[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 204 (Thursday, October 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56660-56661]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-28345]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management
[OR-030-09-1610-00: GP9-0010]


Notice of Availability of Draft Southeastern Oregon Resource 
Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement

AGENCY: Vale and Burns Districts, Bureau of Land Management, Department 
of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability of Draft Southeastern Oregon Resource

[[Page 56661]]

Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Draft SEORMP/EIS).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with Section 202 of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, a draft Resource Management Plan/Environmental 
Impact Statement has been prepared for the Southeastern Oregon planning 
area. The area covered by this plan includes all BLM-managed lands, 
approximately 6.3 million acres, in Southeastern Oregon, in portions of 
Harney, Malheur and Grant Counties. This planning area is within the 
Vale and Burns Districts and includes the Andrews, Malheur, and Jordan 
Resource Areas. Decisions generated during this planning process will 
supersede planning guidance presented in the Andrews, Southern Malheur, 
and Northern Malheur Management Framework Plans, as amended, and land 
use guidance pertaining to the Ironsides (southern portion), Southern 
Malheur and Andrews rangeland management programs. Other subordinate 
activity, implementation or projects plans, such as the Donner and 
Blitzen Wild and Scenic River Plan, will also be amended or otherwise 
brought into conformance with the Final SEORMP/EIS.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This land use plan focuses on the principles 
of multiple use management and sustained yield as prescribed by Section 
202 of FLPMA. This plan provides direction for management of these 
public lands for a period of 15 to 20 years. The Draft SEORMP/EIS has 
identified five alternatives for managing 6.3 million acres of public 
land in Southeastern Oregon. Input provided by the public during the 
scoping process helped develop the five alternatives, which are 
described and analyzed in the draft plan. ``Alternative A'' emphasizes 
commodity production or extraction. ``Alternative B'' is a continuation 
of current management and is the No Action Alternative. ``Alternative 
C'', the Agency Preferred Alternative, provides a balance with a high 
level of natural resource protection and improvement in ecological 
conditions, while allowing commodity production. ``Alternative D'' 
emphasizes resource values and the functioning of natural systems. 
``Alternative E'' would minimize human intervention in the ecosystem, 
and eliminate commodity production.
    Objectives and criteria for land management are established to be 
used within the concept of the adaptive management process. Adaptive 
management is the continuing process of action-based planning, 
monitoring, evaluating and adjusting management to improve achievement 
of goals and objectives. Using this adaptive approach calls for 
applying the latest information and professional judgement to develop 
activity plans that will most likely meet objectives and desired future 
conditions. New information will be evaluated and decisions made 
whether or not to make adjustments or changes as experience is gained 
from implementing activity plans. The adaptive management approach will 
enable resource managers to determine how well management actions meet 
their objectives and what steps are needed to modify activities to 
successfully obtain the objectives of this plan. Major RMP issues 
include rangeland, woodland and riparian vegetation management, energy 
and mineral resources, designation and management of Special Management 
Areas, fire management, recreation management, fish, wildlife, botany 
and Special Status species, and land tenure. The draft document 
includes consideration of 60 existing and nominated areas for 
designation as Areas of Critical Environmental Concern. Also, addressed 
is suitability of wild, scenic, and recreational designations on 289 
miles of stream segments determined to be eligible for such 
designations under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. The preferred 
alternative was developed to represent the best estimate of an optimum 
multiple use mix of land management commitments for these lands.
    This document also serves as the draft EIS requirement for the Wild 
and Scenic River Act to consider potential new rivers for congressional 
action, as well as the EIS for a management plan on the previously 
designated Donner und Blitzen River to meet court mandates in the 
lawsuit with ONDA et al. vs. Green et al., 953F Supp. 1133 (D. OR 
1997).

DATES & ADDRESSES: The Draft SEORMP/EIS will have a 120 day comment 
period. Due to the extended comment period being allowed, there will 
not be additional time authorized. The comment period will end on March 
1, 1999. BLM encourages interested public to provide comments. Comments 
are most useful when they address the following: (1) errors in the 
analysis; (2) new information or non-Bureau analysis that may have a 
bearing on the EIS analysis; or (3) a need for clarification of 
information, or direction.
    Copies of the Draft SEORMP/EIS will be mailed to all known 
interested parties around October 30, 1998 and available in the Vale 
and Burns District Offices. in addition, electronic copies of the text 
and map will be available from the District Offices as well as 
accessible on the District Internet home pages listed below.
    Written comments are requested to be sent to: SEORMP; Bureau of 
Land Management; Vale District Office; 100 Oregon Street; Vale, Oregon 
97918 or SEORMP; Bureau of Land Management; Burns District; HC74-12533 
Hwy 20 W; Hines, Oregon 97738. Copies of the Draft SEORMP/EIS will be 
available for inspection at the Harney and Malheur County libraries as 
well as the BLM, Oregon State Office, Land Office, 1515 SW Fifth 
Street, Portland, Oregon, the Baker Resource Area Office, Baker City, 
Oregon, during normal working hours. Informal meetings will be 
scheduled at Burns, Vale, Fields, Diamond, Jordan Valley, McDermitt and 
Portland. These meetings are intended to provide answers to questions 
in an effort to get meaningful comments. Only written comments will be 
accepted. The schedules for these meetings will be sent to those on the 
mailing list as well as through the media, at a later date.
    All meaningful comments received during the 120 day comment period 
will be analyzed and considered in the preparation of the Final SEORMP/
EIS.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Vale District, Gary Cooper, 541-473-6203, (phone), 541-473-6213 (fax), 
http://www.or.blm.gov/Vale/
Burns District, Glenn Patterson, 541-573-4429, (phone), 541-573-4411 
(fax), http://www.or.blm.gov/Burns/
 Public participation has occurred throughout the Draft SEORMP 
process. A Notice of Intent was filed in the Federal Register on August 
24, 1995. Since that time several open houses, public meetings, field 
tours, and discussions with the Southeastern Oregon Resource Advisory 
Council and public mailings were conducted to solicit comments, ideas 
and report progress. Any comments presented throughout the process have 
been considered. In addition, the Draft SEORMP/EIS incorporates 
applicable information from the ongoing Interior Columbia Basin 
Ecosystem management Project.
    This notice meets the requirements of 43 CFR 1610.7-2 for 
consideration of designation of Areas of Critical Environmental 
Concern.
Edwin J. Singleton,
Vale District Manager.
[FR Doc. 98-28345 Filed 10-21-98; 8:45 am]
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