[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 89 (Friday, May 8, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 25520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-12187]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[MT-060-08-1610-00, 1616P]


Notice of Availability of the Draft Oil and Gas Supplemental 
Resource Management Plan and Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and the 
National Environmental Policy Act the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) 
has prepared a Draft Oil and Gas Supplemental Resource Management Plan 
and Environmental Impact Statement (RMP/EIS). This is a draft 
supplement to the 1992 Judith-Valley-Phillips RMP and is available to 
the public for a 90-day review period. The Draft Oil and Gas 
Supplemental RMP/EIS addresses two additional alternatives for oil and 
gas leasing on 3.4 million acres in northcentral Montana: Fergus, 
Petroleum, Judith Basin, Phillips, and Valley Counties and the southern 
portion of Chouteau County. One of the alternatives would avoid oil and 
gas leasing in areas with valuable wildlife habitat. The other 
alternative, the preferred alternative, would provide for oil and gas 
leasing while protecting other resource values through stipulations or 
closing areas where resource values are not compatible with exploration 
and development.

DATES: The agency must receive comments on or before August 6, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments to David L. Mari, District Manager, 
Bureau of Land Management, Lewistown District Office, P.O. Box 1160, 
Lewistown, MT 59457-1160.
    Copies of the Draft Oil and Gas Supplemental RMP/EIS are available 
from the Bureau of Land Management, Lewistown District Office, P.O. Box 
1160, Lewistown, Montana 59457-1160.
    Public reading copies will be available for review at the following 
Bureau of Land Management locations: Montana State Office, 222 North 
32nd Street, Billings, Montana; Lewistown District Office, Airport 
Road, Lewistown, Montana; Phillips Resource Area, 501 S 2nd Street 
East, Malta, Montana: and Valley Resource Area, Hwy 2 W, Glasgow, 
Montana.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jerry Majerus, 406-538-7461.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In September 1988, the National Wildlife 
Federation protested the issuance of oil and gas leases by the BLM in 
the State of Montana. The reasons for the protest were an inadequate 
analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act and non-compliance 
with the Endangered Species Act. The BLM's November 1988 decision on 
this protest was that BLM would suspend lease issuance on tracts with 
special wildlife stipulations until a new RMP/EIS was completed meeting 
the Bureau's supplemental program guidance.
    In September 1988, the BLM issued a notice of intent to prepare an 
RMP/EIS for public lands in northcentral Montana. One of the issues 
identified for the RMP was oil and gas leasing. The draft Judith-
Valley-Phillips RMP/EIS was released for public comment in July 1991. 
The National Wildlife Federation comments on the draft raised the 
concern that the November 1988 decision was not mentioned, much less 
identified as a practical alternative. The BLM responded to this 
comment in the final Judith-Valley-Phillips RMP/EIS that areas 
nominated for lease which require special stipulations to protect 
wildlife would not be offered for lease but this was an interim policy 
until the RMP/EIS was completed and not an alternative.
    In December 1992 the BLM released the final Judith-Valley-Phillips 
RMP/EIS for a 30 day protest period. In January 1993, the National 
Wildlife Federation protested the final RMP/EIS because the document 
neither mentioned the 1988 decision nor identified an alternative of 
carrying the temporary arrangement forward to avoid leasing valuable 
wildlife habitat. After careful review of this issue by the BLM's 
Director the protest warranted a supplement to the final RMP/EIS 
addressing an alternative for oil and gas leasing that would avoid 
leasing valuable wildlife habitat.

(Authority: Sec. 202, Pub. L. 94-579, 90 Stat. 2747 (43 U.S.C. 1712) 
and Sec. 102, Pub. L. 91-190, 83 Stat. 852 as amended (42 U.S.C. 
4332))

    Dated: April 27, 1998.
B. Gene Miller,
Associate District Manager.
[FR Doc. 98-12187 Filed 5-7-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-DN-P