to the area. Scoping comments must be submitted to: 
Green River Resource Area, 280 Highway 191 North, Rock Springs, Wyoming 
82901, on or before March 10, 1998. Comments submitted by electronic 
mail should be sent to: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Amidon, Wildlife Biologist, Green 
River Resource Area, Bureau of Land Management, 280 Highway 191 North, 
Rock Springs, Wyoming 82901, phone number 307-352-0236.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The JMHCAP area contains approximately 
622,340 acres of Federal, State, and private lands. It encompasses 
Steamboat Mountain and the Greater Sand Dunes Areas of Critical 
Environmental Concern (ACEC), seven wilderness study areas, and part of 
the South Pass Historic Landscape ACEC. BLM has deferred fluid leasing 
and mineral location decisions on the Jack Morrow Hills ``core area'' 
pending completion of this Coordinated Activity Plan. This planning 
effort will address the appropriate level and timing of leasing and 
development of energy resources, transportation planning, access, 
designation of roads, livestock grazing practices, and other ``core 
area'' issues.
    In conformance with the Federal Land Policy and Management Act 
(FLPMA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), an 
environmental analysis will be conducted and documented in the course 
of developing the JMHCAP. The level of NEPA documentation will be 
either an environmental assessment (EA) or an environmental impact 
statement (EIS) depending upon comments and issues identified during 
the scoping period and upon the significance of impacts identified in 
the environmental analysis. The EA or EIS will be used to determine if 
an amendment of the GRRMP will be needed. The existing GRRMP will guide 
management actions in the JMHCAP area other than those deferred 
decisions for fluid mineral resources and locatable mineral activity in 
the ``core area''.
    RMP decisions will be subject to protest by parties who participate 
in the planning process and who have an interest which is or may be 
adversely affected by the adoption of that RMP decision as provided by 
Title 43, Code of Federal Regulations, Sec. 1610.5-2.

    Dated: January 30, 1998.
Alan R. Pierson,
State Director.
[FR Doc. 98-2817 Filed 2-4-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-22-P